


Let It Burn

by DimensionTripperHomura



Series: Let It Burn [1]
Category: Love Live! School Idol Project, Love Live! Sunshine!!
Genre: F/F, F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-07-02
Updated: 2018-10-02
Packaged: 2018-11-22 14:08:56
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 58
Words: 462,114
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11381805
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DimensionTripperHomura/pseuds/DimensionTripperHomura
Summary: Finally got around to posting this here! Part of my ‘Heroes AU’ headcanons/series on Tumblr. An inconceivable tragedy in the future leads a 20 year old Honoka to go back to the past to when she was 16. Set after ‘Cold’ but I’ll be writing fics set between that and this one. So the series isn’t really in order. This fic assumes all of Muse knows about each others abilities. There's a list of abilities at the start of chapter one.Warning(s): Major character death. Like a lot of character death in here. Kind of self-injury so don’t read if it’ll trigger?





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> List of abilities:  
> Honoka - Time/Space manipulation.  
> Umi - Hyperkinetic.  
> Kotori - Invisibility.  
> Eli - Pyrokinetic (blue flames)  
> Nozomi - Empathy.  
> Nico - rapid cell regeneration  
> Maki - Telepathy  
> Hanayo - Phasing.  
> Rin - Super speed.  
> Yukiho - Hydrokinetic.  
> Arisa - Ability to find other ability users.  
> Anju - Transformation.  
> Erena - Controls shadows.  
> Tsubasa - Can take other people's abilities by killing them or studying their brain.
> 
> Aqours don't join for a while but theirs will be:
> 
> Chika - Ability to learn other people’s abilities by watching them being used (she can know up to 4 abilities at the same time)  
> Riko - Ability to clone herself.  
> You - Super Strength.  
> Mari - Puppeteer (ability to control other peoples’ body parts/limbs).  
> Kanan- Hydrokinetic. A more powerful version of Yukiho basically.  
> Dia - Enhanced memory.  
> Ruby - Sonic waves.  
> Hanamura - Absorbing solids - like she touches metal and her skin turns metal.  
> Yoshiko - Illusionist.

Honoka squinted against the sunlight, the blinding glare a harsh contrast to the darkness she’d been surrounded by just a moment ago. She lifted her hand into the air to block the sun and glanced around, blinking against the halos of light still clouding her vision. It took her a moment to figure out where she was but when she did she inhaled sharply. The school roof. It had been a long time since she’d been there but she remembered it vividly. She wasn’t sure she would ever be able to forget it. How far had she gone back exactly? She hadn’t been able to use her power properly when she’d tried to go back. There was no telling how long ago it was.

Her knees weakened suddenly and she stumbled forward, barely able to catch herself against the railings. Her head throbbed with pain and she winced, lifting a hand to her head. Even now the headaches she got when travelling far were excruciating. That hadn’t changed since she was a teenager. Forcing herself to use her power had only worsened the effect. She felt a strange wetness on her hand and pulled it back to stare at it. Blood. Of course. She had been hit at one point during the fight. It mixed with the already dried blood coating her skin and clothes.

Memories of being trapped in the class with A-Rise hit her hard, causing bile to rush to her throat. Her friends were all dead, because of her. Except Nico, of course. Honoka had merely abandoned her, left her behind in the future while she fled to the past. One by one, images of her friends being cut down flashed through her mind. Rin, Hanayo, Kotori, Umi, Eli, Nozomi and finally Maki. They were all dead because of her, the supposed leader of the team. She was supposed to protect them and yet they had died protecting her.

She felt a sharp pain in her knees as they finally connected with the solid ground. She felt something wet spilling from her eyes though she knew it wasn’t blood this time. Before she knew it, she was sobbing in earnest. She couldn’t remember the last time she had allowed herself to give into emotion like this. Maybe when Alisa had died, after she had watched Eli fall apart in front of her, clutching her sister’s dead body to her chest. Maybe after that, when she’d had to tell Yukiho about it. She couldn’t remember. Either way it had been a long time ago.

_“Honoka…” Maki’s lifeless hand hit the floor as Nico finally stood up from her position on the ground. She was soaked with blood, both her own and Maki’s. It covered her clothes, her hands, her arms, even her face from when she’d tried to wipe her tears away. The attempt had proved pointless and the salty liquid had merely created tracks through the drying blood. “Go back! You have to fix this!”_

_“B-but you…”_

_“JUST GO!”_

She heard an anguished scream echo around her but she didn’t recognize it as her own, even when her throat burned in the wake of it. She wept into her folded arms, her shoulders shuddering with the force of it.

—

_1 hour earlier/4 years in the future._

She wasn’t sure how long she had been tied up. She had woken up to a dull pain in the back of her head, obviously an effect of whatever her kidnapper had drugged her with. She vaguely remembered something being placed over her mouth, then the taste of fumes followed by…nothing at all. Trying to use her powers proved useless. She couldn’t so much as transport herself across the room. She was stuck right where she was.

As she stared into the dimly lit room, she silently prayed that her friends wouldn’t follow her. They would know that it was a trap. They had been doing this for a long time, they wouldn’t just walk into the abandoned school without thinking it through first. The niggling fear that they would do just that played on her mind. Eli, especially, would think nothing of putting her own life in danger. It had been that way since Alisa had died. She just didn’t seem to care any more. Not even Nozomi would be able to talk her out of it.

Honoka wasn’t sure how long passed before she heard the door at the far end of the room slam open, light spilling into the room. She blinked against it, making out several figures standing in the doorway. Her heart seized with panic. Those idiots. They knew it was a trap and yet they’d still come for her.

“No…” She mumbled weakly, struggling against the ropes that bound her hands together behind her back. She tried to push herself away from the wall she was leaning back against but only succeeded in sending herself crashing face first to the floor. It seemed as though the sound caught the attention of the rest of the team as she heard footsteps coming toward her. Soon enough she found herself being pushed into a sitting position and a moment later, warm hands were pressed to her cheeks. It took her a moment to focus on the concerned amber eyes staring back at her. “K-Kotori, y…”

“Shhh.” Kotori shushed Honoka gently, pushing her hair back from her face. She frowned at the sight of the fresh cut on her best friend’s forehead and moved to untie her.

Honoka let out a gasp as Kotori let go of her suddenly. She tilted forward but she merely fell against the soft body in front of her. As she felt fingers picking at the rope that bound her hands, she spoke up in a whisper, her mouth near Kotori’s ear. “It’s a trap.”

“We know that.” Eli’s voice sounded from her left, causing Honoka to turn her head toward the sound. The older girl was standing near her, her hand engulfed in fire. The flames lit up her face, her blue eyes glimmering as she looked to Honoka. “Did you really think that would keep us away?”

“It should have! You…” Honoka’s gaze focused on something beyond Eli. The team had scattered around the room, Maki and Nico moving in one direction while Hanayo and Rin had moved the opposite way. Nozomi was still standing near the door. That wasn’t what she was concerned with though. It was almost as though the shadows were rippling, moving of their own accord. She’d seen that before. An arrow shaped shadow shot suddenly from the dark corner toward Rin and Hanayo. Honoka instinctively tried to stop it in it’s tracks, forgetting that she couldn’t use her powers given her weakened condition. Her heart leapt in her chest and she opened her mouth to desperately call out just as the arrow struck Rin in the back.

Hanayo let out a startled scream as Rin was sent flying through the air, landing on the ground with a sickening thud. She lay there after, unmoving as blood pooled beneath her.

“R-RIN-CHAN!”

Kotori stood up quickly, taking up a more defensive position in front of Honoka. She felt Eli move to her side, her hand lifted as she prepared to attack.

Honoka tried to get to her feet too but failed each time. All she could do was watch as Hanayo took off running toward Rin’s body. An icy chill of fear ran down her spine. Even from her position on the floor it was obvious that there was no hope for Rin. “No…” She mumbled as she watched another arrow head straight toward Hanayo. She could phase through almost anything, even bullets but there was no way she could phase through a shadow. She watched as Hanayo ducked to the left, narrowly dodging the arrow so she could reach Rin.

“Rin-chan!” Hanayo slipped her arms under Rin’s and pulled her up with some difficulty. Rin was a dead weight in her arms but she finally managed to get a good hold on her. She glanced toward her friends before she squeezed her eyes shut.

Honoka realized what Hanayo was planning to do as her feet disappeared into the floor along with Rin’s. She was trying to get Rin out of there, even if she had to go through the floor to do it. Before she could get any further, a shadow struck her in the chest, sending her flying in much the same fashion as Rin had a moment ago.

“NO!” Honoka glanced across the room to see Nico trying to hold a struggling Maki back from Rin and Hanayo. She was surprised the smaller girl was managing it. Though Nico had grown over the years and had gotten much stronger, she was still shorter than Maki. “LET GO OF ME! HANAYO! RIN!”

Honoka looked back to Hanayo and Rin, barely able to take in the sight of them lying close together on the ground. There was so much blood. “T-This can’t be happening.” She grabbed Kotori’s arm and dragged herself to her feet though she was barely able to stay standing.

“Nozomi!” Eli called loudly, noticing movement out of the corner of her eye. She stepped back, positioning herself closer to Honoka. She couldn’t look in the direction of Hanayo and Rin so she didn’t notice Nozomi moving over there.

“I know, Elichi.” Nozomi was careful as she inched toward Rin and Hanayo. She knelt down beside them and with shaking hands, checked for any signs of life. There was no pulse, no unsteady intake of breath. They were dead. She closed her eyes at the realization, the corners of them stinging with oncoming tears. “T-they’re gone.”

“Of course they are.” A new voice sounded, echoing around the room. The group looked up upon hearing the sound. Even Maki who had dropped to her knees in tears was distracted by it. A moment later two figures stepped out of the shadows, matching smirks on their faces.

“You!” Eli hissed at Erena, almost taking a step forward before she remembered that Honoka was behind her. She knew that power. She would recognize it anywhere. “You did this!”

“We’re not done yet, Ayase Eli.” Anju said, her smile turning somewhat innocent as she lifted the gun in her hand. She stepped forward, aiming it toward Kotori and laughed as the girl tensed. “Minami Kotori. I wanted the pleasure of killing you myself.”

Honoka clutched Kotori’s arm, pulling her back slightly. It didn’t escape her notice that while Kotori looked afraid, she didn’t turn invisible. “Run!”

Kotori didn’t move as she stared down the barrel of the gun. She could use her power to turn invisible. She could even turn Honoka with her as her friend was still clutching her tightly. She could probably get them both away but that would mean leaving the rest of her friends behind. She didn’t hear the sound of footsteps rushing toward her. “Anju…” She trailed off when the A-Rise member squeezed the trigger and instinctively threw her arms up to protect herself.

“Like hell!” Eli threw herself in front of Kotori, blue flames engulfing her body from head to toe. She hit the first bullet away with her flaming fist, barely feeling the pain of the bullet grazing her knuckles. The other was propelled through the air by the flames surrounding her body.

Anju looked surprise by Eli’s bold move but she continued to fire, each of the bullets being batted away by Eli as if they were annoying flies. She had figured she would gain the attention of one of the older members of Muse by attacking the younger members.

Erena stayed where she was, making no move to put out Eli’s flames. She knew exactly what Anju and Tsubasa had planned and had no desire to interfere. Indeed, a moment later she saw a blur in the air as Tsubasa used the speed she had picked up earlier to move toward Kotori and Honoka.

A sharp pain in her side caused Kotori to glance down. She wasn’t quite able to comprehend the image of the knife protruding from her side and for a moment she could merely stare at it. She looked up again, finding Tsubasa standing next to her, her hands bloodied.

“Kotori!” Honoka grabbed Kotori just before the girl crumbled to the ground. In her weakened state she couldn’t keep Kotori standing and she sank to the ground with her. “No, no, no…Nico! NICO!”

Nico didn’t so much as glance in Honoka’s direction as Anju had turned her attention toward her and Maki and she was currently trying to shoot past her at Maki. She was doing her best to shield Maki with her body, taking the bullets for her but she wasn’t sure how long she could keep it up, even with her power. Maki had already been hit in the leg and was on her knees behind her.

Too late, Honoka remembered the vials of blood Nico had given them before they’d gone into battle. She hurriedly searched Kotori’s pockets for the vial, finding it after a moment.

“Honoka-ch…” Kotori couldn’t finish what she was saying as she choked on the blood in her throat. “H-H…”

“It’s okay, Kotori-chan. You’re going to be fine.” Honoka desperately pushed up Kotori’s shirt to expose the bullet hole in her abdomen. Her hands shook as she uncorked the vial and poured the red liquid into the wound. She waited impatiently for it to heal but to no avail. It didn’t make sense. Nico’s blood could heal any wound. That was why she’d given it to them. “I-I don’t understand…”

“H-Hono…” Kotori weakly reached for Honoka’s hand but her blurred vision made it impossible to grab it.

Honoka looked up as she felt Kotori’s fingers brush weakly against her own. The sight of blood streaking from the corner of Kotori’s lips coupled with the tears that had welled in her eyes made her want to cry herself. She grabbed Kotori’s hand in her own, ignoring the fight around her. She could hear gunshots, Maki screaming desperately at Nico, Eli trying to get Anju’s attention back, but she couldn’t focus on anything besides her best friend. The other hand, bloody from Kotori’s wound moved to the top of her friend’s head as she leaned over her.

“Kotori.” Honoka’s voice came out harsher than she had intended as she stared into Kotori’s unfocused eyes. “Don’t you dare die. If you do…” She trailed off helplessly. It wasn’t a threat. She knew she would fall apart without Kotori. She’d already lost Umi, she couldn’t lose another of her best friends.

Kotori used her remaining strength to reach up and grip the collar of Honoka’s jacket, pulling her down. Their foreheads collided awkwardly but neither paid attention to it. With their bodies closer together now, Honoka could feel Kotori trembling beneath her.

“I-I…” Kotori struggled to speak despite her throat being mostly clear of blood now. “I love you…and….Umi…tell…” She trailed off and turned her head, coughing up more blood. Honoka felt a splatter of it hit her cheek but she couldn’t care. The sound of hurried footsteps caught her attention but she didn’t look up. Tsubasa could kill her if she wanted to. It hardly mattered.

“Please…” Honoka felt the corners of her eyes sting with tears despite her best efforts to force them back. The idea of Kotori dying was incomprehensible. Her best friend had been the only constant in her life. She felt Kotori’s grip loosen on her collar and reached up to grasp her hand, forcing her grip to tighten. “Don’t…” The footsteps were practically on top of her now and she closed her eyes, preparing for the pain that would follow. All she felt was a slight jolt as someone dropped to their knees beside her, knocking into her shoulder.

“Umi…” The name left Kotori’s lips as a weak yet content sigh and Honoka’s eyes snapped open. Umi? She couldn’t be there. She had betrayed them. A slight glance to her left assured her that Kotori wasn’t delusional from the pain. Umi was kneeling next to her, wearing the most pained expression Honoka had ever seen on her.

“I’m right here.” Umi’s voice was choked as though she was near tears herself. She placed her hand gently on top of Kotori’s head as Honoka was desperately gripping her hands. “Stay with us, Kotori. It’s going to be okay. I promise.”

A choked whimper escaped Kotori’s throat though a smile lingered on her lips as she looked up at her two best friends. She’d never thought she’d see them together again, at least not for a long time. Slowly, her eyes began to close as black filtered into her vision.

“Kotori-chan!” Honoka cried out, gripping Kotori tighter than before. She called her name again and again but Kotori-chan was still. “No…” She leaned down, turning her head to press her ear to Kotori’s chest. Nothing. It didn’t rise and fall as it had been previously. “Kotori!”

Umi trembled as she stared down at her lifeless friend. If only she’d gotten there a few minutes earlier. She could have stopped this. “Hono-” She was cut off by a force pushing her to the side. She toppled over but scrambled to her feet a moment later, positioning herself in front of Honoka. She reached up, unsheathing her katana and held it protectively in front of her. She noticed Eli standing near Honoka’s other side but she didn’t see anyone else. She gasped as she felt something slash at her back. She almost feared it was Honoka as she turned around but she found her friend still on her knees, her face buried in Kotori’s chest. Realization hit her suddenly, bringing with it a fiery rage. Tsubasa. She swung her sword in a wide arc, slashing at the space around her.

“How dare you!” She growled furiously, angry tears filling her eyes. That Tsubasa had taken Kotori’s power and was using it against them enraged her. She knew that Kotori would have been heartbroken over her ability being used in such a way. She would never hurt her friends. She’d rather die. She felt a rush of satisfaction at the feeling of her sword cutting through flesh. If she couldn’t save Kotori, she would surely avenge her. She continued to slash away at the space surrounding her but she didn’t manage to land another blow.

Honoka was mostly unaware of the fight around her as she gripped Kotori’s body tightly to her. It was a nightmare. It had to be. She’d had many of the same kind over the past few years. Nightmares in which she’d had to watch her friends being tortured and killed. She couldn’t wake up from this one though.

A few minutes passed before she heard the sound of something hitting the ground next to her. She glanced up, her eyes widening at the sight of Umi on her knees. She was clutching her throat, her eyes wide in surprise. Blood seeped from between her fingers and her katana lay on the floor next to her.

“U-Umi…” Honoka watched in horror as Umi fell to the ground next to Kotori, gasping for breath. “No…No!” She scrambled over Kotori’s body to Umi, clutching her friends hands to draw them away from the wound. She could fix it, she still had her own vial of Nico’s blood. She was stopped by the sight of glassy eyes staring back at her. She was already dead. How could this be happening? Even after everything Honoka had seen, this was too horrible.

“Honoka, move!”

Honoka didn’t have time to look up before she was tackled to the side. She hit the ground hard, her breath escaping her as the person who’d pushed her landed heavily on top of her. She didn’t have time to panic before she realized who it was. Though flames didn’t surround her, Eli’s skin was scorching to the touch. The older girl didn’t linger on top of her for long. She got to her feet with her usual grace though Honoka couldn’t think past the ache in her chest to admire it as she usually would.

Eli’s fists clenched at her sides and with a low angered growl, her body was engulfed by flames once more. Out of the corner of her eye she could see Umi and Kotori. It was obvious they were dead. She glared at Erena, her eyes prickling with oncoming tears. First Hanayo and Rin then Kotori and Umi and now Erena was trying to kill Honoka. It was too much.

“I’ll kill you.” She snarled, her anger overtaking her. She pulled her hand back, preparing to throw a fireball toward the smirking A-Rise member. She had every intention of killing her in the most painful way possible.

“Oh?” Erena waved her hand in front of her, using her powers to put out Eli’s flames. She gave a throaty laugh at the shocked look on Eli’s face. That had been far too easy. A part of her had wanted to drag it out a bit more, to really torture the blonde. “I think you’re the ones dying.” She motioned toward Kotori and Umi’s lifeless bodies on the ground. “It’s just a matter of who’s next.” Her gaze shifted past Eli to Honoka who was standing on trembling legs. “I’ve been waiting so long to kill you, I’m not sure how I’d like to do it.” She took a step forward, causing Eli to tense and reach behind her to pull Honoka close to her back. “Maybe I should kill you like I killed the mousy one over there. Piercing your heart with darkness seems fitting.”

Eli let go of Honoka’s wrist and focused intently, trying to ignite her flames again. “I won’t let you touch her.”

“Oh Eli.” Erena lifted her fist and clenched it in front of her, focusing on the light of Eli’s flames. They faded immediately but she wasn’t finished yet. Eli had flames filtering through her, even moreso than when they had first met all those years ago. She focused on the mental image of those flames coursing through the blonde’s body, imagining them fading to be replaced by her darkness.

“Eli-senpai!” Honoka gasped as Eli fell to her knees with a choked cry. She joined the blonde on the ground, gripping her arm tightly.

Eli could feel her power being forced out of her body, her energy being sapped away by the invading darkness. It was a pain unlike any she had ever felt before and she screamed out in agony, the sound echoing around the room.

“ELICHI!” Nozomi, who had been trying to inch toward Nozomi without being detected suddenly tried to hurry forward toward Eli, only to be shoved to the side by stopped by an invisible force. Even from across the room, she could see that Eli’s usually blue eyes had blackened. Icy fear coursed through her and she struggled against the person holding her back. “NO. ELICHI!”

Erena laughed above the sound of Nozomi’s desperate yelling. It amused her greatly to see them like this. So weak and helpless. She paused in her torment of Eli, turning her focus to Honoka. She was the real target. The real leader of Muse. Honoka was too focused on Eli to even notice that she was suddenly a target. That just made it so much easier. Mustering up her power, Erena summoned a shadow and sent it flying toward Honoka, aiming for her head. Her powers had grown so much that she hardly need any shadows to turn them into something fearfully offensive.

Honoka’s eyes widened when Eli’s body suddenly ignited again. For a split second, the sight of Eli’s familiar flames comforted her but then the blonde had moved in front of her, her hand moving to the back of Honoka’s head to draw it protectively against her shoulder. She felt Eli jolt, a pained gasp escaping her before she stilled. Her hand fell limply from the back of Honoka’s head and she fell forward against her.

“ELICHI!”

Honoka didn’t dare breathe for a moment as her arms numbly circled Eli. Her flames were out once again. She could hear Nozomi crying out for Eli but she didn’t get an answer. That wasn’t right. Eli always answered Nozomi. Slowly she drew back, looking Eli over. Her eyes were dead and unfocused, red covering the front of her shirt. On the opposite side to where she’d drawn Honoka to. She had known what was going to happen.

“No…” Honoka whispered, reaching up to touch Eli’s pale cheek with a shaking hand. She couldn’t be dead. She was the strongest of all of them. “E-Eli-senpai.”

A sudden scream caught her attention and she looked up to see Nozomi finally shoving her way past Tsubasa. She ran over to them, falling to her knees next to Eli. She pushed Honoka away, taking Eli away from her.

“Elichi.” Nozomi stared down at her girlfriend, tear steadily streaming down her cheeks. “Elichi, wake up. Wake up.”

Honoka felt something in her hand and looked down, finding Eli’s cross in her palm. She blinked at it in surprise. She had never seen Eli take it off. “S-She’s gone.” She could hardly bring herself to believe it. The person she looked up to most had died because of her. Instead of her. The agonized cry that escaped Nozomi caused her to flinch. She had never heard Nozomi sound so broken.

Nozomi held Eli close to her chest, sobbing brokenly against her. Eli had often told her that if Nozomi died she would lose herself completely. Her heart had been broken when Alisa had died but if she were to lose Nozomi she wouldn’t have anything left. Her sanity would surely slip away. Nozomi had never said anything but she felt the same way. The only person she trusted completely, with every piece of her, was Eli. She didn’t allow anyone else to see her vulnerable side, not even their friends. Eli was the wrong person she could depend on.

Honoka listened to the sound of Nozomi’s cries, her gaze shifting around the room. Nico was crouched over Maki, a dagger in hand. She seemed to be cutting relentlessly at every inch of her own skin that she could. It took a moment but Honoka finally realized what must have happened. Maki was gone too. Nico was trying to bring her back using her own blood, even if it meant hurting herself to do so. The scent of blood filled the air and Honoka found herself gagging against the bile that rose in her throat.

A laugh filled the air and Nozomi’s crying stopped suddenly in response. Honoka turned her attention toward the purple haired girl to find her lowering Eli gently to the ground. Her cheeks were tear stained but there was no mistaking the hatred on her face. It wasn’t an expression Honoka had ever seen from the usually gentle Nozomi. She watched numbly as Nozomi rose to her feet and slowly turned on her heel to face Erena. She didn’t say anything, she merely held her hand out, palm up. A moment later Erena cried out in pain and sank to the ground, clutching her chest.

“Hurts, doesn’t it?” Nozomi walked forward toward Erena, doing nothing to block out the emotional pain she felt. She took in Honoka’s and Nico’s too. She could feel Honoka’s heartache at having lost Eli, Kotori and Umi and the others, Nico’s at having lost Maki. Somehow it didn’t add up to the pain she felt over losing Eli. She poured it into Erena, taking satisfaction in the agonized screams she could hear from her. She took it one step further, seeking out the physical pain Nico was inflicting upon herself. She fell to her own knees, lightheaded as her body throbbed in agony. Oblivious, Nico continued to cut relentlessly, trying to heal Maki with her blood. It wouldn’t work. They both knew that and yet she continued to try. Nozomi understood completely. Nico felt about Maki the way she felt about Eli. She couldn’t lose her.

“Erena!” Tsubasa’s voice sounded strangely panicked to Honoka’s ears. She watched in a daze as Tsubasa began to hurry toward Nozomi.

“Stop!” Anju held her hand out, stopping Tsbuasa in her tracks. Nico was no threat to them now. She was too focused on healing Maki. “I’ll deal with this.” She flashed Tsubasa a coy smirk before she closed her eyes, concentrating on changing her form.

Honoka’s eyes widened in surprise as she watched Anju change her appearance. “No.” She muttered, shaking her head. Anything but that. She felt sick as she watched Tsbuasa chuckle and hand over the dagger she’d used on Umi. “No! Nozomi! Nozomi, don’t listen to her!”

Nozomi wasn’t paying attention. She was too focused on making Erena feel every bit of pain she felt. She could feel herself weakening with every second that passed but she pressed on. That is until she felt a hand come to rest on her arm.

“Nozomi, stop.”

She froze at the sound of the familiar voice, her attention straying from Erena. “E-Elichi?” She turned her head toward the person next to her and gasped sharply at the sight of Eli. Her tears started afresh and she threw herself into Eli, embracing her tightly. “I thought…I thought…”

“Shhh.” ‘Eli’ hushed Nozomi gently, her hand gently coming to rest on the back of Nozomi’s head. “It’s alright. I’m right here.” She cast a smirk toward Tsubasa who looked on in amusement. After a moment she felt Nozomi begin to pull away and forced herself to look sincere.

“Nozomi.” She reached up, placing a hand on Nozomi’s cheek. She watched in satisfaction as Nozomi leaned into the carress. How touching. Even after seeing Eli die, Nozomi was choosing to believe that she was still alive. She gripped the knife in her free hand and thrust it forward into Nozomi’s stomach.

Nozomi’s eyes widened in surprise at the sudden pain. “E-Elichi…” She gripped Eli’s shirt tightly, trying to comprehend what her girlfriend was doing. No. Not her girlfriend. Eli wouldn’t. Eli would rather plunge a dagger into her own chest than do this to her. “No…Anju.”

Anju laughed darkly and pushed the knife deeper. Warm blood coated her hand. “You caught onto me. I think this look is more fitting right now though, don’t you? Who else would you want to be the last person you see before you die?”

Honoka could only watch numbly as Nozomi fell limp in Eli’s…no, Anju’s hold. She felt numb as Anju pushed Nozomi’s lifeless body to the floor and stood up, turning back into herself.

Nico finally looked up as silence filled the room. She took in the sight of her friend’s dead bodies and inhaled sharply. She had been so focused on Maki that she hadn’t noticed. She could have helped. She could have done something. She felt the last of her wounds healing as she cradled Maki’s body to her. It was pointless. Maki wasn’t coming back. She watched as Erena got to her feet with Anju’s help. Honoka was on her knees on the floor, apparently unable to move. Had she watched their friends die, one by one? The thought made Nico feel sick with guilt. She should have done something.

“Honoka…” Maki’s lifeless hand hit the floor as Nico finally stood up from her position on the ground. She was soaked with blood, both her own and Maki’s. It covered her clothes, her hands, her arms, even her face from when she’d tried to wipe her tears away. The attempt had proved pointless and the salty liquid had merely created tracks through the drying blood. “Go back! You have to fix this!”

Honoka looked up, her brow furrowing. She wasn’t even sure she could. “B-but you…”

“JUST GO!” Nico charged toward where Honoka was crouching and grabbed Umi’s sword. “Get the hell out of here!”

Honoka squeezed her eyes shut despite her uncertainty and focused on going back. She couldn’t live in a world where her friends were dead. She knew Nico couldn’t either. Pain shot through her head but she ignored it. She had to fix this.

—

Honoka wasn’t sure how long she lay there, weeping into her arms but eventually her tears dried up. She clenched her fist around Eli’s necklace and took a shuddering breath. They were gone. Her friends were gone but she could save them. In a way, she could. She got to her feet and with shaking hands, reached up to put on the precious necklace she’d been given. The last piece of her friend. She would fix this. She had to.

TBC.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Next chapter of LIB! Thanks for reading!

An unnerved shiver ran down Eli’s spin for the fifth time in as many minutes. She and Nozomi were halfway to the small restaurant where they usually went for parfaits but she hadn’t been able to shake the feeling that someone was watching her.

Nozomi, upon noticing Eli’s unsettled distraction, playfully bumped into her side. Eli hadn’t been truly listening to her for the past few minutes, it seemed. “What’s wrong, Elichi? Am I boring you?”

Eli turned back to Nozomi, quickly shaking her head. “N-No, it’s nothing like that. I just…” She glanced around and lowered her voice slightly. “I feel like we’re being followed.”

Nozomi’s brow furrowed in concern. Eli had good instincts. She didn’t have Maki’s power to read minds but she was hardly ever wrong. She paused, a hand on Eli’s arm to keep her from going any further. “Let me check.”

Eli watched as Nozomi closed her eyes and focused intently, obviously using her power to feel for anything suspicious. She watched in concern as Nozomi inhaled sharply through her nose, her eyes flying open. Quickly, she stepped forward and placed a hand on her girlfriend’s waist in case she buckled.

“Honoka-chan.” Nozomi said quietly, trying to push aside the anguish she’d been overwhelmed with a moment ago. “She’s hurt.”

“What?!” Eli’s eyes widened in panic and she looked around, trying to find any sign of their friend. Wherever Honoka was, she wasn’t in sight. “How hurt? We have to find her, Nozomi!”

Nozomi gripped Eli’s arms tightly to keep her from dashing off. She knew Eli had a soft spot for the girl who looked up to her but she couldn’t let her rush in without knowing everything. “Not just physically, she’s hurting emotionally. I’ve never felt anything like it.” Something must have happened with Umi or Kotori. Maybe they’d gotten into a fight. She could only hope it was something so trivial. “Something isn’t right with her. She doesn’t feel like Honoka-chan.”

Eli stared at Nozomi in confusion for a moment before she pulled away from her. “I can’t just leave her. Come on, help me find her.”

Future Honoka closed her eyes and leaned her head back against the wall behind her, having easily heard the discussion. She’d been following Eli for a few days now, ever since she had gone back in time. She needed to speak to her, to all of them, but she’d needed a few days to compose herself first.

She wasn’t entirely sure why she’d chosen to go to Eli out of all of them. She’d considered going to Nico but she wasn’t sure the idol obsessed girl would believe what she had to say. Kotori would have believed her but she hadn’t wanted to risk bumping into Umi and her past self just yet.  Maybe it was because Eli and Nozomi had always been the parental figures of the group. Since meeting her, she’d looked up to Eli more than anyone else.

She closed her hand around Eli’s cross around her neck and took a deep breath to brace herself. She knew it would hurt to speak to them again but she couldn’t give into it. She tucked the cross beneath her hoodie and focused on her power. A second later she appeared in front of Eli and Nozomi, causing them to skid to a stop.   
  
“Eli-senp…” Future Honoka choked on her words. This wasn’t her Eli, not really. She swallowed thickly and tried again. “Eli.”

If Nozomi’s tight grip on her hand didn’t keep Eli still, the appearance of Honoka in front of them certainly did. Something was off about her. She looked taller than the last time they’d seen her and her clothes just weren’t right. Was it possible for her to have changed so much despite them having seen her only a few hours ago? She was wearing black, from the jeans she was wearing to the hoodie she’d adorned. “Honoka?”

Future Honoka pushed her hood back down, finally allowing Eli and Nozomi to get a good look at her. “I need your help.”

—

Honoka tried not to shift uncomfortably under the weight of the stares directed at her. She felt like she was diving into the situation headfirst but maybe it was easier that way. She awkwardly cleared her throat as the seconds ticked by. They’d gathered in Nozomi’s apartment yet nothing had really been said, besides that Honoka was from the future.

“Your hair is longer.” Kotori noted thoughtfully, drawing Future Honoka’s attention toward her. She blushed at the look and sheepishly shrugged her shoulders. “It…it suits you.”

“Thanks.” Honoka said, her voice slightly raspier than usual. It was hard not to let her emotions get the better of her as she stared at her best friend. It seemed only moments ago that she had watched her die right in front of her. Almost self-consciously, she reached up, her fingers raking through her hair. She’d long since stopped wearing a side ponytail and now let it hang around her shoulders. She’d taken to running her fingers through it in stressful situations, leaving it a bit tousled.

Umi shifted uncomfortable, barely able to take her eyes off the woman in front of her. She looked like Honoka and yet she looked so different at the same time. She was taller, not to mention more mature looking. Against her will, her heartbeat picked up as she continued to stare. She inwardly cursed herself for it. Now was hardly the time.

“So…you’re from the future?” She finally managed to speak up, realizing that nobody else was going to. “Why did you come back here?”

Future Honoka looked away from Kotori, the warmth of her stare disappearing completely when she looked at Umi. “I told Eli I need your help but that’s not quite true. You all need mine.”

“Why would we need your help?” Nico questioned from her spot near Maki. “We can take care of ourselves.”

Future Honoka scoffed at that. Clearly that wasn’t true. She took a moment to look over Nico, taking note of the differences. It took her by surprise that Nico still wore her hair up but she quickly realized that hadn’t changed until graduation, when Nico had decided to leave her school idol days behind. “In four years time you’re all going to be killed. Where I’m from you’re all…” Her voice broke and she took a moment to recover. Not a moment passed when she didn’t think of her friends and their deaths. She’d watched them all, save for Maki’s. “My friends are all dead.”

“What?” Hanayo gasped, leaning forward in surprise. She automatically reached for Rin’s hand and squeezed it tightly. “That can’t be right. We…what happened?”

“I was kidnapped by A-rise and you all came to save me.” Future Honoka’s voice was laced with anger. They shouldn’t have done it. They should have just left her there. “It was stupid and reckless. And you all paid with your lives.”

“You expected us to leave you?” Eli spoke, visibly shaken by the news that they would die in just four years. “We would never leave our Honoka behind.”

Future Honoka clenched her jaw, struggling not to make a cutting remark about Eli’s comment. They were all so young and naeve. They had no idea what they were talking about. “You should. She’s not worth your lives. I’m not.”

Honoka swallowed anxiously at the glare that was shot toward her. She agreed, in a way. She would never want her friends to die because of her. “You came back to fix it, didn’t you? So that they don’t die?”

Future Honoka was silent for a moment before she nodded her head. “Nico told me to come back. She told me I have to fix this.” She glanced toward the younger Nico, barely looking at her for a few seconds before she turned away again. She couldn’t think of these people as her friends and yet it was difficult not to.

“Why should we believe you?” Maki finally asked, moving forward toward Honoka. “You could be lying. You could be a shapeshifter.”

Honoka’s chest tightened at the mention of shapeshifting and she glanced toward Eli and Nozomi. She remembered with disturbing detail how Anju had changed her appearance to look like Eli. She’d taken advantage of Nozomi’s love of the blonde to kill her. She shook her head at the thought, Eli and Nozomi’s clasped hands catching her attention. She almost smiled at the sight. At least some things didn’t change. Their closeness had been the same for years.

“I’ll prove it to you. You can ask me anything and I’ll tell you.” Her gaze trailed around the room, finally settling upon Eli. “You have a scar on your inner thigh that only Nozomi knows about right now.”

Nozomi frowned at the revelation and glanced at her blushing girlfriend, wondering how Honoka could know such information. She shook it off quickly.

“That doesn’t prove anything.” Nico said stubbornly. “You could have found that out by yourself. You could have researched us.”

“You’re still taking the drug even though you’ve promised Maki you won’t do it.” Future Honoka said, turning to stare at Nico. “You’re still pushing yourself to your limit because if you can’t feel pain you can’t feel anything at all. And if you can’t feel pain, you can’t feel…” she tilted her head toward Maki and watched as Nico’s eyes widened in surprise.

“Y-you don’t know what you’re talking about!” Nico exclaimed though she hurriedly stepped back, her hands anxiously clenching her sweater.

Future Honoka was about to ask if they finally believed her when she felt something familiar, like something pushing into her mind. She knew that feeling well, though she was used to it being stronger. She grit her teeth together and forced herself to concentrate on pushing the intruder out. It was done within seconds. Her Maki had taught them all well.

Maki’s eyes shot open in surprise. Nobody had ever shut her out before. She didn’t have much time to ponder it before her attention was stolen by a fist flying toward her face. She barely had time to brace herself before a sharp pain shot through her jaw. She found herself on the floor a moment later.

“Maki!” Several voices echoed around the room.

Eli leapt to her feet, a fireball forming in her hand while Umi stepped forward, ready to aid the blonde if needed.

“What the fuck is wrong with you?” Future Honoka asked angrily as she stared down at Maki. “Do you want to see all of your friends being killed? I’ve already seen it and trust me, you wouldn’t be able to deal with it.”

Nico hurried over to Maki to check on her and Future Honoka almost softened at the sight. Those two always looked out for each other, even if they denied it. She took a deep breath and turned away. “If we’re going to fix this, we need to train.”

“Train?” Rin asked uncertainly, her grip on Hanayo tighter than ever. “What for?”

“I’m going to make you all stronger.” Future Honoka declared without looking toward them. For what felt like the hundredth time, she closed her hand around the cross that hung around her neck. “I told you I would help you.”

—

Two days later

“So now that we’re here, who wants to hit me first?” Future Honoka’s question was met with surprised silence but she waited patiently until one of the other members spoke. Unfortunately it was her past self who chose to do so.

“Um…why would we want to hit you?” Honoka asked tentatively , taking a small step forward from the rest of the group.

Future Honoka didn’t fail to notice Umi reach out and grab the hem of Honoka’s shirt to keep her from getting too close. It was a good call. “I want you to show me what you can do. Obviously.” She answered with a roll of her eyes. “Who’s up first?”

When nobody answered, she started to get irritated. They all faced certain death, aside from Nico, and none of them were taking it seriously enough. “Eli. You’re up.”

Eli glanced briefly at a worried looking Nozomi before she took a step forward. “What do you want me to do?”

“I don’t know, throw a fireball at me or something.” Future Honoka answered, motioning for her to hurry up and get on with it. “Whatever you’d usually do.”

Eli sighed but lifted her hand, hesitantly forming a small blue ball of fire. “Are you sure about this?” She glanced skeptically between the flame and Honoka. As aware as she was that this Honoka wasn’t the Honoka from their world, she still looked like her. “I might hurt you.”

Future Honoka laughed darkly under her breath and shook her head. “Just hurry up and attack. I’ve had worse.”

Eli took a deep breath and lifted her hand, hurling the fireball in Future Honoka’s direction.

Honoka easily ducked under the flame, feeling the heat of it pass over her. A memory played out in her mind, of Eli throwing herself onto her. The comforting yet scorching heat from her flames as she set herself ablaze and then died to protect her. Clenching her teeth together against the ache of the memory, Future Honoka dashed toward Eli.

Eli’s eyes widened in surprise and she instinctively formed another fireball, tossing it toward the rapidly advancing older girl.

Future Honoka dodged the fire easily, propelling herself forward to reach the blonde. She gripped her wrist and wrenched her arm behind her back. She was merciful. She didn’t tug hard enough to break it. Still, Eli cried out in pain, her knees buckling beneath her.

“Stop it!” Nozomi cried out though she was frozen in place. “Let go of her!”

Future Honoka relented and let go of Eli’s wrist. She motioned for Nozomi to help her up and watched as the purple haired girl rushed to Eli’s aid. “You’re a lot better at that in the future.” She assessed, crossing her arms in front of her chest. “If you’d set yourself on fire completely I wouldn’t have been able to touch you.”

Eli stood shakily on her feet next to Nozomi, rubbing her aching shoulder.  “I can set myself on fire in the future?”  
  
“Your power gets a lot stronger.” Future Honoka answered with a nod. She turned back to the others, glancing between them. “Kotori-chan. It’s your turn.”

“No, wait!” Umi looked alarmed by the prospect of Kotori facing the same kind of thing Eli had. “I’ll go first.”

“Not yet.” Future Honoka said sharply in that tone she seemed to reserve only for Umi and her past self. “It’s Kotori-chan’s turn.”

“It’s fine, Umi-chan. I’ll be alright.” Kotori said, resting a reassuring hand on Umi’s shoulder for a moment. She paused for a brief second, meeting Umi’s worried gaze before she stepped away from her. She closed her eyes for a moment, allowing her power to wash over her.

Future Honoka watched as Kotori disappeared from her sight. Allowing her eyes to slide shut, she focused intently, listening for the sound of Kotori’s footsteps, her breathing, any sign that she was close really. Finally she sensed her presence and she reached out, swatting at the air. Her hand collided gently with Kotori’s shoulder, in much the same way it used to when they played tag as children.

“You lose.” She remarked, opening her eyes in time to see Kotori appear out of thin air in front of her. She gave Kotori’s arm another pat, a hint of a smile tugging at her lips. “You can only turn yourself invisible right now?”

Kotori stared at Future Honoka through wide eyes, having expected to be brought down in the same way as Eli had been. The blonde in question was grumbling under her breath as Nozomi looked over her arm.

Future Honoka’s chest tightened and she looked away, the corners of her eyes stinging. It was too hard to look at her childhood friend after she’d died in her arms. The same could be said for Eli. Umi too, though Future Honoka was trying to focus on the resentment she still felt toward her other best friend. Even if Umi hadn’t betrayed them, she had still lied to her.

She looked over the others for a moment before her gaze landed on Umi. She unsheathed her knife from her belt and tossed it toward Umi. As expected, the archer caught it without blinking an eye. “You have to cut me and I have to stop you. Got it?”

Umi cast a glance toward Honoka who was watching with wide eyes. She reminded herself of how Future Honoka had been treating her over the past couple of days. Their Honoka would never talk to her in such a way. “Fine.” She muttered, gripping the knife tighter. “Whatever you want.” She waited until Kotori had moved to stand next to Honoka again before she rushed the older girl. It baffled her that their Honoka could have changed so much in just a few years.

Future Honoka waited until the blade of the knife was slashing through the air toward her arm before she reached out, her hand curling around Umi’s bicep. At the same time, she twisted her body and kicked the back of Umi’s knee, sending her to the ground with a cry of pain.

“Next.” Future Honoka turned her attention back to the rest of the group as Umi dragged herself to her feet.

Umi glared at Future Honoka and limped back to Honoka and Kotori. She nodded at the apologetic smile she received from Kotori. “I don’t see why she didn’t go easy on me too.” She mumbled, casting a contemplative look at their Honoka. “Do you like her more than me or something?”

Honoka turned to Umi with wide eyes. “Eh?!”

“Quiet!” Future Honoka said sternly as she continue to look over the group. She finally settled upon Rin, who was blocking Hanayo from view. “Rin. Your turn.”

Rin looked nervous as she stepped closer to Future Honoka, her hands clenched nervously at her sides. “What do you want me to do?”

Future Honoka shrugged her shoulders. “Just show me what you can do.”

Rin wasn’t sure what that meant but she took a deep breath and broke into a dash, heading straight for the future version of her friend. Before she could collide with her, she changed her course, lapping around Honoka once, twice, three times.

Future Honoka lifted one hand to shield her face from the wind being generated by Rin’s speed. She had to admit that it did make it hard to concentrate. Still, she had time on her side and she focused intently until she could see Rin running around her. After a moment, she reached out, flicking the younger girl in the forehead.

“Ouch!” Rin’s eyes widened in surprise and she abruptly came to a stop, lifting her hands to her forehead. “That hurt, Honoka-chan!”

“Sorry.” Future Honoka lowered her hand back to her side and shrugged her shoulders in response. “You’re still kind of slow. We’ll have to work on that.”

Rin pouted and went back to Hanayo, rubbing her forehead.

“Even Rin got off lightly.” Umi muttered unhappily, crossing her arms in front of her chest.

Honoka felt the back of her neck prickle as a result of Umi’s contemplative glances but she tried to ignore it, focusing on the others instead.

“Hanayo.” Future Honoka declared before Hanayo had a chance to inspect Rin’s forehead.

“Ah, I’d…rather not.” Hanayo said awkwardly. “I don’t think my power can be used to hurt people.”

“Don’t be ridiculous, of course it can be.” Future Honoka answered bluntly, though there was no anger in her voice. She was merely stating a fact. “Come here.” She motioned to the space before her and waited patiently until Hanayo shuffled over. When she was close enough, she grabbed her arm. “Phase your arm up to where I’m touching.”

Hanayo swallowed apprehensively but did as she was asked, phasing her hand and wrist up to just below where Honoka was gripping.

“Don’t hurt her.”

Future Honoka glanced up from Hanayo, her gaze finding Rin, who had spoken up. She looked panicked, her eyes fixed on Honoka’s hand. A quick scan of the rest of the group revealed that they all looked equally distressed. They had always been protective of the first years. Not so much Maki, she could take care of herself, and she had Nico for that anyway. But Hanayo and Rin were the youngest of the group. They’d always been looked after on some level. And yet they’d still been the first to die.

Future Honoka looked back to Hanayo, took a deep breath and thrust the younger girl’s arm into her own chest. She didn’t answer the resounding gasp from around her, too busy focusing on Hanayo.

“Focus.” She said sharply, realizing that Hanayo’s concentration was slipping. “If you unphase right now, you’ll kill me.”

Hanayo’s eyes widened in panic for a moment and she instinctively leaned back, trying to extract her hand from Honoka’s chest. “Honoka-chan, please let go.”

Future Honoka held on for a moment before she released Hanayo’s hand. The quiet girl stumbled backwards, her hand unphasing. “You’re just as strong as everyone else, Hanayo. You just have to realize it.”

Hanayo nodded shakily and moved back to Rin’s side. She supposed she should be relieved that Honoka hadn’t done anything to her but all she felt was sick. She’d never imagined her power could be used in such a way.

“Kayo-chin?” Rin reached out and took Hanayo’s hand, giving it a light squeeze. As if she could tell what Hanayo was thinking, she gave her a soft smile which Hanayo couldn’t help but return.

“You can choose who’s next.” Future Honoka waved a hand toward the four remaining members of the group. As she’d expected, Honoka took a step closer to Umi. She couldn’t help but scoff. It was pathetic, the way her past self relied upon Umi.

“I’ll do it.” Nozomi took a step closer though it took quite a bit of tugging to get Eli to release her hand. “I’ll go next.”

Future Honoka nodded, looking Nozomi over with an appraising eye. “I won’t go easy on you just because your power’s weak.” She cracked her knuckles of her right hand against the palm of her left.

Nozomi smiled at the mocking tone of Future Honoka’s voice. She couldn’t imagine their Honoka speaking to her in that way and yet hearing it from this Honoka didn’t annoy her in the slightest. “Still so shortsighted in the future, Honoka-chan?”

“Hey!” Honoka exclaimed though she didn’t step away from Umi to defend herself.

Future Honoka didn’t react to Nozomi’s retort but stared her down instead, waiting for her to attack. As Nozomi stepped closer, she could see a slightly irritated look on her face. She knew it wasn’t because of what she’d said about her power. It was because of Eli.

“Do you know what your weakness is, Nozomi?” She waited patiently until Nozomi was within a couple of feet. It was clear she was biding her time, trying to find an opening. “It’s not your power.”

“Then what is it?” Nozomi asked though she worried that she already knew the answer. It was the reason she had volunteered to go next. She wondered how she had reacted in the past when she’d watched them being cut down one by one. She didn’t know what she would do if she saw Eli die. A deep ache formed in her chest at the thought and she lurched forward, pressing her hand over Future Honoka’s heart.

Honoka didn’t move, she merely stood there and watched as Nozomi’s eyes widened in surprise. As Nozomi’s knees buckled, she reached up to grip her hand, keeping it pressed to her chest. It meant that she was forced to her knees with Nozomi but she didn’t mind. Not when she had a point to prove.

“Did you forget that I watched almost everyone I love die?” She asked, her voice a harsh whisper as she stared into Nozomi’s dampening eyes. She knew that Nozomi couldn’t see what she’d seen. If that had been the case she would have pushed her away without hesitation. Like she had with Maki. She never wanted either of them to see the kind of things she had seen that day, or even before that. “Arisa, Rin, Hanayo, Kotori, Umi, Eli, Maki, you…” She pressed harder against Nozomi’s hand at that, focusing on the memories.

Honoka cast a cautious look at Eli, not failing to notice the flames licking at her skin. The blonde looked furious at the treatment of her girlfriend though she was obviously making an effort not to step in and help.

“Stop it.” Nozomi gasped, clutching at her own chest with her free hand as tears spilled relentlessly down her cheeks. She’d never felt such a deep ache before. Not when she was caught in her own loneliness or when she was pining over Eli.

Future Honoka clenched her jaw, refusing to let go. The last time she’d seen Nozomi in such a state, with the exception of when Eli had died, was when she had watched Eli crying over Arisa’s body. It had killed Nozomi to watch it, and Honoka knew that she’d done nothing to keep herself from feeling Eli’s pain. She’d felt everything Eli was feeling when it came to the loss of her sister. That was what the two of them did. They shared their burden.

Future Honoka struggled to keep her own eyes from watering. “It’s her, you know. Eli’s always going to be your weakness. The rest of them are too, but never as much as her.”

“STOP!” Eli, finally unable to hold herself back moved forward and shoved Honoka away from Nozomi as hard as she could.

Honoka stumbled back and hurriedly patted her clothes to put the flames left in the wake of Eli’s hands out. She winced as the flames licked at her skin. They weren’t bad burns but she could feel them. She supposed it was a good thing she had access to so much money, thanks to her parents and Umi. They had given her all of the account details in the future.

She watched as Eli sank to her knees next to Nozomi, the flames that surrounded her arms going out the moment she reached for her. Future Honoka realized with a start that it wasn’t just Eli’s hands that had been ablaze. The fire had spread right up to her shoulders.

Eli drew Nozomi toward her, embracing her tightly and looked over at Future Honoka with accusing eyes. “How could you do that?” She snapped, her own voice thick with emotion. “How…” She trailed off, paling as she thought back to what Future Honoka had said. “Arisa. Did you you say Arisa was…?”

Future Honoka cursed under her breath. She should have known better than to let that slip out. She nodded solemnly. “It was before. In my time, it’s been a year since she died. I’m sorry, Eli.”

“Don’t say you’re sorry, you’re here to fix it.” Eli felt tears prick at the corners of her eyes. She didn’t know what she would do if Arisa died. “We’re going to fix it, aren’t we?” She continued to hold onto Nozomi tightly but she didn’t know if she was giving comfort or seeking it. Nozomi had calmed down at least.

Future Honoka looked away, unable to speak past the lump in her throat. She didn’t know if she could fix that but she hoped so. Eli wasn’t the same in her future. She was reckless and out of control. While she still cared for her friends she didn’t value her own life. Yukiho too, had been greatly affected by Arisa’s death. She barely spoke to her older sister anymore.

“I don’t know if…”

“Shut up!” Eli pushed herself to her feet, her hands clenched into fists. “I’m done with this. I’m going to see my sister.” She rushed past Honoka to get to the door.

Nozomi was on her feet a moment later, rushing after her distraught girlfriend.

Future Honoka sighed heavily and ran her fingers through her hair. This was much harder than she thought it would be. “You can all leave. We’ll pick this up tomorrow.”

 


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for the kudos and the comments, I really appreciate it!

_“ARISA!” **  
**_

_Honoka felt like time had frozen as she watched Arisa’s body fall to the ground, Eli’s agonized yell echoing around her. She stared with wide eyes, barely able to comprehend the idea that the younger Ayase was dead. It had only been an hour ago that Eli had received a call from her sister. Arisa had been worried that someone had been following her and she’d requested that Eli come and get her. Just to be on the safe side, Honoka and Nozomi had offered to go along with her._

_As Arisa’s body hit the ground, Eli rushed forward and fell to her knees, gathering her sister’s limp body in her arms. “Arisa?” Tears flooded her eyes as she shakily felt for a pulse. “Arisa!”_

_Honoka took a couple of stumbling steps forward, catching sight of Arisa’s face. Blood trailed from the corner of her mouth but other than that she looked fine. Almost as if she was sleeping. It was hard to believe, how much she’d grown to look like her sister. Yukiho looked nothing like Honoka._

_Honoka stopped short as an agonized wail escaped Eli’s throat. Her eyes widened in shock as Eli dissolved into loud sobs. She had never seen her like this before. It could only mean that Arisa was really dead. “No…” She whispered, tears filling her own eyes. “Oh god, no.”_

_A quiet whimper from behind her caught her attention and she looked over her shoulder to see Nozomi standing there. Her hand covered her mouth, tears trickling their way steadily down her cheeks. Nozomi and Arisa were close but that wasn’t the only reason she was crying. Honoka knew that Nozomi could feel Eli’s pain just as well as her own. “Nozomi-chan…”_

_Nozomi met Honoka’s gaze for a moment before her attention was drawn to something over the younger girl’s shoulder._

_Honoka looked back toward Eli in time to see the blonde set Arisa gently down on the ground and stumble to her feet. She had barely realized that Eli was charging toward her before she was right in front of her. She instinctively flinched back at the sight of dark blue flames licking at Eli’s skin. She had never seen them that shade before. They were usually light blue, much like the color of her eyes._

_“You need to fix this.” Eli said, her voice choked with emotion. The determination on her face was clear though. “You need to go back and save her.”_

_“I-I can’t.” Honoka said helplessly as she looked over at Aria’s body. “That’s not how it works.”_

_“I don’t give a fuck if that’s not how it works!” Eli grabbed Honoka’s collar with one hand and pulled her close to her. She wouldn’t lose Arisa. There was no way. She was ignorant of the fact that she was setting Honoka’s clothes alight. “Use your power, Honoka! Use it now.” She gave her friend a sharp shake to emphasize her point._

_Honoka’s bottom lip trembled, the tears she had been holding back finally falling. She wished there was something she could do. She should have been faster when they’d gotten there. She should have stopped Erena in her tracks. “E-Eli-senpai…”_

_“Just GO BACK!” Eli yelled desperately, her grip on Honoka tightening. “Please, Honoka! Please save my sister. I can’t…I can’t lose her.”_

_Honoka could only shake her head, unable to speak past the lump in her throat. Her eyes widened in surprise when Eli forcefully pushed her away, causing her to fall over her own feet and land solidly on her behind. She quickly patted her collar to make sure her skin didn’t burn._

_It wasn’t but a second later that Nozomi stepped in and took Honoka’s place in front of Eli. She drew the blonde close to her and embraced her tightly._

_Eli seemed to lose the last of her strength at the touch and she fell forward against Nozomi, bringing them both to their knees._

_“I’ll kill her.” Eli sobbed into Nozomi’s chest as she gripped the back of her girlfriend’s jacket as tightly as she could. “I’ll kill them all!”_

_Honoka swallowed thickly at Eli’s words. They both knew who was really responsible for what had happened. Tsubasa. She would have ordered Erena to kill the person Eli held most dear. Erena, ever eager to sabotage the blonde’s life for some reason, would have agreed instantly._

_“I know.” Nozomi soothed through her own tears as she stroked Eli’s hair. She forced her eyes closed and concentrated on absorbing more of Eli’s heartache. The force of it was enough to make her want to scream in despair but she bit down hard on her lip instead._

Future Honoka sat up sharply, gasping for breath. The chill of the air against her sweat dampened skin had her shivering uncontrollably. She reached up and placed a hand on her chest, feeling her heart pound frantically against her palm. She couldn’t help but wonder why she was having that nightmare now. She hadn’t had it in almost a year.

Cool metal grazed against her fingertips and she automatically grasped at the cross around her neck, inhaling slowly. Somehow the contact with Eli’s most treasured possession managed to calm her and she took a few deep breaths to steady herself further.

_“E-Eli-senpai, I’m so sorry.”_

_“Don’t be stupid, Honoka. It’s not like it was your fault. It was A-Rise. And I’m going to destroy them all for what they did. I’ll kill all of them and anyone else who had anything to do with what happened to my sister. Are you with me?”_

_“…I’m with you.”_

A quiet whimper escaped her at the memory and for the first time she was glad that she’d elected to stay in a hotel room instead of taking Nozomi up on her offer to stay with her in her apartment. She closed her eyes tightly as she focused on the subtle sting of the cross digging into the skin of her palm. She missed her Eli more than she had ever imagined that she would. That the blonde had died for her just make the whole situation so much worse.

It wasn’t as though she had never expected the day to come when Eli wouldn’t be in her life. She’d often worried that Eli would end up getting herself killed. She’d been reckless after her sister’s death, almost to the point that it seemed she would welcome her own. Nozomi seemed to be the only thing that could keep her anchored to reality. It was no secret that if anything had happened to Nozomi, Eli would have given up completely. It hadn’t been as obvious but Honoka had known the same thing was true for Nozomi. It had turned out she was right. Losing Eli was Nozomi’s downfall.

“Eli-senpai…” She whispered into the silence of the room. She wondered what her friend would do in this situation. Would she be doing the same thing Honoka was doing? She would do everything she could to protect her friends, that was for certain. She’d been the protector of the group since they’d all found out about each other’s powers but after Arisa had died, her role as the protector was even more obvious.

A part of her had worried that Eli would hate her for not being able to go back to save Arisa but that wasn’t the case. The opposite was true in fact. She’d only gotten closer to Eli afterwards. She supposed that Eli must have felt bad for her. They had both lost a sister in one way or another. When Yukiho had learned that Arisa was dead and that Honoka couldn’t fix it - wouldn’t fix it as she’d put it - she’d all but cut ties with her. She’d joined the rebels to avenge Arisa and she’d vowed never to speak to Honoka again.

“I’ll save her too.” She whispered, opening her hand to look down at the small cross. “I promise.”

—

Future Honoka watched with a critical eye as Umi halfheartedly slashed her blade toward Nozomi. There was no real force behind it and only a slight movement to the left was needed to dodge it. “Umi! What the hell are you doing? You’re meant to be training, not…” She gestured toward what Umi was doing. “I don’t even know what you’re doing. It’s like you’re handing her the knife!”

Umi grimaced as Future Honoka berated her. It seemed that the future version of her best friend hated her almost as much as she hated her past self. “Well I don’t want to cut her!”

Future Honoka had to resist the urge to march over there and take the knife to show her how it was done. She heaved a sigh and glanced around at the rest of them. Nobody was having much luck, it seemed. They were all going too easy on each other. Rin and Honoka were goofing off where they thought nobody could see them, Nico was sitting on the sidelines with a bored look on her face, Kotori and Maki didn’t seem to be trying very hard at all and Eli was too busy keeping an eye on Nozomi to pay much attention to her own partner.

“Eli!” Future Honoka barked, her fists clenching at her sides. She frowned as Eli jolted in surprise and turned to look at her. “Instead of drooling over your girlfriend, could you get your head in the game?!”

Eli’s cheeks reddened with embarrassment. “I wasn’t drooling over her! I was just…”

Nozomi laughed as Eli trailed off and looked away. “You can admit it, Ellichi. I don’t mind. If you want I’ll give you a private show later.”

“Nozomi!” Eli exclaimed, feeling her face heat up further. Huffing, she turned her attention back to Hanayo and threw another weak fireball toward her, expecting her to phase through it like she had been a few minutes ago. Instead, the flame hit it’s target and Hanayo let out a pained scream.

“Hanayo!” “Hanayo-chan!” “Kayo-chin!”

Concerned voices echoed around the roof as everyone stopped what they were doing. Future Honoka rushed toward Hanayo, reaching her at the same time as her past self and Eli did. Together they frantically patted the flames out, leaving a signed hole in it’s wake.

“I’m sorry, Hanayo!” Eli exclaimed as she stared at the quietly crying first year. She hated hurting people with her power. It was worse when it was one of her close friends. “I-I didn’t mean to. I thought you’d phase through it like you did before.”

Hanayo shook her head though she couldn’t speak past her tears.

A moment later Rin appeared by her side, gripping her hand tightly. She looked just as upset as Hanayo did and Future Honoka felt her stomach sink. Sometimes she could hardly stand being around the nine of them and watching the way they interacted with each other.

Kotori, who had joined them, slipped past Future Honoka and carefully poured the cool water from her water bottle onto Hanayo’s burnt skin.

“Nico, come here.” Future Honoka glanced around in search of the smaller girl and found her a few feet away. “Heal her.”

Nico stared at Honoka as if she’d lost her mind. “How am I supposed to do that?”

Future Honoka realized her mistake a moment too late. “Just forget it. I forgot that you can’t heal yet.” She turned back to the others to see that Nozomi and the others seemed to have the situation under control.

“Wait, if I can heal people, how did your friends end up dead?!”

The question was blunt and loud and it sent a jolt of shock through Future Honoka. The rest of the group, even a still pained looking Hanayo stopped what they were doing too, to listen in on the conversation.

“You…my Nico was busy protecting Maki.” Future Honoka said, deciding it would be easier to tell the truth. “Anju was shooting at Maki and she was shielding her. After, when Maki…” Her words caught in her throat. “She just kept cutting herself, trying to heal Maki with her blood. Maki was already dead but you wouldn’t stop. I don’t even think you noticed everyone else had been killed.”

“You’ve got to be kidding me.” Nico placed her hand over her mouth, appalled by the news of her ignorance. How could she not have noticed? She glanced at Maki to see that she looked even more disturbed. The redhead’s hands shook at her sides, her eyes wide with shock.

There was a minute or so of silence until Honoka spoke up. “Let’s get Hanayo-chan to the nurse’s office. I think that’s enough for today.”

Busy reliving the events of that day, Future Honoka couldn’t even bring herself to snap at her younger self. She allowed the group to pass her, obviously intending to escort Hanayo to the nurse’s office. She noticed that Maki hadn’t moved from where she stood and shot her a confused look.

Maki crossed her arms in front of her chest and stayed silent, waiting for the others to leave.

Future Honoka turned and watched as Eli glanced back at her from the doorway that would lead her down from the school roof. Like her, it was obvious that Eli was aware that Maki was lingering behind. Honoka didn’t say anything to ease Eli’s concern for the redhead, merely staring at her until she reluctantly closed the door behind her.   
  
“She worries about you too much. All of you.” Future Honoka commented dryly as she turned on her heel to face Maki. The younger girl was hovering awkwardly behind her, her face still ashen from the news she’d received moments ago. “It’s going to get her killed one day.”

Maki shifted her weight to her other foot. “I wanted to talk to you about what you said before. About what Nico did for me.”

Future Honoka usually would have found Maki’s awkwardness amusing but she couldn’t crack a smile. She had relived those few hours of her life more times than she could count already. “I figured something like this would happen. I’m surprised you’re the one who asked first though, after what happened a couple of days ago.” She eyed the sore looking bruise that covered the left side of Maki’s jaw.

Maki gritted her teeth at the reminder of Honoka punching her. She almost complained about it but she had something more important to say. “I don’t understand what you told us about Nico. You said she was protecting me in the future. That she didn’t notice everyone else die because she was too busy protecting me and trying to bring me back when I…” She paused for a second, a chill coursing it’s way down her spine at the thought of her future self’s demise. It was still a lot to take in. “Why would she do that for me?”

Future Honoka crossed her arms in front of her chest and frowned to herself. She should have expected that. “It’s complicated.”

“So uncomplicate it!” Maki snapped irritably, taking a step forward. She hated that Honoka looked completely unfazed by her anger. “You can’t just tell me that she took bullets for me without telling me why! What the hell was wrong with her?! If she could heal you all, why wouldn’t she? Why would she stay with me? I don’t understand!”

“You can’t possibly understand.” Future Honoka answered with a shake of her head. She stayed calm and composed despite the ache in her chest. “Nico loved you more than you could ever hope to understand. If she could have died, she would have still taken those bullets for you.”

Maki froze, surprise on her face. “W-What is that supposed to mean?”

“Just what I said. You wanted to know why Nico stayed with you and I told you.” Future Honoka lowered her arms back to her sides. “It’s the same reason Nozomi lost it when Eli died. It’s the same reason Hanayo died trying to get Rin to safety. Without you, there was nothing left for Nico. Do you understand now, Maki?”

Maki swallowed heavily and nodded her head. She did, in a way. “Yeah, I…I understand.” Almost automatically, she walked back to the door only to pause with her hand on the cool metal handle. “Wait…Did I love her back? Do I?”

Future Honoka forced a smile. “My Maki loved my Nico more than anything, even if she didn’t always show it. As for whether you can say the same thing, I don’t know. That’s up to you to find out.”

Maki nodded and without another word, left the roof.

“Stupid kids.” Future Honoka muttered, reaching down to grip the cross around her neck. She closed her eyes, breathing in slowly. Seeing the nine of them together only brought back memories that were hard for her to deal with. “You can show yourself now, Kotori-chan. She’s gone.”

She turned on her heel in time to see Kotori appear out of thin air, a sheepish look on her face. “How did you know I was here? You weren’t watching us leave.”

“It’s complicated. I suppose you could say I can sense you.” Future Honoka’s gaze shifted briefly toward the doorway. “I’m surprised Umi hasn’t noticed you’re missing and rushed back up here.”

“Give her some time.” Kotori joked tentatively. She watched as the older version of her friend just shook her head in response. “Honoka-chan? Do you hate Umi-chan?”

“I try to.” Future Honoka answered, taking a step closer to Kotori. She’d tried so hard, for so long to hate Umi that it almost felt like she did. Yet hatred was the last thing she had felt when Umi had died. She’d been desperate to save her. She gritted her teeth together and clenched her fists tightly at her sides.

“And me?” Kotori tentatively matched Honoka’s step forward with one of her own. Even if Honoka didn’t hate her, it still hurt to know that she was trying to hate Umi. She couldn’t comprehend the idea of them not being friends. It had always been the three of them, together, since they were children. “Do you hate me?”

“No.” Future Honoka’s eyes snapped open in alarm. “Not you.” Her eyes softened as she took in the distressed look on Kotori’s face. It seemed that her Kotori had lied to her, but even that she couldn’t be angry about. “I could never hate you.”  
  
Kotori managed a small smile at that. “I’m glad.”

Future Honoka sighed at the answer. “Did you want something? You must have stayed up here for a reason.” She narrowed her eyes slightly. “Were you planning to spy on me?”

Kotori’s eyes widened at the accusation and she quickly shook her head. “No, of course not! I just…I don’t like that you’re alone all of the time, that’s all. I wanted to spend…some time with you.” She looked down, feeling her cheeks burn with embarrassment. She couldn’t deny that she found this new, dark and mysterious version of her best friend attractive. “I want to know more about you.”

Future Honoka stared at Kotori for a long moment before she allowed herself to relax. “I’d almost forgotten how sweet you can be.” She wondered if the memories she had of her friends would barely be recallable some day. Part of her hoped she wouldn’t have to worry about it. “But you know my story. What happened in that classroom is all that matters.”

“Of course it’s not.” Kotori answered, her brow furrowing. “I want to know about you. About my future self. We’re still close, aren’t we?”

“We were.” Future Honoka answered. Her heart ached at the thought of her best friend. “Nothing could ever come between us. Not even…” She trailed off before she could say the name of their other best friend. “You’ll always be my very best friend, Kotori-chan.”

Kotori recognized the pain in Honoka’s eyes and closed the few small steps between them to lay a hand upon her arm.

The touch brought back memories of Kotori’s final few minutes. Of her friend grasping for her hand, telling her that she loved her. Despite herself, her eyes stung with oncoming tears. She shook Kotori off only to grab her hand and pull her toward her.

Kotori’s eyes widened in surprise as she found herself wrapped tightly in Future Honoka’s arms. It was different from the hugs her own version of Honoka gave. The older version was taller, not to mention more muscular. Still, it was Honoka, and she quickly relaxed against her. “Honoka-chan?” Her voice was a whisper, her forehead pressed to Honoka’s chest. “Will you tell me how I…how did I die?”

Honoka tensed at the question but she didn’t pull away. She refused to answer it directly though. “I tried to save you but I-I couldn’t. I was too late.”

Kotori knew it was morbid, but she was curious. “Was I afraid?”

Future Honoka felt the tears that had welled up in her eyes fall but she made no move to wipe them away just yet. “Yes. But you were brave too. I wasn’t. I begged you not to leave me. After you died, I wished that someone would turn up and kill me too.”

“H-Honoka-chan…”

Realizing she’d said too much, Future Honoka reached up and swiftly brushed away her tears before letting go of Kotori. “You should get going before Umi comes back and accuses me of leading you astray.”

Kotori shifted uncomfortably, concerned by the older girl’s change in behavior. “About what you said before about Nico and Maki…is it alright to tell her that? What if it changes things too much? I know you want to keep us from dying so it doesn’t matter what you tell us about that but…what you told Maki was personal.”

Future Honoka shook her head. “Those two won’t figure out their feelings for a while. They’re both too stubborn.”

Kotori wasn’t so sure about that but she took advantage of the answer Future Honoka had given. “Did you…have anyone in the future?”

“Me?” Future Honoka echoed, trying not to panic at the question. “No. Well yes…but I can’t tell you about them. It might change things. Not that it really matters for me any more…”

“So I know them?” Kotori asked, intrigued. She tried to think of who it could be. Umi, maybe. Or her. Or…Eli? She frowned at the older girl for a moment before shaking her head. Eli was with Nozomi. But Honoka had mentioned Eli’s scar. Apparently it was located in a somewhat intimate place. How would she have even known about that? Not only that but Eli had been the first person Future Honoka had revealed herself to, and Kotori often found her watching Eli with a strange look on her face.

But that would mean that Nozomi and Eli had broken up. She couldn’t even imagine that happening. Those two loved each other more than anything. It had to be someone else.

“Don’t think about it too much.” Future Honoka said with a fond roll of her eyes. “You won’t guess who it is. Besides, it doesn’t matter now.”

Kotori’s stomach plummeted as she realized the person Future Honoka had dated was most likely dead in her future. She watched as the time traveller closed her hand around a necklace hanging around her neck. It hadn’t escaped Kotori’s noticed that the older girl did that quite often, mostly when they were talking about things that made her uncomfortable. She had never seen the necklace up close but it did look familiar in a way, even if she had only seen the chain.

“You should go.” Future Honoka reminded Kotori again, her voice soft. She didn’t know how much longer she could endure being around the past version of her best friend. It was just a painful reminder that she would never see her Kotori again. Or any of her friends for that matter.

“We’ll talk again soon?” Kotori asked hopefully. It seemed as though Future Honoka’s facade had cracked just a little bit around her. She could only hope that the obviously lonely girl would let her in. Even if she was from another time, she was still Honoka to her.

Future Honoka opened her mouth to reply but she was cut off by the sound of the door slamming open behind them. Instinctively, she grabbed Kotori’s arm and drew her close, her other hand sliding her knife from her belt. She allowed herself to relax a little bit when she saw it was only Umi.

“What the hell are you doing coming up here like that?” She scowled, lowering the knife in her hand. “If I’d been any closer to that door I could have killed you!”

Umi had paused at the doorway, out of breath and red faced from her sprint up the stairs. “I-I was worried when I noticed Kotori was missing.” She answered, trying not to back down at the glare Future Honoka sent her. She turned her attention to Kotori again, noticing that Kotori was still pressed against Future Honoka. It worried her that Kotori seemed to feel so safe around the older version of their best friend. She was nothing like their Honoka, not really. “It’s not like you to run off without telling us.”

“I didn’t run off, I just didn’t leave when the rest of you did.” Kotori answered, finally stepping away from Honoka. “I was with Honoka-chan.”

“That’s what I was worried about.” Umi remarked, observing the blush on Kotori’s cheeks. It seemed that her friend couldn’t make her crush on the older version of their best friend more obvious if she tried. She couldn’t deny she was attracted to her too, but she was subtle about it. Besides that, Future Honoka clearly hated her.

Future Honoka scoffed at that. “Kotori-chan can do whatever she wants. She doesn’t need your permission.” She crossed her arms in front of her chest, her expression steely. “Anyway, if anyone here can’t be trusted here, it’s you.”

Umi gathered herself up to full height, her hands closing into fists at her side. “What do you mean by that?”

“Nothing. Just get out of my sight. I’m already tired of looking at you.” Future Honoka snapped, abruptly turning away from the two of them. She caught Kotori’s crestfallen look though and felt a stab of guilt. “We’ll talk more later, Kotori-chan.”

Umi clenched her jaw, the clear rejection sending an ache reverberating through her chest. She didn’t notice as Kotori took her hand and tugged her back into the stairwell. When the door closed behind them, dimming the stairwell to near complete darkness, she let out a shuddering breath.

“Why do you think Honoka hates me?” She whispered, raising her eyes to Kotori’s. She knew it shouldn’t bother her so much to be shunned by the near complete stranger but that was Honoka. A future version of her but it was still her best friend. She hated to think that someday their relationship would turn into what it clearly was in the future. “I don’t know what I’ve done.”

Even in the darkness, Kotori could see Umi’s eyes shimmering, a thin veil of tears that she stubbornly refused the let fall. She stepped forward, her arms going around Umi’s waist. “I don’t know, Umi-chan.” She answered quietly as Umi’s head came to rest upon her shoulder. Whatever the reason was, she was going to find out.

TBC


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for the comments etc, guys! Hope you like this chapter. :)

Future Honoka shoved her hands into her pockets as she scanned the busy streets. It was early evening but the streets of Akihabara were already busy. It was a far cry from what she remembered from the future. Where she came from the streets were desolate, having been destroyed in some way or another.

Noticing someone looking her way she tried to shrink deeper into the shadows. There was no real reason to hide. If someone recognized her as her past self she could make up some excuse, like she was a relative or something like that. It would be easy, and yet for some reason she didn’t want to have to do that.

A child suddenly ran into her path and she veered to the right to avoid the small boy. Unfortunately her path was blocked by a tall man and she cursed loudly as she bumped right into his chest, sending her stumbling to the side. She bumped into someone else, someone smaller and unmistakably female. Automatically she reached out to steady them. She’d never been such a clutz before. Maybe she wasn’t getting enough sleep. She did seem to spend her nights agonizing over what had happened in the past, or rather, the future.

“I’m sor-”

“Honoka-chan?”

Future Honoka bristled for a moment before she realized that she recognized the voice. She finally got a good look at the person’s face as she leaned back. “Kotori-chan! W-What are you doing out so late?”

Kotori raised an eyebrow at the question. “It’s only about seven. Why wouldn’t I be out?” She offered the time traveller an uncertain smile. “What about you? I didn’t think you went out much besides training with us.”

Future Honoka couldn’t argue with that. It wasn’t as though she had much of a life in this time. She didn’t even belong there really. Besides that, she had to try to stay away from people. The slightest encounter could have massive consequences, like a ripple effect.

“I just needed some air.” She explained after a moment. “My hotel room gets pretty stuffy after a while.” She watched as Kotori nodded in response. “Well since we’re both here, why don’t you come to dinner with me? I’m kind of hungry and I saw a decent looking restaurant down there.” She jabbed her thumb over her shoulder in the direction of the restaurant she’d spotted on her way up the street.

Kotori felt her cheeks flush at the question. “D-Dinner?” She stuttered nervously. That had to make it a date, didn’t it? The idea of going on a date with Honoka caused her stomach to flutter with excitement. “Um…alright then. If you’re sure.”

“Great. Let’s go then.” Future Honoka hesitated for a split second. If it was her Kotori, she would have grabbed her hand and tugged her after her but it wasn’t and she couldn’t bring herself to act that way. She took a deep breath before she turned and stormed down the street, trying to push the thought of her Kotori from her mind. It was impossible not to think of her, with Kotori’s past self right there.

Kotori jogged after Future Honoka, doing her best not to lose sight of her best friend’s future self in the crowd. She moved a lot faster than the Honoka she was used to. it was quite obvious that she’d gotten a lot fitter over the years.

Finally Future Honoka paused to wait for Kotori outside of the restaurant.

“You walk fast.” Kotori said breathlessly when she finally reached Future Honoka’s side.

“Sorry.” Future Honoka smiled sheepishly and reached out to brush her hand against Kotori’s arm in an apologetic gesture. She led the way inside, not noticing Kotori practically swooning behind her.

Trying to ignore the rapid beating of her own heart, Kotori followed Honoka inside. She wasn’t sure what attracted her so much to the older version of her best friend but she couldn’t deny how she felt. She sat down, noticing the brief glance Future Honoka gave her.

Future Honoka cleared her throat as she took her own seat. She hadn’t taken into account how hard it would be to be alone with Kotori. She should have thought about that before she had invited her to dinner. “Have you been practicing with your invisibility?”

Kotori nodded earnestly. “Just like you told me to. Let’s not talk about that tonight though. We talk about it every day when we train.” It was relentless though Future Honoka insisted that they needed to do it to get better. So they’d be ready for A-Rise. “Let’s talk about something else.”

Future Honoka was saved from asking what else they could possibly talk about by a waitress arriving to take their order. She automatically ordered for the both of them, not realizing what she’d done until the waitress had left. “Oh!” She looked up sharply, finding Kotori staring at her in surprise. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to order for you. It’s just…I always ordered for my Kotori…I’ll call her back.”

“No.” Kotori reached out to touch Future Honoka’s hand. It was sweet, in a way, that Honoka had gone ahead and ordered for both of them. “It’s fine. I don’t mind. Really.”

Future Honoka sank back into her seat and sighed softly. For a moment there she had managed to pretend that this was just another date with her Kotori, though that wasn’t the case. “Right…”

Noticing the far off look in Honoka’s eyes, Kotori was silent for a moment. She was tempted to ask about Umi, though she didn’t want to use her time like that. She should be making the most of it, to find out why Honoka acted the way she did. “Honoka-chan, can I ask you something?”

Future Honoka gave a barely there nod and Kotori quickly continued. “About Eli…” She still wasn’t sure whether Eli really was the person Future Honoka had dated in the future. There did seem to be a history between them. “You don’t call her Eli-senpai anymore, do you? I-I just thought it was odd that you don’t…”

Future Honoka tensed at the question, images of her Eli flashing before her eyes. Of the last time she had seen her. Her fingers drifted over the outline of the cross under her shirt. “It wouldn’t feel right. The Eli here isn’t really my Eli. I would only call my Eli senpai. Don’t worry, I didn’t stop in the future.”

Kotori nodded, feeling a bit guilty for bringing it up. It was obviously painful for Honoka to talk about. “Could you tell me more about yourself? I want to know you better.”

“You already know me.” Honoka glanced up, a hint of amusement in her eyes. “I’m just Honoka. Maybe a little bit older and taller than she is but I’m still her.”

Kotori pouted at the answer but she couldn’t argue. When their food arrived she sat up a bit straighter though her gaze never left Future Honoka’s. It seemed the older girl couldn’t look away from her either, causing her to blush slightly.

For a few minutes they ate in silence until the quiet finally got to Kotori. “Do you still like music in the future?”

“There’s not much room for music where I’m from.” Future Honoka answered. She watched as Kotori’s face fell in response. She sighed softly. She couldn’t stand to disappoint her. Even in the future, she hated to upset her best friend. “I used to get Maki-chan to play for me sometimes, when she had time. Her music relaxes me, I suppose.”

Kotori brightened when Honoka amended her answer. At least some things didn’t change. “That’s good.” She settled upon, figuring it best that she didn’t discuss their friends too much. It was obviously a painful topic. “Maki-chan plays really well. I know why it would relax you.”

She was glad that they had all been close in the future still, aside from Honoka and Umi it seemed. Upon being met with silence she glanced up from her food to Future Honoka.

“You look really pretty tonight, Kotori-chan.” Future Honoka froze as the words left her mouth. The blush that covered her cheeks matched the one that formed on Kotori’s. “I-I mean…I’m sorry. You probably think that was weird of me to say.”

“No.” Kotori couldn’t have been happier with the praise even if she did feel slightly embarrassed by it. “I um…thank you, Honoka-chan.” She wanted to return the compliment but she wasn’t sure how to. ‘Pretty’ didn’t quite describe the future version of her friend. She’d need a word stronger than that.

Future Honoka still felt slightly unsure. She wouldn’t have hesitated to tell her Kotori that she looked pretty. But this wasn’t her Kotori. Yet again she’d made the mistake of picturing her as such. She cursed herself for getting too close. She had been adamant that she would distance herself from all of them.

Noticing the uncertainty on Honoka’s face, Kotori reached out and took Honoka’s hand. “Honoka-chan, it’s fine. Really. It makes me happy when you compliment me.”

  
“Right.” Honoka let out a slow breath and told herself to relax. She looked down at Kotori’s hand and automatically squeezed back. It was familiar, in a way that caused a deep ache of longing to form in her chest. She hurriedly tried to distract herself. “So…you’re still into fashion here, aren’t you?”

Kotori brightened at the mention of her favourite topic. “Yes! I love fashion. I was actually on my way to pick up some fabric when you bumped into me.”

“Oh, I’m sorry I interrupted you.” Honoka apologized, wincing at the reminder of her clumsiness. Maybe watching her idiotic past self was starting to affect her. “What were you shopping for fabric for?”

“Eli-chan asked me to make a dress for her because she wants to take Nozomi out.” Kotori answered, smiling at the thought of Eli’s excitement when she’d asked her about it. “She said something about an anniversary but I’m not sure which anniversary. Maybe of when she first met Nozomi-chan…” She worried her bottom lip between her teeth. “I’m almost finished the dress itself, I just needed some blue fabric to finish it off. Blue really brings out Eli-chan’s eyes, don’t you think?”

Future Honoka gave a shrug, unaware of the soft smile that tugged at her lips. “You’re the expert, Kotori-chan. I just follow your lead.” She leaned forward slightly, feeling at ease for what felt like the first time in months.

Kotori felt her breath catch in her throat as blue eyes met her own intently. She almost felt as though those eyes could see through her and she quickly found herself getting lost in them. The look Honoka was giving her was the softest she’d seen on this Honoka’s face since she had arrived. She lifted her hand and slowly brushed Honoka’s bangs from her face, her fingertips brushing against soft skin. Honoka really did look especially beautiful with her hair down. She noticed a scar just below Honoka’s hairline, her fingers brushing over it.

Future Honoka reached up and grasped Kotori’s hand, slowly lowering it. Her head turned slightly, the instinct to press her lips to the soft palm almost overwhelming her. She’d done it countless times, allowing her lips to linger against Kotori’s skin as she’d breathed in her clean scent.

Kotori grasped Honoka’s hand back and slowly leaned in, pressing her lips to Honoka’s.

Honoka’s eyes widened for a split second before fluttering closed. Kissing Kotori was just as warm and comforting as she remembered it to be. She tightened her grip on the hand in her own and leaned into the kiss, her heart aching slightly. She missed Kotori terribly. More than she could even put into words. Images of her Kotori flashed before her eyes, images of her laughing at something stupid Honoka had said, of the many mornings they’d spent curled up in bed together, refusing to face the day. Finally the image of Kotori bleeding in her arms came to mind and she quickly pulled away. This wasn’t her Kotori.

She noticed Kotori leaning in again and placed her hand against her shoulder, gently pushing her away. “I’m sorry. We can’t.”

Hurt flashed across Kotori’s face and she hurriedly stood up, preparing to leave. She paused when Honoka grasped her wrist.

“It’s not what you think. Please, just listen to me.” Future Honoka gave a gentle tug, encouraging Kotori to sit back down. “Kotori-chan, you’re only sixteen.”

“I’m old enough to kiss whoever I like!”

Had Honoka not been reeling from the flashback to her Kotori, she would have laughed at how indignant the teenager sounded. “Maybe. But it’s still not right, for me.”

Kotori visibly deflated. “Because you’re in love with Eli-chan, right? That’s why you can’t kiss me.”

“No. Eli is…was like a sister to me.” Future Honoka’s stomach sank as she forced herself to refer to Eli as being in the past. She suddenly felt like she was about to burst into tears and she swallowed convulsively. “The person I love is Minami Kotori. I loved my Kotori more than anything else. You have to understand…doing this with you wouldn’t be right. I know you’re the same person but it doesn’t matter.”

“Me?” Kotori stared at Future Honoka speechlessly. “You love me?”

“More than life itself.” Future Honoka remembered what she had mentioned a few days ago, about almost hoping that someone would kill her after Kotori’s death. It was still true, in a way. She didn’t know how she would go on without her.

Kotori felt her eyes fill with tears though she wasn’t sure if they were tears of happiness or tears of sadness, on Honoka’s behalf. She leaned forward and threw her arms around Honoka, causing her to gasp in surprise.

Slowly, Future Honoka returned the embrace, her eyes prickling with moisture. She buried her face in Kotori’s shoulder and inhaled slowly, trying to regain her composure. She wouldn’t break, not until she had finished what she’d came there to do.

A minute or so passed until Kotori pulled away and wiped at her eyes, a sheepish laugh escaping her lips. “I’m going to wash up. I’ll be back soon.” She got up and quickly headed for the bathroom to clean herself up.

—

“What are they talking about?” Honoka craned her neck to see through the window of the restaurant from her hiding position. She wished she could somehow hear what the two of them were saying to each other. As far as she knew, Kotori was the only person Future Honoka had bothered with outside of their training.

“I can’t believe Kotori didn’t tell me she was going out with Honoka today!” Umi muttered as she glared through the window. It wasn’t fair, that Kotori had managed to get Future Honoka to herself. She could only imagine that Future Honoka would be appalled by the idea of spending time with her. She clenched her hands into fists at the thought and looked toward Honoka. The thought of her best friend hating her hurt deeply. She couldn’t imagine her life without Honoka in it. For as long as she could remember the three of them had been together. They completed each other. She wondered if the Umi in the future had missed Honoka’s presence as much as she knew she would.

Eli sighed heavily as she listened to the two of them. She cast a look toward Nozomi who looked nothing short of amused. “Why are we here?”

“We’re investigating, Elichi.” Nozomi curled her arm around Eli’s and drew her close to her side. “It’s exciting.”

“They look awfully chummy in there.” Umi declared as she watched Future Honoka lean forward, a soft smile on her face. “Why does she react that way to Kotori? She can barely stand to be in the same room as me!”

“You call this fun?” Eli sighed, rolling her eyes skyward. “Nozomi…”

“Wha..?!” Umi jolted in surprise, drawing Eli’s attention toward her. She was staring through the window, her eyes wide. Following her gaze, Eli found herself just as shocked as she watched Kotori lean in and press her lips to Future Honoka’s. A gasp echoed around the group and Eli barely managed to untangle herself from Nozomi to catch Umi, who’d fainted at the sight.   
  
Honoka glanced toward Umi, alarmed by the sight of her friend falling into Eli’s arms. What alarmed her more was the sight of her future self and Kotori kissing before her very eyes. “What…?” She could hardly believe what she was seeing. “W-Why is she kissing KOTORI-CHAN?!” She hurriedly turned away from the window, covering her eyes. She hadn’t wanted to see that, of all things. “It’s not fair! I know she’s me but it’s not fair! Kotori-chan already likes her more and now she’s taking her away from me for real!”

Nozomi watched as Honoka stomped her foot angrily and promptly burst out laughing at the overdramatic action. It was too funny, for Honoka to be jealous of herself for kissing the person she liked.

“Nozomi!” Eli admonished, struggling to stand under Umi’s dead weight. “A little help here?!”

Somehow the sight of Umi unconscious only made Nozomi laugh harder and she gripped her sides with the force of it.  

“So you like spying on people, huh?”

Nozomi’s laughter promptly died out at the sound of Future Honoka’s stern voice. Hesitantly, she looked up and found Future Honoka standing a couple of feet away, her arms crossed in front of her chest.

“You!” Honoka didn’t seem to be the least bit surprised to see her future self standing there. In fact she looked livid. “Why did you kiss Kotori-chan?!”

Future Honoka rolled her eyes at the younger version of herself. “I’ll kiss whoever I like.” Her gaze shifted toward Eli, who was struggling to hold Umi up. “She fainted? Pathetic.” She stepped forward and gripped Umi’s arm. Stooping, she threw the teenager over her shoulder before she stood. “I’ll take care of her, don’t worry.”

Eli gaped at how effortlessly Future Honoka had picked Umi up. “But don’t you…” she trailed off helplessly. It was no secret that Future Honoka held a certain contempt toward Umi. Although the second year didn’t show it, Eli know how much it hurt her to be rejected by her best friend.

“I’ll be on my way.” Future Honoka offered a casual wave as she began to walk off with Umi slung over her shoulder. She didn’t get more than a few steps before she disappeared in the blink of an eye, taking Umi with her.

Honoka gaped at where her Future self had been a few seconds ago. “Did that really just happen?”

Eli gave a slow nod in response, just as confused by Future Honoka’s actions. “Your future self is confusing, Honoka.” She cast a thoughtful glance at Honoka though she was quickly distracted by the arrival of a breathless Kotori.

“Where did Honoka-chan go?” She asked, glancing around for any sign of the older girl. When she’d returned to the table she’d found the money to pay for the food waiting for her but no Honoka.

“I’m right here.” Honoka muttered miserably, scuffing the toe of her shoe against the floor. It was hardly fair that her future self had taken Kotori and Umi away from her. Literally in Umi’s case.

“Um…she had to go. She took Umi with her.” Eli answered uncertainly as she glanced toward the spot where Honoka had disappeared. “So…you kissed her, huh?”

Kotori felt blood rush to her cheeks. “You saw that?! How long have you been standing here?”

“What was it like?” Nozomi moved toward Eli and grasped her hand though her gaze remained fixed on Kotori. “Was she a good kisser? She seems like she would be a good kisser, doesn’t she Elichi?”

Eli nodded in response and waited for Kotori’s answer.

The ashen haired girl just turned even redder at the question. “She was…it was nice. She’s a good kisser.”

“If I wasn’t with Nozomi I’d kiss her too.” Eli commented, earning herself an amused look from her girlfriend. She knew that Nozomi wouldn’t take what she’d said seriously. The trust between the two of them was too strong. Noticing movement out of the corner of her eye, she glanced in Honoka’s direction and noticed the other girl was twitching slightly, her hands clenched into fists. “Uh…Honoka? Are you alright? I was just kidding.”

Nozomi grinned at Eli and bumped her playfully with her shoulder. “You’re lucky I trust you so much, otherwise I’d be worried. She is pretty hot though so…”

“What is wrong with all of you?” Honoka exclaimed loudly, the hurt tone of her voice far outweighing the anger that accompanied it. “I’m standing right here! All any of you talk about is her! And Kotori-chan…” She cast an especially pained look toward Kotori whose eyes widened in surprise. “Forget it. I’m going home.”

Eli sighed as she watched Honoka begin to stalk away. “I’ll get her.” She told Nozomi and Kotori. She let go of Nozomi’s hand and hurried after Honoka to calm her down.

Nozomi watched pensively as Eli tried to reason with Honoka. “You realize you just kissed Honoka-chan, don’t you?” She asked, looking toward Kotori with a raised eyebrow. “They may seem different but they’re the same person.”

Kotori blushed as she watched Eli trying to keep Honoka from crossing the street. Nozomi was right, she knew. She’d had feelings for her best friend for a long time but they had only grown stronger when Future Honoka had shown up. She wondered if it was the way Future Honoka looked at her that had her so infatuated with the older version.

—

Upon teleporting to the roof of the hotel she was staying in, Future Honoka took a deep breath as she looked out over the city lights. She adjusted her grip on Umi’s legs in case she slipped and gave herself a moment to think. She hadn’t wanted to take Umi back to her own house in case she ran into the younger girl’s mother. She didn’t trust herself not to do anything when confronted by the woman who’d caused so much trouble in the future.

“Right.” She muttered to herself as she turned away. She couldn’t stand there all day and she doubted Umi would stay asleep. She couldn’t imagine being slung over her shoulder was very comfortable. She made her way down from the roof, careful not to run into anyone. She almost did in the corridor and she found herself questioning why she’d even brought the teenager with her. She could have easily left her with Eli and the others and yet she hadn’t.

She let herself into her hotel room and closed the door behind her with a sigh of relief. If anyone had spotted them it would have just led to questions she wasn’t prepared to deal with. She made her way to the unmade bed and shoved aside the blankets with her free hand. Carefully, she lay Umi down on the bed and covered her with the messy blankets.

“I need a drink.” She muttered to herself, running a hand through her hair. After what had happened with Kotori at the restaurant she felt like she needed several drinks. She crossed the room and poured herself a glass of Shochu. She took a drink and taking the bottle with her, made her way back to the bed. She sat on the edge, watching Umi’s brow furrow in her sleep. She sighed softly at the sight and reached out to brush a strand of navy blue hair away from Umi’s face.

Umi turned into the gentle touch and Future Honoka found herself wishing for simpler times. A time when she had loved Umi without question or regret. Now it was so complicated. She didn’t know how she was supposed to feel about Umi. She still loved her, there was no doubt about that, but forcing herself to hate her best friend couldn’t be easily forgotten. After what Umi had done, or after what it had seemed like she’d done, she didn’t know how to forgive her. The betrayal ran too deep.

“What am I going to do with you?” She whispered into the silence of the room. Quickly pulling her hand away, she downed her drink.

—

Umi woke to a scent that was somehow familiar and yet unfamiliar at the same time. She shifted slightly, only half awake and found herself enveloped by the comfortable warmth of blankets. Only they weren’t hers. Her eyes shot open in surprise and she pushed herself up, quickly scanning the room. It was a hotel room, there was no doubt about that. Finding another person with her, she relaxed a little bit.

Future Honoka was curled up in a chair not far from the bed, a bottle clutched tightly to her chest. Her mouth was slightly agape, her chest moving slowly up and down as she slept. There was something surprisingly innocent about it and Umi found a small smile tugging at her lips. It seemed that in her sleep, Future Honoka looked a lot more like the Honoka Umi knew.

She tried to recall how she had gotten there and vaguely remembered watching through the window as Kotori kissed the future version of their friend. She buried her head in her hands, a groan of embarrassment escaping her. She must have fainted, prompting Honoka to bring her to her hotel room. It was so humiliating.

At the sound of shifting, she looked up and found Future Honoka slowly waking up. She waited with baited breath as the older girl shifted and stretched. Her eyes dipped low and widened at the sight of the skin on display as the tank top Future Honoka had changed into rode up her stomach. Her lower half wasn’t much more covered as she’d changed into short sleep shorts too. She whimpered at the sight and looked away, her cheeks burning with embarrassment.

“I get too hot if I sleep in thick clothes.” Future Honoka said with a roll of her eyes. “Stop being such a baby. That’s what got you into this mess in the first place.” She stood and ran her fingers through her messy hair.

Umi felt her stomach drop at Honoka’s harsh words.

“I see you still get up early as ever.” Honoka continued coldly, noticing the sun was only just coming up. “I forgot how annoying that was.”

Umi flinched at the observation. She couldn’t help that she was an early riser. “Honoka?” She clenched the blankets in her fists. “Why do you act like this toward me? You don’t with Eli, Kotori and the others.” It seemed like Future Honoka loved the group dearly, at least her version of them, and yet she seemed to despise Umi. “We’re not very close in the future.”

“Understatement of the century.” Future Honoka scoffed, grabbing a hoodie to cover herself with, at least partially. She left it unzipped, not caring all that much about Umi’s embarrassment.

Umi inhaled sharply as Honoka confirmed her suspicions. She wondered if everyone felt that way, or whether it was just Honoka. “Do you hate me?”

Honoka was silent, her eyes on the ground. She didn’t turn to face Umi, she just fiddled with the zipper of her hoodie.

“Honoka!” Umi pushed herself to her knees and crawled to the edge of the bed to get closer to where Honoka was standing. She reached out to grip Honoka’s hand only for her own to be lightly slapped away. She bit her lip, tears gathering in her eyes despite her best efforts. Honoka pushing her away, coupled with the lack of an answer was all the answer she really needed.

“Why?!” She asked, her voice broken with emotion. “What did I do to make you hate me so much? I need to know. I need to…” She lowered her head, a pained sob escaping her throat. She didn’t notice Future Honoka look up sharply, too engrossed in her own grief. She needed to know what she’d done so she could fix it. She couldn’t let her Honoka grow to hate her like this one did. It was unbearable.

Future Honoka watched as Umi broken into soft sobs, quietened only by the hand she had pressed against her mouth. The fact that she had caused it had her eyes prickling. Before she could really think about what she was doing, she had moved forward, pressing one knee against the bed and pulled Umi close to her.

Umi’s eyes widened in surprise at the sudden move but she quickly accepted the comfort. She sobbed into Honoka’s chest, the older girl’s hand pressed against the back of her head to keep her there. Fearing that Honoka would push her away again she clung to the back of her hoodie.

Future Honoka waited until Umi quietened before she slowly loosened her grip. “I can’t tell you why. Not yet. Just know that this is going to be your own decision. If you want to, you can change your future…but you can never change what I remember.” Nothing could take away the memory of Umi’s betrayal. It had crushed her. She eased away from Umi and stepped back, meeting her teary eyes. “I’m sorry.”

Umi stared at Honoka, shaken by the news that she would have to make the decision. She didn’t know how to make it, she didn’t know if she could. She noticed Honoka getting up to walk away. As the older girl turned away from her, she gripped the hem of her hoodie, causing her to stop.

Future Honoka held her breath, uncertain as to what Umi was going to do. A few seconds later she felt Umi’s forehead come to rest upon her lower back and she let out a shaky breath.

The tears, which Umi had recovered from a few moments ago were back in full force. Having the power to destroy her friendship with Honoka terrified her. She hated to think that she might ruin what they had, but there must have been a reason she’d done what she had.

Future Honoka stayed still, listening to Umi’s soft crying. She wanted to hate her, she wanted to push her away and scream at her for what she’d done to them but she couldn’t. It still hurt her just as much as it always had to see Umi in pain. Tears spilled silently down her own cheeks and she pressed her hand to her mouth, determined to stay quiet. She wouldn’t let anyone see her weakness. She couldn’t.


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Double chapter coming up! Warning for angst and slightly sexual scenes.

It was a few hours into training and the group were beginning to complain that they were exhausted. Even Umi, who usually pushed herself, was beginning to look worse for wear. It wasn’t until Hanayo collapsed to her knees, out of breath and sweaty, that Future Honoka finally decided to call the session to a stop.

“Alright, let’s…” She stopped, her eyes widening in surprise as a ball of blue fire came soaring toward her. Instinctively, she leaned to the side to avoid being hit but the flames grazed her shirt on the way past, causing the fabric to burst into flames. She hurriedly began patting herself to put them out and winced as the flames licked at her skin.

“Honoka-chan!” Kotori cried out, hurrying forward to help. Umi and Eli moved too, though Future Honoka stepped away from Umi. Even while on fire, it was hard for her to stand being next to her.

“Shit!” She grabbed the hem of her shirt and yanked it over her head, tossing it quickly to the floor. She cast a dark glare at Eli when she was done stamping the flames out. When she was done, she stopped, allowing Kotori to get closer to her. “What the hell, Eli? Can’t you throw in a straight line?”

“Um…” Eli was too busy staring at Future Honoka’s stomach, her mouth slightly agape with shock as she took in the ripple of muscles beneath her skin. “I don’t…um…what?”

Umi felt her face flush crimson as she took in the sight of her half naked best friend. Even at the hotel she hadn’t seen that much. Her hand twitched at her side, almost reaching out to touch but she managed to hold herself back.

Honoka twitched slightly as she glanced down at herself. She certainly didn’t look like her future self. Maybe she needed to cut down on how much bread she ate.   
  
Nozomi let out a low whistle as she wandered over to Eli. She made no secret of the fact that she was checking Future Honoka out. “Damn Honoka-chan. Kotori-chan is so lucky.”

Kotori blushed at the observation and glanced up at Future Honoka, a shy smile tugging at her lips.

Future Honoka felt Kotori’s hand come to rest on her lower back, a shiver running down her spine at the coolness of it. The move was almost possessive and she had to bite back a smile herself. It was so unlike Kotori to act that way, though she had seen that side of her on rare occasions.

Maki and Nico exchanged a glance, confused by that observation as well as how close the young adult had allowed Kotori to get to her.

Honoka and Umi grumbled under their breath, both slightly irritated with the attention being bestowed up Honoka’s future self. They both had very different reasons for the annoyance though and Umi hadn’t stopped staring yet.   
  
“Um…Honoka-chan?”

Future Honoka glanced up at the sound of the small familiar voice. She was surprised to find Hanayo standing there, a jacket in hand. Rin was hovering apprehensively behind her. It seemed that the two first years were still quite wary of her.

“I thought you might be cold.” Hanayo explained sheepishly, handing over the light jacket she liked to wear after they’d finished training or practice.

“Thank you, Hanayo.” Future Honoka said quietly as she reached out to take the jacket from her. She tugged it on though it was considerably too small for her. Certainly too small to zip up.

“Wait.” Nozomi suddenly sounded serious, the teasing tone from her voice completely dissipated. “What’s that?” She strode forward until she was standing right in front of Future Honoka and reached out to touch the cross around her neck.

Future Honoka’s eyes widened when she realized what Nozomi was about to do. “Don’t!” She stepped back quickly, out of Nozomi’s reach.

“Is that Elichi’s cross?” Nozomi asked, confused by why the precious piece of jewellry would be around Honoka’s neck. “Where did you get that?”

“It’s my Eli’s.” Future Honoka answered defensively. The small cross was the only thing she had left of Eli and there was no way she was going to let anyone take it from her. “She gave it to me when she…died.” She remembered finding the necklace in Eli’s hand with startling clarity. Somehow she had known that Eli had taken it off to give to her. She held her breath as Eli herself came closer to inspect the necklace. She didn’t put up a fight when Eli reached out to run her fingers over it. It was hers, after all.

“I didn’t know you two were that close.” Nico commented dryly, glancing between the two. The observation earned her an eye roll from Maki.

“We are.” Future Honoka said sharply, her gaze turning toward Maki. They couldn’t understand. They couldn’t possibly understand the dynamic of her relationship with Eli. “We were…it’s not the same as her relationship with Eli.” She nodded jerkily toward her past self. “It’s just different in the future.”

Kotori reached up to place a gentle hand on Future Honoka’s shoulder to soothe her.

Future Honoka felt herself relax unwittingly beneath the gentle touch. Be it in the past, present or future, Kotori seemed to have that effect on her.

“Different how?” Eli said softly, glancing up at Future Honoka from the cross. “I would never take this cross off. If I was going to give it to anyone I would give it to Nozomi.” Surely she couldn’t have been separated from Nozomi in the future. “Honoka…how did you say I died?”

Future Honoka flinched at the question but Kotori was still there, silently supporting her. “You died to save my life. You knew I was going to die and you threw yourself in front of me to protect me.” She felt herself choke up at the memory of how Eli had drawn her head protectively to her shoulder, using her body and her power to shield her. The flames she had emitted hadn’t been hot as they usually would have been. They were warm. They were Eli’s. She hesitantly met Eli’s shocked gaze.

“Were the two of you dating in the future?” Nozomi’s comment was blunt and slightly defensive. She couldn’t help it. She couldn’t imagine not being with Eli. The idea that Eli could have been dating, or at least been intimate with, Future Honoka had been on her mind since the time traveller had mentioned the scar on Eli’s inner thigh. Besides that, there was something about the way she looked at Eli. “Is that why she gave it to you and not me? The two of you were…”

“Shut up!” Honoka’s voice rose, the limited self control she had been clinging to finally snapping completely. It wasn’t as simple as her ‘dating’ Eli. Their relationship was more important than that. “Eli-senpai was my only family after Yukiho cut ties with me! We were the only people who could understand each other. So no, Nozomi. We’re not sleeping together. Eli-senpai was far more important to me than that. She was a protective older sister. Someone I could trust with everything without question. Someone I would do anything for. Of course she would give me this. Of all people, it would be me.”

“Honoka…” Eli whispered, stunned by Future Honoka’s confession. She didn’t think she’d heard that much emotion in her voice since they had first met her. She glanced toward the past version of the young woman standing in front of her and her heart sank at the sight of tears streaming down her cheeks. Having recently learned that she’d lost Arisa in the future, she knew how Honoka felt.

Umi gripped Honoka’s hand tightly, wishing she could do more to comfort her. She was embarrassed that she almost felt jealous of Eli’s relationship with Honoka in the future. It was a stark contrast to her own future relationship with her best friend.

Future Honoka was breathing heavily after her speech, her chest heaving slightly. Unconsciously she gripped the cross in her fist. She wished her Eli was there now. She wished none of them had had to die for her. They should have just left her with A-Rise. None of this would be happening if they had just left her behind.

Nozomi stared at Future Honoka’s fist, clenched around the small cross. She couldn’t say anything as she took in what was being said.

“A sibling relationship is stronger than most.” Future Honoka’s voice shook slightly as she spoke but she did a good job of disguising it. “Eli-senpai and I would have done anything for each other. That includes dying.”

Kotori, who had been watching Future Honoka through teary eyes noticed a glimmer of moisture, brightening Honoka’s usual sky blue orbs. With a sharp inhalation, she realized what was about to happen. “Honoka-chan, let’s go. Come on.”

Future Honoka was taken aback by the teenager’s gesture, but allowed the girl to guide her back inside the school building.  As they managed to make it to the stairs, Kotori let her hand slip from the other’s wrist to her longer and slender fingers. Entwining them tightly, she walked ahead of the older woman in silence.

Future Honoka didn’t process the walk to the class, too lost in the memories that haunted her. It was only when Kotori let go of her hand that she realized they had moved.

Kotori watched as Future Honoka lashed out, upheaving several chairs from the desks they’d been placed on top of. She didn’t move, aware that Honoka would never hurt her. She just watched, her heart clenched in sympathy as her best friend wore herself out and finally sank to her knees amidst the destruction she’d created.

“God damnit…” Future Honoka rubbed vigorously at her watering eyes. She wouldn’t cry. She refused. She couldn’t stop the tears though, not for a couple of long minutes. “This is so embarrassing.” Feeling a hand come to rest gently upon her chest, she looked up quickly and found Kotori kneeling in front of her, a first aid kit in her hands.

“Let me see that burn, Honoka-chan.”

Future Honoka leaned back, relieved the tears had finally stopped and allowed her head to rest against the leg of the desk. She was silent, listening to Kotori quietly hum under her breath as she attentatively bandaged her burn. It reminded her of her Kotori. She had always bandaged her up. Maki had been the go to person for all things medical related but everybody was second to Kotori in Honoka’s eyes.

“Do you want to tell me what happened with Yukiho?” Kotori whispered, finally finishing up. She lay her hand gently on Honoka’s shoulder.

“She hates me because I didn’t save Arisa.” Future Honoka answered simply. There was no need for her to say anything else. It was just the truth. She sighed softly and leaned forward, resting her forehead against Kotori’s chest.   
  
Kotori felt her breath hitch at the unexpected movement but recognizing Honoka’s need for comfort, she lifted her hand, resting it gently on the back of her head. “We don’t have to talk about it.”

Future Honoka made a tiny sound of acknowledgement. A few minutes passed as she closed her eyes, basking in the feeling of Kotori’s fingers brushing through her hair. If she closed her eyes tightly enough she could pretend it was her Kotori. It had just been a nightmare and her Kotori was gently rousing her from it, ready to comfort her with sweet kisses and a tight embrace. “Kotori-chan…”

“Hmm?” Kotori paused for a moment but when Honoka didn’t answer, she continued to gently sweep her fingers over the bandages on Honoka’s chest, As her fingers crept above the bandage, they paused when they came into contact with slightly rougher skin. “What’s this from?”

“Someone attacked my Kotori.” Future Honoka whispered, seeing no reason to speak at a higher volume. “Eli-senpai isn’t the only one I would have done anything for.” She lifted her head, finally meeting Kotori’s soft gaze. It was the same look she was used to in the future. Almost. “Kotori-chan. Can I…?” She inched her head forward slightly.

The way Honoka whispered her name so reverently had Kotori shivering. “Anything.” She said solemnly though she didn’t budge. Instead she waited with baited breath until Honoka leaned in slowly, hesitantly. Their lips touched gently at first until Honoka’s arms went around her to hold her close.

  
Kotori’s arms went about Honoka’s neck in turn. She was painfully conscious of the fact that she was pressing against the burn on Honoka’s bare chest but Honoka didn’t seem to mind it at all.

Kotori gasped gently as something soft grazed against her lips. They parted slightly and a second later she was being kissed deeply. Desperately. She felt her shirt being pulled at and a familiar warmth formed in her lower stomach at the thought of just how far it would go. She knew it wasn’t a good idea but she couldn’t stop herself. And it was just Honoka. She loved Honoka. Her hands slipped around the young woman’s back, her fingers mapping  out warm skin.

“Kotori-chan…” The words were breathed out against her lips as hands pushed her blazer down. She didn’t care about that. She was much too focused on kissing Honoka. “Kotori-chan…”

The taste of salt on her lips was odd. Honoka hadn’t tasted like that before. Her cheeks were damp for some reason too.

“Kotori-chan…” Was that a whimper? She barely had time to consider the thought before a sharp sob caught her attention. The lips pressed against her own slipped away and she realized with a sinking feeling that Future Honoka wasn’t really with her at all. She was thinking about the future Kotori, the one she’d been in love with.

Trying to ignore the ache in her chest, Kotori stayed still as Honoka sank into her, sobbing loudly into her chest. Numbly, she allowed her blazer to slide from her arms before lifting them to hold Honoka close, pressing her forehead gently upon the young adult’s ginger hair.

It took a few minutes for Future Honoka to quieten but she didn’t move away after.

“I’m so tired Kotori-chan.” Future Honoka’s voice was frail, as though she had lost all fight. “I don’t want to be here anymore…without you, without Eli-senpai, I don’t have anything left to fight for.”

“Stop it!” Kotori’s voice came sharp but choked with the tears that had started to slip from her eyes. “You can’t give up, Honoka-chan. If you don’t fight the future will be the same…All of this would be for nothing.”

“You think I don’t know that?” This Kotori was too much like the one from her future. Always reminding her of the right thing to do. “It’s not good enough! All I want is my friends back and it’s never going to happen.”

Kotori shook her head. “Fight for me, Honoka-chan. Fight for Eli-chan and everyone else. Maybe we aren’t the friends you know but we’re still them in some way. Nozomi-chan’s right. You and my Honoka-chan are still Honoka-chan no matter what, and I love Honoka-chan more than anything.” Her voice cracked slightly and she shook her head. “Please. Just fight.”

She was too smart, too in tune with how Honoka felt. Future Honoka stood up abruptly. “I have somewhere to be. I’ll see you later, Kotori-chan. What just happened…it won’t happen again.”

Kotori opened her mouth to object as Future Honoka hurried toward the door. Before she could even speak though, Honoka was gone. Slowly she got to her feet and tucked her shirt back into her skirt. She needed to see Honoka. Her Honoka.

—

Umi gripped Honoka’s hand tighter as she watched Kotori lead Future Honoka to the stairs. A sickening feeling of jealousy formed in her stomach. It wasn’t fair. Unknown to her, Honoka felt the same way.

Nobody moved for a few minutes, nor did anyone speak. Finally Nico made a dash for the door, her vision blurred with moisture. She could only imagine what it would feel like to lose her siblings. She couldn’t help but wonder if she had. It seemed likely.

Maki frowned to herself as she watched Nico leave. There was something odd about how quickly she had sped off.

“Come to my house.” Honoka requested softly, turning to look at Umi. Kotori was ignoring her so it was only natural for her to turn to Umi under such circumstances. “I don’t want to be alone tonight, Umi-chan.”

The request somehow made Umi feel better. This Honoka needed her at the very least. Her Honoka still wanted her, at least she hoped that was the case. She nodded silently in response and led Honoka toward the door.

Rin placed a hand upon Hanayo’s arm, noticing that she was trembling slightly in wake of Future Honoka’s words. “Let’s go too, Kayo-chin. We can stop for some rice on the way home, nya.”

Hanayo shot Rin a grateful look and took her hand. “Do you want to come too, Maki-chan?”

Maki hesitated for a moment before finally shaking her head. The way Nico had rushed off without saying anything bothered her. The third year had been too quiet during Future Honoka’s speech. “I have something I need to do. I’ll walk down with you though.” She cast a look at Eli and Nozomi. She didn’t want to stay with the two of them. From their silence it seemed like an argument was brewing.

Nozomi watched as all three first years left the roof together, closing the door behind them. She opened her mouth to say something but nothing came out and she closed it again. She knew she shouldn’t feel hurt by the idea of Honoka and Eli being close enough in the future that Eli would give Honoka her treasured necklace but she was. It was petty but she couldn’t change how she felt.

Eli couldn’t bring herself to speak either, still reeling from the news of what her friendship with Honoka had developed into in the future. She cared deeply for Honoka already but according to the girl’s future self it was much more than that in the future. She cared enough that she had willingly sacrificed her own life for Honoka’s. She would do that for Nozomi and Arisa without question too. If she had the choice between her own life and Arisa’s there would be no question about which she would choose.

“I need to protect Arisa…I-I can’t let her die.” Eli finally spoke as she let her fingers take hold of the precious jewelry around her neck. Determination gleaming within her eyes, she turned to Nozomi. She had just enough time to spot the saddened look on Nozomi’s face before it was hidden by her usual smile.

Sighing, she stepped forward and leaned in to gently kiss Nozomi’s forehead. “You heard what Honoka said.” She said softly, her hand moving to the back of Nozomi’s head. She carefully rested her forehead against her girlfriend’s. “You’re the only person I’m going to be with in the future. Don’t think anything else.”

Nozomi smiled softly at the gentle reassurance. “It’s everything else that I’m worried about.” She admitted quietly, her arms sliding around Eli’s waist. She was scared, of what was going to happen to them, and what Eli apparently became in the future. That Eli had so willingly given her life shook Nozomi to the core. “It doesn’t seem like I was with you when…” She paused, unable to say the words. “Honoka-chan never told me how I died.” She had asked once, though Future Honoka had paled and clammed right up.

“I don’t want to know that.” Eli leaned back slightly, a troubled look on her face. Deep down she hoped that she had died before Nozomi had. She would have broken if she’d had to watch something like that. Maybe that was why she had so readily given her life. “Ever.”

Nozomi nodded and stepped forward to embrace Eli tightly. She wished she could forget what she had heard but the idea of Eli throwing her life away stuck with her.

—

The moment Umi stepped through the door, the smell of red bean paste hit her. She inhaled deeply, revelling in the familiar smell. It was a smell that often clung to Honoka’s clothing. Inevitably it led to her thinking about her friend whenever she smelt it. She followed Honoka through the shop to the back, intent on getting to Honoka’s room.

Before they could reach it, they were stopped by Yukiho stepping out into the hallway. Honoka drew to an abrupt stop, her eyes widening at the sight of her sister.

“Yukiho…” She whispered, recalling Future Honoka saying that Yukiho had cut ties with her. She couldn’t imagine losing her sister. The tears that had stopped earlier were back, filling her eyes. She noticed Yukiho’s eyes widen in alarm at the sight of them. Without thinking about what she was doing, she rushed forward and threw her arms around her sister.

“H-Honoka?” Yukiho automatically embraced her crying sister, her eyes meeting Umi’s over Honoka’s shoulder. She didn’t know what was going on but it seemed like something had deeply upset Honoka. Maybe something had happened to Kotori. She couldn’t help but notice the girl’s absence.

The shower came on in the other room, causing Umi to flinch slightly. As far as she knew they were the only ones there. She quickly realized it must have been Yukiho, her control of her power slipping because she was so concerned about Honoka.

Realizing she needed to get Honoka away before she made things worse she moved forward and grasped Honoka’s elbow to gently tug her away from Yukiho. “Let’s go to your room, Honoka.” She winced at the affronted look on Yukiho’s face. “I’m sorry, it’s complicated. I’ll take care of her. Don’t worry. Come on, Honoka.” She led the upset girl to her room and closed the door behind them, leaving a worried Yukiho standing outside.

She waited until she heard footsteps moving away from the door before she relaxed, breathing a sigh of relief. “You need to be more careful.” She said softly as she turned back to Honoka. Her best friend was wiping her tears away, having calmed somewhat. “I know it’s hard but we need to keep her from suspecting anything.”

“I know.” Honoka muttered, sitting down on the edge of the bed. It was just so hard to see Yukiho after what she’d heard would happen. “I’ll be more careful.”

Umi exhaled softly at the answer. Maybe she was being too hard on Honoka. Maybe this would only be one more thing that would lead to her being hated by her best friend. The future hadn’t stopped playing on her mind since that morning in the hotel room with Future Honoka.

“Honoka, do you hate me?” Umi blurted out. She needed to know one way or another if there was even the slightest bit of resentment. She couldn’t imagine losing Honoka but it was becoming more and more obvious that one day she would.

“What?” Honoka sat up straighter, shocked by the question. “That’s ridiculous, I love you.”

Umi felt her cheeks flush at the answer. She didn’t know why she had expected anything else. “Your future self hates me.” She said almost accusingly, crossing her arms in front of her chest. “She told me so herself. I don’t know what I could have done to her in the future but she just ignores me. I don’t know why she doesn’t do the same to Kotori. And what’s with the two of them anyway?” She was so far into her rant that she didn’t notice Honoka’s expression sour. “It’s like they’ve bonded. Maybe she likes Kotori more than me in the future. Do you?” She didn’t pause for a beat to wait for an answer. “Nevermind. She obviously does. They just…”

“Ahh, Umi-chan, shut up!” Honoka finally erupted, spring to her feet in annoyance. “Why does it bother you so much that she doesn’t like you?! She is me, you know! Maybe I’m not as pretty as her or as smart as her right now but I will be and I’m right here! I’m so tired of hearing you go on and on about her. You and Kotori-chan, you’re both as bad as each other!”

She moved to shove past Umi only for the archer to move out of the way, causing her to stumble forward, propelled by the force of her touch.

Seeing what was going to happen, Umi leaned in again to stop Honoka, only to trip over her own feet. She fell against her friend, pushing her back onto the bed. She landed heavily on top of her, resulting in a pained gasp from Honoka. She had her powers to thank for her lightning quick reflexes though she didn’t have the ability to see the result of those reflexes.

“That’s not fair, Umi-chan.” Honoka whined, squirming beneath Umi. “You’re taller than me, you have an advantage.” She fell still and met Umi’s eyes. They were shining brightly, amusement obvious in the half smile on Umi’s face. The sight caused Honoka’s heart to skip a beat, or so it felt. She wondered if Umi looked different in the future. Somehow she couldn’t imagine Umi being any prettier than she already was. Was it even possible? “This isn’t funny. I’m angry with you.”

Umi gave a gentle hum, her eyes dipping to Honoka’s lips. She noticed a sheen on them and wondered what it would be like to kiss them. Instinct kicked in and she leaned in, pressing her lips to Honoka’s.

Honoka’s eyes widened in shock at the sudden kiss and she lifted her hand to push Umi away. As her hand hit her friend’s shoulder, she couldn’t find it in herself to push her and just let it rest there instead. Tentatively, she returned the kiss. She wasn’t sure what she should be feeling, she only knew that the kiss was sending tingles through her lips, seemingly to every inch of her body.   
  
It was only the door opening suddenly that drew the two apart. Umi scrambled back off Honoka while Honoka herself sat up, her hand going to her mouth. She brushed her fingers over her lips in shock, mystified by Umi’s actions. Her gaze was drawn to the doorway where a sad looking Kotori was standing. She wasn’t crying but Honoka could see that she was upset about something. It was obvious in the tightness of her jaw.

“Kotori-chan, what’s wrong?” She hopped off the bed and rushed toward Kotori, quickly wrapping her in a tight embrace. Her kiss with Umi was all but forgotten about.

Kotori shook her head against Honoka’s shoulder. Her conversation with Future Honoka and everything else that had happened with her had left her feeling upset and anxious. What she’d just walked in on only made it worse. “I needed to see you.” She whispered, holding onto Honoka as tightly as she could.

Umi stared at the two of them speechlessly. She could almost feel Honoka’s lips against her own still. What had she done? Feeling tears building up in her eyes she hurried out of the room.

—

It felt like she’d been walking around the school for hours though in reality it had only been about thirty minutes. “Where the hell are you, Nico-chan…?” She mumbled, shoving her hands into her pockets. The school was creepy at night. Hardly any of the lights were on, leaving Maki to walk through the dark.

_“Come on…”_

Maki’s step faltered at the sudden thought that invaded her mind. That was definitely Nico, there was no doubt about it. She pressed on, using the voice to guide her.

_“Come on, come on, come ON!”_

What on earth was Nico even doing? She sounded distressed, causing Maki to pick up her pace despite the building pain in her head.

_“Why can’t I just feel something for once?! Why can’t I be normal?”_

By the time she reached the classroom Nico was in she felt nauseous too, just another side effect to her headaches. The door was ajar but Maki hesitate to open it.

_“Just bleed!”_

Maki’s eyes widened in alarm and she pushed the door open. She almost slammed her eyes shut, aware that she wouldn’t want to see what she was going to see in the classroom. She didn’t close her eyes but she regretted it. Nico was sitting on a desk, a pocket knife in hand as she cut at her arm, from wrist to elbow. There was a small pool of blood forming on the floor beneath her. Her clothes were covered in it too.

“ _Why can’t I just die like them?!_ ” The thought was followed by a ferocious stab at her inner thigh as the red skin on her arm began to regenerate rapidly showing no sign or scars of her former wounds.

“Oh god, Nico-chan…”

—

4 years in the future

Nico woke with a sharp gasp, finding herself constricted. She thrashed to free herself from whatever it was but she couldn’t break out. Looking down, she found herself adorned in a straight jacket and yelled in frustration. She needed to get out, she needed to find A-Rise and destroy them for what they’d done. She’d kill every last one of them just like they’d killed her friends. Except Honoka…she was just gone. Nico was sure she would never forget the broken, haunted expression on Honoka’s face before she had left. She had seen all of their friends die. Nico hadn’t. She’d been too focused on Maki. She inhaled sharply at the thought.

Maki was dead. The person she valued above all others had been killed right in front of her. She hadn’t even been able to protect her. It was too horrible to be real.

A splash of water caught her attention, drawing her attention to the door which creaked open. She tensed, preparing herself as the person entered the room.

“Always getting yourself into trouble, huh, Nico-senpai? Is my stupid ex-sister being a hassle again? Typical.”

Nico couldn’t speak for a moment, her throat choked with emotion. “Yukiho…”

Yukiho rolled her eyes and strode forward to Nico’s bed. “What did she do this time? When the team found you they said you were covered in blood, screaming about something or another.”

“Yukiho, everyone’s dead.”

It took a second for the meaning of Nico’s words to sink in. “What?!” Yukiho gasped, reaching out to steady herself with a hand on the bed. It wasn’t possible. “No. The control center said it was just an extraction. Where the hell did Eli take you all?!”

Nico bit down hard on her lip and shook her head. Her eyes stung with tears she must have shed earlier but she still had plenty left apparently as they filled her eyes. “A-Rise attacked.” She couldn’t get more than two words at a time out it seemed. She was too afraid she would end up sobbing again.

“Wait…” Yukiho suddenly looked panicked. “Where’s Honoka?!”


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning(s): Some violence in this chapter, suggestive sexual scenes. Oh and since the scenes in the future are 4 years ahead, Yukiho is 18. Just saying.

Nico turned darkly to the door upon hearing a familiar voice. She didn’t say anything and continued to think terrible thoughts. She already knew that the first year could hear her, was listening so intently for her, so why not give her a full dosage of her true feelings? With a glare Nico dug the pocket knife further into her bleeding thigh, her eyes never once leaving that of feared lilac.

_“Why can’t I just die, am I even human? I can only bleed for just a while before this damn curse takes even that away! Can you hear me, Maki? I want to DIE!”_

Maki felt tears begin to slip down her cheeks. She dropped her bag instantly and took hold of her head. The telepathic message was loud and painful. She wanted it to stop, she wanted all of this pain to just stop. She lifted her head to see more blood drip from the pale skin of the indestructible third year.  

“STOP IT!” She yelled. Her legs finally able to move, she ran over to take the knife. Only to be kicked right in the stomach. Maki doubled over and crashed into some desks after the powerful hit. She landed on the ground and felt nauseous as Nico’s thoughts continued to get more aggressive and unstable.

Nico looked down at the girl with no emotion whatsoever. A tiny arrogant smirk formed upon delicate features as she hopped off the desk she was sitting on. “‘ _Maki-chan_ ’? You always were a pain in the ass, ya know?” She taunted before walking over to the unarmed girl. She pulled the knife from her thigh and let the area rebuild it’s tissues and skin. When it did she bent down next to her. It took one flick of the wrist before Maki’s blazer and blouse was cut open, revealing the girl’s covered ample chest and flawless skin.

“Jeez for a 15 year old you sure developed quickly. Makes me really pissed…how the hell are you so blessed? Even your goddamn ability which you complain about every goddamn day isn’t as bad as you think.” Nico said emotionlessly. Her voice was completely void of any forced perkiness or anger that usually emitted from her in front of others. it sent a chill coursing through Maki. She’d never thought she would be afraid of Nico, but she was.

Nico knew she was a monster. She shouldn’t even try to act human. The fact that she hadn’t even bothered to save her friends in the future was further proof of that. “Really, you’re pathetic. And you try to tell me not to take those pills? You know those are the only things that can get me to feel anything, right? Pain, pleasure, anything physical.” She spoke as she walked around the younger girl with both her hands behind her back, her weapon gleaming with her dried blood. “You have no idea what it’s like…”

“Oh come on Nico-chan! T-That doesn’t mean you aren’t capable of feeling emotions!” Maki managed to argue back. She’d already witnessed Nico crying before the older girl even noticed her presence. Why did this idiot have to be focused only on the physical aspect of what she was lacking? If anything, Nico was the most human of the group, at least emotionally. “You are human Nico-cha-” She began only for a fist to catch her square in the jaw. Nico seemed to have managed to take advantage of her distraction and was now on top of her, her knife now pressed to the area to where she was just punched.

It was cold, the metal was beginning to draw blood from her bruised skin and Maki could barely breathe as Nico straddled her bare stomach. She glanced up to see Nico’s bright ruby eyes. It was terrifying, seeing them so void of emotion. Yet that didn’t get Maki to stop talking. “Nico-chan I’m seri-”

“Shut up!” Nico interrupted again, pressing her pocket knife further into Maki’s skin. Her mind couldn’t take those words. She wasn’t human. At least not as human as the rest of the group. She was the furthest of any of them. Soon enough as they got older she’d look exactly the same. Nothing of her power was normal. She was inhuman.  “Stop saying that! I’m not human.”

“You are, you stubborn idiot!” Maki growled as the knife finally swiped her skin. She felt blood trail down from her cheek as the owner of the knife shook against her. She could only swallow back her own terror at the situation as she continued to stare intensely into those blood red hues. She had to get through to her. She saw Nico’s gaze soften, a glimmer of the fear she felt deep inside finally appearing on her face.

“You can still cry, Nico-chan, that’s the biggest hint of your humanity.” She whispered. Her voice cracked as she fought the tears that threatened to fall.  Maki was never good at expressing her emotions, not to the extent that Nico could. It pained her to see Nico try to close herself off. She bit her lip at the sting of her cut.

“Everyone is going to die except for me, Maki. You heard what Honoka’s future self said. Everyone died that day except for me and her. “ Nico admitted, her tears resurfacing. Her heartbeat pounding strongly inside her chest. She felt like this was a game. Like her life was a constant loop of misery and misfortune.

“I don’t have the blessing to die Maki. Death will be nothing to me, but it’s all I want, because I’m going to be alone when everyone I love dies. “ Nico had never said it, but it was a fear that had been with her even before Future Honoka had appeared. The bloody pocket knife slipping from her grasp as she put her hands over her face. She tried desperately to not think about her family. Cocoro, Cocoa, Cotaro, her mother. She had already lost her father, She couldn’t afford to lose the rest of them.

“I hate it! I HATE MY LIFE SO MUCH!”

It was too much. Maki couldn’t take seeing Nico like this. It was just wrong. It reminded her of their first encounter and the argument they had after future Honoka admitted that Nico was still taking the stimulants. Despite the soreness of her back and the sting of the cut on her cheek Maki lifted her arms and firmly wrapped them around the crying teenager. She pulled Nico down and placed her hand on the back of the girl’s head in case she tried to pull away. She gently rubbed Nico’s back, trying to comfort her.

_“You aren’t alone you idiot. You have me, Nico-chan.  I care about you and I hate seeing you doing this to yourself.”_

Maki was too weak to use her voice. In fact she didn’t trust her mouth to say everything her mind truly wanted to admit. It was a defense mechanism. She always tried to hide her emotions with the facade of being aloof and rude. In truth she just didn’t know what to say most of the time.

She remembered what Future Honoka said about Nico and wondered just when her relationship with Nico would start to change enough for the older girl to want to die for her, to overlook the rest of their friend’s deaths to protect her.  

_“Maki…I don’t understand. Why do you care about me…?”_

Nico pressed herself closer to Maki’s shoulder as her tears began to dry. She was pressed up against the half naked girl and still didn’t understood the kindness she was showing. She had just violated Maki, she had hurt her. Maki should hate her.

_“I’m sorry, Maki. I’m such a mess…I don’t deserve you as my friend…”_

Maki closed her eyes. She could feel Nico’s heartbeat against her chest. It was yet one of the evidences of Nico’s humanity that Nico kept forgetting. She tightened her arms around Nico and sobbed silently. She was just glad Nico finally opened up to her.

—

_Four years into the future_

Silence echoed around the room in wake of Yukiho’s question. Nico couldn’t bring herself to speak. She didn’t even know what she would say. It was becoming clear to her that Honoka’s venture into the past had been unsuccessful. Wouldn’t everything have changed otherwise? She was well aware of the damage Honoka’s power did to her brain. It was something Maki had been constantly distressed about. Whenever Honoka had used her power in a way that was anything more than teleporting somewhere, Maki had insisted that Honoka let her look her over. It had taken up a ridiculous amount of her time, but it was just the way Maki was.

“Answer me, Nico-senpai!” Yukiho grabbed the collar of the straight jacket Nico had been put into, lifting her back and shoulders from the bed by a few inches. “Where the hell is my sister?!”

Nico swallowed heavily at the desperation she heard in Yukiho’s voice. She couldn’t tell her the truth - that Honoka had left, and no longer existed in their world. “She’s dead.” She said, her voice catching in her throat. She would never forget the way Honoka had looked at her. Even with a glance, Nico could tell that Honoka was broken. “She tried to use her power to save us all and…it was too much.”

“No…” Yukiho let go of Nico’s collar, allowing her to drop back onto the bed. She fell to her knees, catching herself with a hand on the bed. She hadn’t spoken to her sister in over three years, though Honoka had tried to reach out several times. “Oh god…” She felt physically sick, tears pricking at her eyes. “DAMN IT! THAT IDIOT, HOW COULD SHE DIE BEFORE I…?” Her words were choked with sobs and she lashed out, her fist hitting the small table next to Nico’s bed. “HOW COULD SHE DIE WHILE I STILL HATE HER?!”

She didn’t, not really. Deep down she loved Honoka. She was the only real family she had left and yet she had never attempted to speak to her again after what had happened. Losing Arisa, her closest friend, had ruined her, in more ways than one.

Nico listened as Yukiho broke down into heartbroken sobs that caused even her own chest to ache. She bit the inside of her cheek, tears spilling from her eyes. She had to keep reminding herself that she had lost all of them. It didn’t seem real to her. She waited until Yukiho quietened a bit before she spoke. “Yukiho, untie me…”

It took a moment but the tearful younger girl pushed herself to her feet. She clambered onto the bed to kneel next to Nico and with shaking hands unbuckled the straps that confined her. Finally she tugged it off and let it fall to the floor.

Nico didn’t bother to flex her arms before she grabbed onto Yukiho and pulled her down into a tight embrace. She heard the soft gasp that escaped Yukiho at the sudden movement but she ignored it. She hadn’t done anything for Honoka during the fight, while the ginger haired girl was forced to helplessly watch all of their friends being brutally murdered. But she could do something now. Her offering comfort to Yukiho was something Honoka would want. There was no doubt about that.

Yukiho sobbed unreservedly into Nico’s neck, ignoring the smell of blood that seemed to reside on her skin. “I-I didn’t get to tell her that I-I…” She couldn’t speak any more, her entire body heaving with sobs as she clutched Nico.

Nico couldn’t seem to stop her own tears either. They seemed to be never ending. “She knew you loved her.” She hadn’t told Maki either, not in as many words. It had been suggested once or twice but she had never said it out loud. Maki hadn’t said it to her either. “She always knew.”

Yukiho could only shake her head. She didn’t believe Nico for a second. How could Honoka know that when her last words to her sister had been that she hated her? She could still see the crushed look on Honoka’s face before she had walked away from her. For good.   
  
Nico held onto Yukiho as tightly as she could, her own tears finally subsiding as she waited for the younger girl to calm down. It took what felt like hours until Yukiho’s sobs turned to soft cries, whimpers then finally just harsh breaths against Nico’s neck. She aimlessly trailed her fingers through dark hair, listening to their breathing intermingling between them. It was longer now, the brown tresses slipping between her fingers, over her hand to her wrist. It used to be much shorter, she remembered.   
  
Finally, Yukiho pulled back, using her hands to push herself up so that she was hovering above Nico instead of resting directly on top of her. “H-How did you get away from them?”

Nico felt sick with guilt. “I ran. Honoka was the last to…” The image of Honoka’s distraught face flashed in her mind again. “I ran right after. If A-Rise get their hands on my blood, everyone would be screwed. I had to leave them.”

Even Maki. She had left Maki’s body behind with only a quick glance over her shoulder.

Yukiho’s gaze unfocused. “I’ll start a recovery mission. For their bodies.”

“What’s the point?” Nico asked softly, her panic briefly overwhelming her. She couldn’t have Yukiho find out the truth about Honoka. “Honoka…there’s nothing left of her, Yukiho.”

“What?” Yukiho’s eyes widened at the new information. She had wanted to see Honoka one last time.

Nico swallowed convulsively. “Eli’s fire…Tsubasa stole it and…she was taunting me. She…” She could barely get the words out, sickened by the web of lies she was weaving. Honoka and Eli had been closer than most of them. Of all of the lies she could have told this was especially despicable.

Yukiho’s eyes were damp again, her lip trembling and Nico hurriedly reached out, her hands coming to rest on the other girl’s cheeks. “Don’t think about it.”

The younger girl looked intently into her higher up’s eyes as she began to calm down. She lifted her hands and placed them over Nico’s. She squeezed them tightly as she fought the tears that were resurfacing from Nico’s words. “…How can I, if its the only thing that’s on my mind? Tell me how can I stop thinking about her…about them!” She asked desperately.  

Nico frowned. She did feel somewhat close to Honoka’s younger sister. It had all started when she found her training with her ability in the pool area of headquarters. Yukiho’s ability was hydrokinesis, so she  often had to train with water. She had seen firsthand how much Yukiho had been hurting after Arisa’s death, after cutting Honoka out of her life. She supposed she saw a little of herself in the younger Kousaka and that had made her want to help somehow. So she’d started going to the pool every couple of days, just to check in on Yukiho. For Honoka too, though she would never have reported back to their leader about how Yukiho was doing.

Her frequent trips to the pool finally led Yukiho to teaching her to swim and they’d formed a tentative friendship through that.

“I don’t know how to.” She finally admitted, her own voice hoarse with emotion.  If she could think of a way to block it out she would have done so already. “I don’t know, Yukiho.” She let her hands slide from Yukiho’s cheeks to the bed. She didn’t know what to do. Comforting people was Honoka’s thing, not hers. She didn’t know how to.

Yukiho hadn’t expected an answer. There was nothing Nico could say to make her feel better. She just wanted Honoka back, she wanted a chance to do the past three years over again. The image of Eli’s power being used on Honoka formed in her mind and she shook her head, trying to get it out. It wasn’t something she liked picturing. It wouldn’t go away and impulsively, she leaned down, pressing her lips to Nico’s.

Nico’s eyes widened at the sudden kiss but she quickly relaxed. This was something she could do. She was no good at comforting people but she could definitely be a distraction. She had for Maki so many times in the past. She squeezed her eyes shut as thoughts of Maki came to mind. She couldn’t think about her, not without breaking down. She kissed Yukiho harder, trying to push all thoughts of Maki from her mind.   
  
Whenever she’d come back alone from missions in the past, because the rest of her team had been killed, Maki had always been there with a gentle hand to ground her. She had always been there and now she was one of the teammates Nico was leaving behind. She was truly gone.   
  
Hurried hands slipped under Nico’s shirt and she found herself lifting her own. She shoved Yukiho’s jacket off and gripped the sides of her shirt. She didn’t bother to unbutton it, she just tore it open, sending buttons flying.

“Make me forget, Nico-senpai.” Yukiho gasped against Nico’s lips as her shirt was pushed off.

_Nico turned onto her front, crossing her arms upon her pillows. Breathing heavily, she propped her chin up on her arms. She couldn’t help but smile to herself as Maki kissed gently at her shoulder blade._

_“I take it you don’t need a check-up?” Maki couldn’t speak so she merely thought it. “You didn’t give me a chance to ask before you dragged me off to the bedroom.”_

_“I think you’ve looked enough to know that I’m fine.” Nico thought back, seeing no need to speak. Maki wasn’t, so why should she? “I needed it. It was a hard mission.”_

_“Clearly.” Maki kissed Nico’s shoulder again and pushed herself up into a sitting position. She leaned over to her bedside table, grabbing a cigarette. She placed it between her lips and lit it before taking a long puff of it. She held the smoke in for a long moment before releasing it in a perfect smoke circle._

_“Hey!” Nico used her voice this time, hurriedly pushing herself into a sitting position. She grabbed the cigarette from between Maki’s lips and crushed it in her hand. She didn’t feel it burn her skin. “What have I told you about smoking after we have sex? You’ll make the sheets stink of smoke. It’s bad enough that you smell like it all of the time.” She tossed the crushed cigarette aside. “Besides, it’s going to kill you one day.”_

_Maki shrugged, her eyes on Nico. “It’s either that or something else.” She answered telepathically._

_Nico huffed in response. “I thought Honoka hid all of your lighters anyway?”_

_Maki smirked in response and shrugged her shoulders. “I have my ways, Nico-chan.”_

_Nico frowned and lightly pushed Maki’s shoulder. “You should know better than this. You’re supposed to be a doctor. What kind of doctor smokes?!”_

_Maki rolled her eyes skyward and continued to think. “I need something for the stress. You don’t know the hell I have to go through every day, trying to keep people alive. Hearing their last thoughts.” She couldn’t help but think of the young Rebel who’d died on her table just that day though she did nothing to block Nico out._

_Nico sighed at the thoughts and images that filled her head. “Look, Maki…” Her voice was oddly gentle as she moved to straddle Maki’s lap. Her arms went about Maki’s shoulders. “If you need to forget, that’s what I’m here for. Just come to me. You don’t need this.” She grabbed the lighter off the table and tossed it over her shoulder._

_Maki looked up, her eyes shimmering with an emotion Nico couldn’t place. “I’m here now.” She thought, her eyes meeting Nico’s intently. “Make me forget.”_

_Nico didn’t respond mentally or verbally but she did lean in and catch Maki’s lips with her own. That was answer enough._

Yukiho allowed herself to be shoved onto her back without warning and stared up at Nico intently. She noticed that there were tears in Nico’s eyes. She was sure they matched her own. She didn’t have much time to dwell on it as Nico kissed her again, hard and deep, their teeth clashing painfully for a second. She felt hands go to the belt of her jeans but she did nothing to stop them. Maybe this was just what she needed.

—

Future Honoka wasn’t sure what had happened. One minute she was thinking about how she was going to train Muse to survive and the next her head ached for apparently no reason. It didn’t take her long to figure out why. The memory that popped up wasn’t right, it wasn’t something that had been a reality before. “No…” She shook her head. Her first kiss had been with Kotori, she could remember that clearly. It had been perfect. Clumsy and a little bit nervous but perfect. She knew that her first kiss has been with Kotori, had spent quite some time reflecting on it but now it was just gone, replaced with the memory of Umi kissing her.

“ _Fuck_.” She hurriedly stood up from her bed and rushed for the door, her vision slightly blurred with moisture. When she got her hands on Umi, she didn’t know what she would do. She fled the hotel, pulling her hood up as she stepped outside and set off at a sprint toward Umi’s house. She found Umi walking back from the direction Honoka lived in and without thinking about what she was doing, she grabbed the younger girl’s arm and dragged her into a nearby alley.

Umi struggled against the grip though she didn’t have much time to do anything before she was shoved harshly against the wall, the hand that had previously been gripping her arm going to her collar instead. It was pulled tight around her throat and she lifted her hand to grasp Honoka’s wrist. “H-Honoka!”

“Do you have any idea what you just did?!” Future Honoka’s voice wasn’t low and dangerous like it usually was. It was loud and furious. Choked with emotion. “What the hell is wrong with you?!”

“I-I don’t understand.” Umi stuttered as she stared at Honoka through wide eyes. There were tears in the time traveler’s eyes. She had never seen that before. “I-I don’t know what you’re talking about, Hono…”

“You took it!” Future Honoka exclaimed, her grip on Umi tightening. “My first kiss is meant to be with Kotori-chan and you just took it from me.” She caught a look of confusion in Umi’s eyes and she pulled her away from the wall only to shove her back against it again. Umi doubled over slightly, the wind knocked out of her. “You took away the memory I have of it. Do you…?” She trailed off, shaking her head. Of course Umi wouldn’t know how precious every single memory of Kotori was to her. “My Kotori is dead. Do you not get that?!”

Umi felt herself growing pale. Future Honoka was scary when she was angry but this went beyond anger. “Honoka, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to take anything from you but…”

“But nothing!” Future Honoka snarled furiously. “You’ll never take her place, Umi. Keep your fucking hands off my memories. And my past self. If you do this again, you won’t just have A-Rise to worry about.”

Umi bit her lip at the threat. It was unlike Honoka to do something so cruel. She glared up at the young woman and stood up to her full height so that she appeared brave. “You can’t force me to stop talking to my best friend! I don’t care if you hate me, my Honoka doesn’t and she won’t because I won’t allow it to happen.”

She was terrified at her sudden burst of courage. If this was the other day she would have obeyed the older version of her best friend. But something about the moment with Honoka made her feel different. She doesn’t understand what was happening but Umi felt determined to keep Honoka as her friend, not enemy.

“Your best friend.” Future Honoka echoed bitterly. “You’re such a liar. The only person you think about is yourself. She may believe you now but she won’t be so blind in the future. I’d be surprised if you feel any kind of friendship toward her. She doesn’t need you.”

Umi growled angrily and used all of her strength to push Future Honoka’s hand away from her throat. Using the quick reflexes her powers gifted her with, she reached forward and grabbed Honoka’s knife from her belt. She held it defensively in front of her. “I don’t care if she needs me or not, I need her! I’m so sick of you treating me and  _my_  Honoka like crap. I’m sorry that I’m not your precious Kotori, I’m sorry that I took your memories of her away but I’ll never leave Honoka. Ever.” Her eyes glinted even as her hand trembled slightly. It was still Honoka she was staring down, in a way. “You think I don’t care about her? I do. You told us you and Eli would die for each other but I would do the same for Honoka without hesitation.”

_A hand briefly touched her shoulder, causing Honoka to glance up for a split second. She found herself met with Umi’s serious expression though it was briefly replaced by a tiny smile. It was forced but she knew what it meant. ‘It’s okay, I’ll protect you’._

_Her gaze was quickly drawn back to Kotori’s motionless body in her arms. It wasn’t meant to be like this. It wasn’t what they had planned together. She buried her face in Kotori’s motionless chest, vaguely aware of Umi standing protectively in front of her. She zoned the rest of the fight out, right up until she heard the sound of something hitting the ground next to her. Seeing Umi on her knees, blood seeping through her fingers as she held onto her throat, Honoka felt broken all over again._

“I don’t care what you say, I love…”  
  
Future Honoka moved quickly, grabbing Umi’s wrist and slamming it back against the wall. The knife fell to the ground as Umi cried out in pain. “Shut the fuck up!” She exclaimed harshly, her face dangerously close to Umi’s. “Just shut up!”

Umi noticed tears gathering in future Honoka’s eyes and felt her own chest constrict. “Honoka, did I…did I die with everyone else?”

Honoka hurriedly blinked away the tears, inwardly cursing herself. “Just do what I said and don’t screw things up for her. If you do feel something for her you’ll let her be with Kotori. That’s where I’m happiest. Where she’s happiest. It always will be.” She let go of Umi and grabbed her knife from the ground. “So leave her alone.”

“I won’t.” Umi was trembling in wake of the encounter but she refused to back down. She still wasn’t sure why she had kissed Honoka and she didn’t plan to do it again but she wouldn’t lose her friend. “You’ll have to kill me. I’m not going to back down from you. You’re not fixing everything, you’re ruining it. You know that Honoka thinks Kotori wants her to change, right? That she wants her to turn into you. I won’t allow it. My Honoka will  _never_  be like you.”

“You know what, Umi?” Future Honoka grabbed Umi’s hand again, pressing the knife into it. She lifted the hand, ignoring Umi’s resistance and pressed the blade to her throat. “Why don’t you prove to me just how much you love her, how far you’re willing to go. Would you kill for her?”

Umi stared at the blade, noticing it was cutting into Future Honoka’s neck. For a second, she thought about it. Maybe it would be easier if Future Honoka wasn’t there. It wouldn’t hurt Honoka nearly as much. The thought alone shook her to the core. She watched as a bead of crimson blood trickled down the blade. “S-Stop it.”

“I didn’t think so.” Future Honoka let Umi’s hand go and she took the knife from her, tucking it back into her belt. “You’re weak. And selfish. You always will be.”

Shakily, Umi leaned back against the wall. “How can you…?” She felt her eyes stinging with tears and hurriedly tried to blink them away, “How can you think killing is a declaration of love? Love isn’t like that!”

It was so frustrating and painful to see Honoka like this, so different to her Honoka. She pushed herself away from the wall and stumbled forward, catching herself on Honoka’s jacket. “You can hate me all you want, Honoka. You can tell me over and over again that I’m a traitor and you don’t need me but I don’t care. I love Honoka. I love every possible version of  _you_. Can’t you see it?” She tugged at Honoka’s collar, pleading with her to look at her. “Look at me, Honoka!”

Honoka’s jaw was locked tightly, her throat closed up by the lump that now resided there but she forced herself to look in Umi’s direction. “I stopped loving you a long time ago, Umi-chan.” It was a lie, a complete lie, but she needed to say it.

It hurt, more than Umi could have imagined to hear those words in Honoka’s voice but she pushed on. She had Honoka now, she was holding onto her as tightly as she could and she refused to let her run. “If you don’t love me why were you crying earlier, when I said I’d die for you? You’re even more stubborn than my Honoka! Just tell me the goddamn truth. I died when everyone else did, didn’t I? DIDN’T I?!”

“Why does it matter? To me, you died the second you walked away from me.” Honoka growled. She was losing it. She should have never thought that she could hide anything from Umi. Even if she hated her, Honoka always felt hollow because she wasn’t there to guide her, to be her voice of reason. Tears spilled silently down her cheeks as Umi dying began to replay over and over again in her head. “Fuck you, Umi-chan…I hate you! You should have never been there in the first place, I didn’t  _want_  you.”

Umi could only imagine how her future self had felt - or would feel - at knowing the danger Honoka and Kotori were in. “If you were in danger nothing could have kept me away. If it kept you safe I would have been glad to die.”

“Idiot!” Future Honoka shoved at Umi’s chest though the other girl didn’t move an inch. She just wanted her to let go so she could leave. She needed to reign in what she was feeling. “You’re such an idiot!”

“No.” Umi whispered, shaking her head slightly. “I just love you. It’s not something you can stop. So stop fighting me and let me in.” She finally let go of Honoka’s jacket only to embrace her quickly, worried that the young adult would run away. Indeed, Future Honoka struggled for a few minutes until she fell completely still.

“Let me go. Please. I can’t do this here. Not in front of you.”  
  
Umi’s brow furrowed in confusion. Did Honoka mean she couldn’t shed tears in front of her or was it something else? She didn’t want to but reluctantly she let go of Honoka, “Honoka, I…”

Future Honoka vanished in a blink of an eye, reappearing in her hotel room. She fell onto the bed and curled up, her hands clutching at her chest to hold onto some of Umi’s warmth. “Umi-chan…” Her tears came thicker and faster as she thought of the final time Umi had protected her. Had died for her even. She almost wished her Umi was there with her now, but she wasn’t sure what she would do. “Umi-chan…”


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Double chapter update today because I wanna get these chapters up!

_Honoka slipped into the dark bedroom, closing the door gently behind them. There was a familiar form in the bed, for which she was glad. She didn’t want to be caught creeping home yet again. She stripped down to her underwear, feeling her body ache in protest of what she was doing. It had been a difficult night and she had bruises in places she didn’t even want to think about. **  
**_

_She finished undressing and with a wince, slipped into the bed next to Kotori. Before she had a chance to close her eyes, she felt Kotori shift next to her, an arm going about her waist as her girlfriend moved close to her. “K-Kotori-chan?” She whispered into the silence of the room. “Are you awake?”_

_There was a moment of silence before Kotori spoke up. She didn’t sound happy. “Do you have any idea what time it is?”_

_Honoka grimaced at the question. She knew Kotori had a tendency to worry about her. “I’m sorry, I was with Eli-senpai.”_

_Kotori sighed softly against Honoka’s shoulder. She had expected as much. It seemed that Honoka spent most of her time with Eli now. Ever since Arisa had died, the two had become closer. Not that Kotori was worried about their relationship. She knew that the relationship they shared was sisterly rather than anything else. She was more worried about Honoka’s well being than anything else. “Of course you were.”_

_“I’m sorry.” Honoka whispered, shifting to draw Kotori closer to her. She pressed her lips gently to ashen hair. “I didn’t mean to worry you, Kotori-chan. I was going to call, I just got distracted.”_

_Kotori wrinkled her nose as the scent of alcohol hit her. “You’ve been drinking.”_

_“You know how Eli-senpai is.” Honoka reminded Kotori gently. She pulled back just a little bit to look at her. “We were following up a lead on the person who killed Arisa. We didn’t find any answers and Eli-senpai needed a drink.”_

_“She can’t even get drunk.” Kotori said in confusion. It was widely known that neither Eli nor Nico could get drunk. Eli just burned the alcohol off and Nico’s regeneration made it impossible for alcohol to affect her at all. Honoka was a completely different story. At least it didn’t seem like she had been drinking all that much. “How was she?”_

_Honoka looked away, giving a barely there shrug of her shoulders. “She got hurt again. I had to patch her up because she didn’t want anyone else to know.” She felt Kotori’s hand begin to move, mapping out her body in search of any injuries she might have gotten when she was out with Eli and she gave a gentle chuckle. “I’m fine. Just sore.”_

_Kotori glanced up at Honoka doubtfully. “Really?”_

_“Would I lie to you?” Honoka asked, raising an eyebrow._

_“You would try to.” Kotori said seriously. It wasn’t as though Honoka hadn’t done it before, for her own protection apparently, but Kotori always saw right through her. She couldn’t complain anyway. She was lying to Honoka, about something major. Something that was hurting Honoka more than she would let Kotori or anyone else see. Umi. “She’s going to get you killed one day, Honoka-chan. Eli-chan has a death wish.”_

_“Don’t say that.” Honoka’s voice was suddenly sharp. It was true, that Eli seemed to be on some kind of suicide mission, but that didn’t change anything. Honoka would still follow her anywhere. “She’s just grieving. I don’t care what happens, I’m not going to let her die.”_

_Kotori opened her mouth to remind Honoka that it had been over two years since Arisa’s death but she promptly shut it again. Eli was a sore subject for Honoka. She was adamant about keeping the older girl safe though Kotori seriously doubted her ability to. If anything she would only get herself killed too._

_“Honoka…” She dislodged herself from Honoka’s arms and moved on top of her instead, her body melding to familiar curves. She threaded her fingers through Honoka’s, pinning her hands gently to the bed. “Do you love me at all?”_

_Honoka’s eyes widened in shock at the question, “What?” Her fingers curled and she tightly gripped Kotori’s hands back. “What kind of question is that? Of course I love you. I love you more than anyone.”_

_Selfishly, Kotori almost asked if Honoka loved her more than she did Eli. Although the nature of their relationship didn’t worry her, she couldn’t help but feel jealous of their closeness at times. The two would do anything for each other, even going so far as to repeatedly risk their lives for the other. She wondered if Nozomi felt the same way about Eli. “Then you’ll do everything you can to stay alive. Losing you would kill me, Honoka-chan. I’m not just saying that I would be sad, I mean it.” She was certain she wouldn’t be able to come back from losing Honoka. “You…” Her eyes glimmered with unshed tears. “I can’t lose you too.”_

_Honoka swallowed thickly at the seriously spoken statement. She didn’t know what she would do if she lost Kotori either. She had already lost Umi though she was too filled with rage toward her to even utter her name. She refused to lose Kotori in any way. But she couldn’t let Eli die either. “I’ll be careful.” She whispered hesitantly._

_Kotori stared intently at Honoka for a moment, searching for any sign that she was lying. She didn’t find any though she knew that Honoka couldn’t promise her that she would be safe, especially where Eli was concerned. She sighed and lowered herself down onto Honoka, pressing her face into her neck. It was only when Honoka winced slightly that Kotori remembered that she had said she was sore and pushed herself off._

_Honoka waited for Kotori to settle down next to her before she grabbed her hand. The promise ring on Kotori’s finger, matching her own, brushed against her palm and she found herself smiling despite herself. They had vowed that when everything was less complicated they would go somewhere, just the two of them, and they would live a normal life together. “I wish…”_

_“Me too.” Kotori said softly as Honoka’s thumb brushed over the ring on her finger. She leaned in and pressed her lips briefly to Honoka’s. “One day.”_

_“One day.” Honoka echoed in a whisper. Ignoring the ache she felt, she pressed herself closer to Kotori and wrapped her arms tightly around her._

Future Honoka stared down at her bare hand. There was no ring on her finger now. She didn’t know where it had gone. Maybe Tsubasa had taken it from her like she had taken everything else. She didn’t know. She clenched her fist and leaned her head back against the wall behind her. It was moments like this, the quiet moments when she had nothing to do but sit with her own thoughts that really got to her. That was when she missed Kotori the most. Eli and the others too, but the way she missed Kotori was different. It was like she physically ached for her.

It reminded her somewhat of the first few months after Umi had left them. She had felt that way then too, though she had hidden it from Kotori, disguising her pain with anger. She had gotten used to being without Umi now. She wondered if she would eventually grow used to not having Kotori.

_“Honoka-ch…” Kotori’s words were cut off as she choked on the blood in her throat. “H-H…” she was trying with all her might to get her words out but she couldn’t. “H-Hono…”_

_“I love you…and…Umi…tell…”_

Honoka growled low in her throat and slid her hands into her hair, gripping tightly as if she could force herself to stop remembering. The splatter of blood upon her cheek. The hurry of footsteps as Umi approached. Kotori’s dazed smile at the sight of their traitorous friend.

A knock at the door drew her from her thoughts and she looked up abruptly, confused by who it might be. She got to her feet and untucking a knife from her belt, made her way to the door. She opened it, half expecting to be attacked but relaxed upon seeing Kotori standing there. Younger Kotori. Not really her Kotori, she reminded herself for the hundredth time. It was hard to look at her face and see anything but her Kotori at times. “What do you want?”

Kotori was monetarily startled by the abruptness of the question. “I wanted to see you. I was on my way to school and I know you live here so I kind of snuck up to see you.” She looked suddenly sheepish and Future Honoka felt herself soften despite her best efforts.

Kotori took the opportunity to move past Honoka into the hotel room. “Umi-chan called me last night.” She said quietly as she glanced around the room. She had never been in there before but she had managed to get the information from Umi. “She said that you told her to stay away from your past self.”

“Yeah, I did.” Future Honoka didn’t bother to close the door as she turned back to Kotori. She was determined to make the younger version of her girlfriend leave as soon as possible. “I don’t want to talk about it, Kotori-chan.”

Kotori frowned at the answer. “You really upset Umi-chan. I don’t know why you hate her but I think you need to stop being so mean to her. She hasn’t done anything. Umi not talking to her would only hurt my Honoka-chan.”

Honoka grit her teeth together to keep from pointing out that her first kiss had been taken. Their first kiss. She threaded her left hand through her hair in exasperation, the movement lifting the hair from her shoulder to accidentally reveal the cut on her neck.

  
Kotori’s gaze drifted to the new skin revealed though instead of the heady feeling of attraction she usually felt her stomach plummeted at the sight of the bloody cut on Future Honoka’s neck. She hadn’t bothered to bandage it, or even clean it it seemed. “Honoka-chan, what happened to your neck?”

Future Honoka noticed her mistake a moment too late but by the time she had pushed her hair back into place Kotori was there, gently sweeping it away from her neck again. She held her breath as Kotori’s fingers brushed against her neck.

“Nothing. I did it myself.” Honoka winced as Kotori’s eyes widened in shock. It was true for the most part but she shouldn’t have told her that. Telling her that she had forced Umi to cut her would have been worse though. “Look, it’s nothing. Please just leave me alone, Kotori-chan.”

Kotori felt Future Honoka begin to move away and without thinking about it grabbed the front of her shirt to keep her there. She was surprised by the action herself, having never been so forceful with Honoka.

Honoka paused, reminded of Umi’s actions the previous night. “You should be going to see your Honoka, not me.” She said carefully, her chest clenching at the weight of Kotori’s stare. She looked so hurt by being brushed off. Honoka couldn’t help but think of her own version of Kotori. “You should be anywhere but here. I can’t be around you, Kotori-chan.”

Kotori tightened her grip on Honoka, silently pleading with her to stay. Her Honoka needed her, that was true, but the future version of her best friend was  _still_  Honoka. “Don’t push me away.”

At a loss for what to do and aware that she wouldn’t be able to control herself for much longer, Honoka focused on the music room of the school and closed her eyes tightly. It was too hard to be around Kotori, without wanting to hold her close and cry unreservedly. It was too hard, knowing she would never see her Kotori again.   
  
She felt her stomach plummet as it always seemed to when she teleported and a couple of seconds later, she felt a familiar stabbing pain shoot through her head. She stumbled forward, unable to keep herself up and her knees hit the floor.

Maki, who had fallen asleep at the piano, stirred at the disturbance and slowly lifted her head. Her vision blurred for a moment but when it cleared she found Future Honoka on her hands and knees in the middle of the room.

“Honoka?!” She stumbled to her feet, rubbing briefly at her eyes. Her jaw ached from the previous night’s encounter with Nico but she wasn’t too worried about it. She had bandaged it already so it wouldn’t get infected. She moved over to the future version of her friend and crouched down next to her, placing a hand on her shoulder. “What happened?”

“I’m fine. This…just happens sometimes when I teleport.” Future Honoka looked up after a moment, meeting Maki’s concerned gaze. She didn’t fail to notice the way the redhead’s eyes widened. “Oh…” She lifted her hand, swiping beneath her nose. The back of her hand came away wet with blood. “That sometimes happens too. Don’t worry about it. It’s nothing.”

“Nothing?” Maki echoed skeptically. It didn’t look like nothing to her. If Honoka’s nose was bleeding there had to be a reason. She caught a glimpse of something red on Honoka’s neck and frowned thoughtfully. “Hey, what’s this?” She pressed her hand to Honoka’s cheek, urging her to turn her head. She froze at the sight of the bloody cut. It had obviously happened recently though not in the past few hours.

“Guess I shouldn’t play with knives.” Honoka said, forcing a smirk to her face. It wasn’t funny that she had forced Umi to cut her, but she didn’t care all that much.

“You’re still an idiot in the future then.” Maki grabbed Honoka’s arms and stood, tugging her up with her. “Just sit down, I’m going to get the first aid kit.”

“Whatever you say, Maki.” Honoka pulled away from Maki and walked over to the piano herself. Ideally she would have liked to be alone but even this was better than having to see Kotori. Part of her wanted to stay with the ashen haired girl, to never leave her side, but it was unrealistic. This Kotori wasn’t her Kotori. She sank down onto the piano bench, trying to ignore the way the room swam around her. A few minutes later she felt Maki join her and released a slow breath.

“Did you get into a fight?” Maki asked quietly as she began to clean the cut. It wasn’t deep, it was just a flesh wound really.

Future Honoka hummed softly in response and closed her eyes. It helped dull the pain in her head a bit though it did nothing to soothe the ache she felt in her chest. Sitting like this with Maki, it was too easy to remember the times her Maki had tended to her wounds. She didn’t open her eyes again until she felt Maki press a bandage to her neck. When she did her vision was cleared unlike a few moments before. She noticed the bandage on Maki’s cheek instantly and sucked in a sharp breath.

“You’re hurt!”

“I-” Maki paused as Honoka reached up and brushed her fingers against the bandage she had applied. Her jaw was still hurting from where Nico had punched her but the touch didn’t hurt at all. Honoka was a lot gentler than Maki had thought she’d be. “I took care of it.”  
  
An irritated look crossed Honoka’s face. Somebody had obviously hurt Maki intentionally. “Who did it?” She half stood from her seated position, reaching for the blade at her belt only for a wave of dizziness to hit her.

“Whoa!” Maki grabbed Honoka’s arms, spotting her begin to stagger. She forcefully sat her back down on the piano bench. “It’s fine, alright? I took care of it. It’s not going to happen again. It’s not like you’re in any state to beat anyone up right now anyway.” She waited for a nod before she carefully let go of Honoka.

“Are you going to tell me who did it at least?” Future Honoka asked, lifting her eyes to Maki. At least that way she could confront them later.

“Are you going to tell me how you got that cut?” Maki countered, raising an eyebrow. She couldn’t help but smile when Future Honoka sighed and looked away. “I didn’t think so.”  
  
Honoka was silent for a few long moments, scuffing the toe of her shoe against the floor. “Play something for me, Maki.” She said eventually, her voice so soft that Maki barely heard it. “I miss hearing you play.”

Maki wasn’t sure why but for a moment she couldn’t speak past the lump that formed in her throat. She swallowed thickly. “What do you want me to play?”  
  
Honoka thought about that for a moment, her brow furrowing slightly. “Aishiteru Banzai?”

Maki was surprised by the request. She had expected Honoka to tell her to play whatever she wanted but she hadn’t. “Um…sure. If you want.” She turned toward the piano, noticing Honoka sliding off the bench to sit on the floor instead. It was an odd choice though she chose not to ask.

Future Honoka leaned her head back against the piano bench Maki was sitting on and waited with baited breath for her to start playing. When the first notes rang out, Honoka felt herself relax. They had done this quite a lot in the future, when Honoka needed to relax. She would always go to her Maki who would begrudgingly agree to play for her.   
  
She was surprised when Maki began to sing the lyrics to the song too instead of just playing the instrumental. Her Maki never sang. She couldn’t. She listened intently, her thoughts straying to Maki from the future. She had a lot of problems, smoking being one of them, but she had always been there for Honoka when she needed her, whether it be saving her life after a mission, yelling at her for being so reckless or even for her to just crawl into bed with when Kotori wasn’t there.

She hugged her knees close to her chest, letting Maki’s voice wash over her. She hadn’t heard it in so long and she’d missed it terribly. She missed Maki. Tears pooled in her eyes as she continued to listen to Maki sing. She couldn’t stop them so she simply let them stream freely down her cheeks. It wasn’t fair, none of it was fair.

After a short while the playing stopped and Honoka hurriedly wiped at her tears in case Maki turned down. She didn’t, and impulsively, Future Honoka pushed herself to her feet and wrapped her arms around the redhead from behind.

Maki inhaled sharply at the sudden, slightly too tight embrace but she quickly relaxed. She supposed she could understand in some ways.

“I’m sorry I punched you.” Honoka felt the need to apologize as Maki’s bandaged cheek brushed against her own. “I was just afraid and confused.”

“Right.” Maki said softly. She could understand that. It was what had fuelled Nico the previous night when she had attacked her. She couldn’t blame either of them. “It’s fine.” She closed her eyes and leaned back into the embrace. As soon as she did she was hit with thoughts and memories that weren’t her own. Yelling at Honoka for getting hurt, begrudgingly pulling her covers aside to allow Honoka crawl into bed with her, playing piano for the older girl to console her. She hadn’t meant to see those and yet for some reason she had.

“Honoka…” Maki turned her head shakily and found herself face to face with the older girl. “I…smoked in the future?”

Honoka’s eyes widened at the question and she struggled to figure out how Maki knew that. She had obviously let her guard down a bit too much. “Y-Yeah. It’s a horrible habit, I keep telling you…”

Maki gave a slight smile and reached up to grip Future Honoka’s arm. “Thank you. For trying to hide my lighters.”

Honoka’s face showed surprise for a moment before she broke into a soft laugh. It was so ironic. She had told Maki she would thank her for that some day and here she was doing just that. “It’s not like I could keep you from smoking. You used Eli-senpai as your personal lighter most of the time.”

Maki wasn’t sure why but she was glad to hear more about the future. At least she still had her friends. A part of her had worried they would drift apart but that didn’t seem to be the case.

“Will you sleep with me, Maki…?” Future Honoka asked the question so bluntly that Maki’s eyes widened for a moment, her thoughts plummeting to the gutter. She had tried to seem unaffected when Honoka had had to strip off her shirt on the roof though honestly, how could she not be slightly attracted to the older version of her friend. “Maki-chan always helped me sleep if Kotori-chan and Eli-senpai weren’t there.”

Future Honoka suddenly sounded heartbreakingly young and Maki found herself struggling to answer again. “For a bit. I was going to skip first period anyway. My head is hurting.”

“Mine too.” Honoka let go of Maki and stood up straight. “I’ll teleport us to my hotel room.”

Maki raised an eyebrow as she turned around, swinging her legs over the piano bench. “You think I’d let you take me to a seedy hotel room?” She shook her head and stood up. Besides that, Honoka obviously wasn’t in any condition to teleport anywhere. “I have a futon in here. Lock the door.”

“Really, Maki? In the music room?” Honoka asked, her tone slightly teasing. “You’re such a nerd.”

Maki shot Honoka a dark look and went to pull the futon out. By the time she was done, Honoka had locked the door and shakily returned to her side. They were both awkwardly silent as they slipped into the futon.

“Don’t tell the others about this, alright Maki?” Future Honoka asked in a hushed voice. She already felt guilty enough for showing such weakness to Maki.

“Obviously.” Maki muttered. She held her breath as she felt Future Honoka move close to her back, an arm going around her waist.

“This is weird.” Honoka said after a moment, struggling to get comfortable. Usually their position was the other way around. This was just odd. “God, you’re so short, Maki-chan.”

“Hey!” Maki sounded affronted as she turned around in Honoka’s loose embrace. “If that’s how you feel maybe you should sleep with someone else, like Eli.”

Pain flashed briefly across Honoka’s face but she pasted a smile in place to avoid showing it. “I’m sorry, I just mean you’re shorter than I’m used to.”

Maki huffed at the answer but moved closer, laying her head on Honoka’s chest. “Just go to sleep.” It was slightly embarrassing but that feeling faded after a few minutes and she quickly fell asleep.

—

Umi walked alone to school, having been told by Yukiho that Honoka was still sleeping. Knowing her friend well enough to know she wouldn’t wake for a while, Umi had decided to go on without her. Kotori wasn’t waiting for her as usual either though she finally caught up with her in the entrance hall.

“Did you see her?” She asked, coming to a stop next to Kotori. Thankfully there was nobody nearby but she still kept her voice down.

Kotori nodded as she tucked her outside shoes into her locker. “Yeah. She didn’t want to talk to me. She’s pushing me away, I can tell.” She shut the locker a bit harder than she should have and sighed heavily.

Umi frowned at Kotori’s annoyance. “Why do you care about that?” At least Future Honoka didn’t hate Kotori like she hated her. It seemed to be quite the opposite in fact. Honoka had looked devastated the previous night.

“What?” Kotori looked baffled as she glanced over at Umi. What did that even mean? “Because she’s Honoka-chan. Why wouldn’t I care?”

Umi clenched her jaw, trying not to come out with something she didn’t mean. “She seems fine without you.”

“She’s not. You don’t know her, Umi-chan. Not like I do.” Kotori said with a shake of her head. She was the only one who’d seen Future Honoka for who she really was. She was the only one who knew how deep Honoka’s love for her was. “I’m not leaving her.”

“What about  _our_  Honoka?!” Umi exclaimed in a whisper. She hated feeling angry with Kotori more than anything. “You’re so wrapped up in your crush on her future self it’s like you’ve forgotten that she’s your best friend. She needs you, Kotori and you’ve just  _left_  her!”

Umi’s accusation gave Kotori pause. That wasn’t true, not at all. “I can’t believe you just said that, Umi-chan. Honoka-chan has lost  _everyone_ , don’t you get that?” It broke her heart, to think of Honoka going through something so awful in the future. “She’s the one who needs me now, not our Honoka-chan. I’m not leaving either of them.”  
  
“Are you kidding?!” It was so frustrating, to have to hear this from Kotori. If Honoka needed anyone at the minute, it was Kotori. “She’s losing herself, Kotori. She feels insecure, neglected, anxious…she thinks you care about her future self more than you care about her! Do you?”

“What?” Kotori’s eyes widened slightly and she quickly shook her head. “Of course I don’t! She’s my best friend. I love her!”  
  
“Did you know I caught her not eating?” That wasn’t like Honoka at all and it had terrified Umi, enough to lead to this argument with Kotori. She never argued with Kotori. “If you were her best friend you would have noticed her goddamn behavior, Kotori!”  
  
If it had happened before Future Honoka came along, Umi was certain Kotori would have already been taking care of it.   
  
Kotori was stunned into silence by Umi’s uncharacteristic cursing. She didn’t know how to respond to what her best friend had said and she hurriedly turned around and walked away, trying not to let tears blur her vision. Maybe Umi was right. Maybe she was neglecting Honoka.

Umi opened her mouth to call after Kotori but promptly closed it again. She didn’t know what to say either. Hearing movement near her she looked in that direction, her stomach plummeting when she saw Honoka. “How much of that did you hear?”

Honoka shrugged, not meeting Umi’s eyes. “A lot.” She bit her lip, her eyes prickling slightly. “She really doesn’t want to be here, hmm?”

Umi noticed something and stepped closer. “What’s this?” She lifted her hand, running her fingers gently through Honoka’s hair. It fell loosely around her shoulders. “Your hair is different.” It was obvious what Honoka was doing. She was trying to win Kotori’s attention back. It pained Umi to watch. She dug into her bag, finding a spare hair tie. Silently, she reached forward and gently scooped a portion of Honoka’s hair up. She tied it up with the hair tie before she leaned back to assess her work. “There. That’s more like my Honoka.”

Honoka felt the tears she’d struggled so hard to keep at bay fill her eyes and she surged forward, her arms going around Umi’s waist.   
  
Her encounter with Future Honoka last night plus her Honoka’s sudden desire to change herself had left Umi shaken and she returned the embrace tightly. She didn’t care about the looks they earned from the other students. She didn’t even notice them. 


	8. Chapter 8

Honoka charged straight ahead, hoping to catch Rin off guard with an attack. It seemed that Rin knew she was coming though as she dodged to the left and shoved Honoka as the girl charged past her. Honoka stumbled as she tried to stop, almost falling flat on her face. Her momentum was too great and she used her teleportation at the last second.

Rin swung around just as Honoka appeared behind her but she wasn’t quite fast enough to dodge the blow to her abdomen. She grunted in pain but hurried forward, causing Honoka to stumble back.

Alarmed by Rin’s sudden speed, Honoka clamped her eyes shut and focused on stopping time. It seemed to work for a moment but then Rin was running again while everyone else was still around them. Honoka gasped in surprise as she stumbled back again. Time started moving and suddenly she found her legs being swept out from under her. She hadn’t even noticed Rin going down.

She hit the ground hard, the pain reverberating up her spine. “Ow! Rin-chan, that was too mean!”

Rin bounced to her feet and grinned happily. “I’ve been training on my own a lot lately to get better! So now I’m faster than you, nya!”

Future Honoka clenched her fists at her sides. This was all wrong. She was Rin’s mentor in the future, there was no way the first year could be better than her. It was just embarrassing. She was a damn captain. “Have you been training at all or just sitting on your ass all day?”

“Eh…” Honoka looked up nervously, rubbing the bottom of her back. She hadn’t exactly been training as much as she should have. Using her abilities gave her terrible headaches and she’d been distracted lately. “I-I um…”

Future Honoka scoffed at the stuttering. “No wonder you’re so pathetic.”

“Hey!” Umi, who had been standing on the sidelines had shoved past Eli and Maki as she made her way quickly over to Honoka. “Leave her alone!” She crouched down next to Honoka, placing a gentle hand on her shoulder. “Are you okay?”

Honoka forced a small smile to her lips and nodded in response. “Y-Yeah, I’m fine.” She allowed Umi to help her to her feet, wincing in pain as she got up.

Future Honoka scowled angrily at Umi’s outburst. “God, I wish Maki-chan was here to tell you just how useless you’re being!”

Umi watched as Honoka bowed her head in shame and in her anger she turned on the future version of her friend. “You and Maki can keep your opinions to yourselves!” She cast a scathing glare at Maki whose eyes widened in surprise at being targeted. She hadn’t even said anything.

“And your hands.” Kotori cut in, casting a dark glare at Maki.

“W-What?” Maki wasn’t sure how everyone had turned on her in the space of a minute. “I’ve told you already, we weren’t doing anything! We were just sleeping!”

“You walked in on them too?” Nico asked, raising an eyebrow. “So it’s not just me then. How many times have you slept with Honoka, Maki?”

“You’re sleeping with Honoka?!” Eli exclaimed in surprise from where she’d been standing next to Nozomi. “Honoka, she’s a first year!”

Future Honoka frowned at Eli’s accusation. “I’m not having sex with her, we just sleep together. I…used to sleep with my Maki-chan, Eli-senpai and Nozomi-chan all the time…” She grew quieter toward the end, looking away from Eli.

Eli crossed her arms in front of her chest. “If I find out you’ve been doing anything else with her I’ll…” She hesitated briefly. Even with her abilities there wasn’t much she could do. “Just keep your hands to yourself.”

Nozomi chuckled and squeezed Eli’s hand. She knew that her girlfriend was only looking out for the younger members.

Maki flushed at Eli’s guarded tone. She didn’t need anyone to protect her. “I’ll decide for myself whose hands I want on me, Eli!” She felt her stomach plummet at what she’d said. “I-I don’t mean it like that.”

“Sure you don’t. That’s why I walked in on you clinging to Honoka while you slept yesterday.” Nico chimed in, earning herself a glare from Maki.

Kotori growled under her breath at the suggestion.

Maki opened her mouth to protest but she was cut off by an irritated Umi. “We’re done with training today. I’m taking Honoka to the club room so I can treat her injury.”

Honoka shook her head in bemusement. “She fell on her ass, she’s fine. She doesn’t need to be treated.”

“I’ll decide that myself.” Umi snapped, grabbing Honoka’s hand. She didn’t miss the way Honoka’s eyes lingered longingly on Kotori, who didn’t even seem to have noticed they were leaving. She softened her voice as she spoke to her friend. “Come on, Honoka.”

“Y-Yeah…” Honoka didn’t look away from Kotori, silently pleading with her to look at her. The ashen haired girl was too absorbed in Future Honoka and with a sigh, Honoka allowed Umi to lead her through the door to the stairwell.

—

“I thought I told you to keep that ice pack on if your back was still hurting.” Umi commented as she walked into Honoka’s bedroom to find her searching through her bag for something. The ice pack had been discarded it seemed.

Honoka froze for a few seconds at being caught, eventually glancing up at Umi. “My back doesn’t hurt anymore.”

“Liar.” Umi said accusingly though her tone wasn’t nearly as harsh as it usually would have been. “Just sit down and put the ice pack back on or it’ll hurt worse later.” Her eyes narrowed when Honoka went right back to what she was doing. “Honoka.”

“Sorry, sorry. I’m just…aha!” Victorious, Honoka emerged with her cell phone and a bright smile.

For some reason Umi felt something clench in her chest at the sight of the smile. It wasn’t something she saw nearly as often as she would have liked to since Future Honoka showed up. Her chest grew tighter as Honoka checked her phone and her smile slipped away immediately. She watched as Honoka began to type hurriedly, her brow furrowed. Not wanting to interrupt, she waited until her friend was done with her frantic typing.

“You still haven’t changed out of your uniform.” She prompted, nodding toward the shirt Honoka was wearing. It seemed Honoka was so focused on whatever she’d been doing with her phone that she had completely forgotten about everything else she was meant to be doing. “It’s going to get soaked.”

“Right!” Startled, Honoka put her phone down on her bed and began to unbutton her shirt as quickly as she could. Her thoughts turned back to Kotori as she numbly peeled her clothes off. She’d sent her friend three messages already but she wasn’t answering. Usually she never ignored her.

Umi’s eyes widened in surprise as Honoka started stripping right in front of her. It wasn’t as though it was something she hadn’t done before but Umi was still surprised by it. Before she could say anything, she found her eyes glued to Honoka’s stomach. She had lost weight it seemed, though Umi wasn’t sure when that had happened, and she looked quite a bit more toned.

She found herself struggling to breathe as Honoka removed her skirt. Her eyes followed the fabric, the subtle ripple of muscles in her best friend’s thighs causing her fingers to twitch at her sides.

“H-Honoka…” Her face felt like it was on fire as she clenched her hands into fists. She wanted to reach out and touch her, more than anything else, but she couldn’t. She didn’t know how Honoka would react. They hadn’t spoken again about the kiss they had shared, nor had they done anything like that again. Besides that, if she did anything Future Honoka would know and she’d rather not be punched. “Y-You’ve been working out?”

“Huh?” Honoka glanced at Umi and followed the blue haired girl’s gaze. “Oh! Yeah, you noticed?” She laughed sheepishly and rubbed the back of her neck, the movement of her arm only showing off more to Umi, who almost choked in surprise. “I’ve been doing a lot of running.”

Had it been a week ago, Umi would have been more concerned that the reason for the weight loss was Honoka not eating, but she’d been keeping on top of that, making sure it didn’t happen again. “Running?”

“Yeah, and lifting too! See?” Honoka walked right up to Umi and flexed a bicep, drawing Umi’s attention to her arm. “I thought I should try to get stronger if…if I’m going to keep you all safe.”

That wasn’t fair. First Honoka had practically gotten naked in front of her and then she’d just had to say something like that? How could she possibly resist that?

“Umi-chan?” Honoka innocently waved her hand in front of Umi’s face, hoping to recapture her attention. Amber eyes focused on her own and she smiled at the deep blush on Umi’s cheeks. She couldn’t help but brush her fingers against Umi’s face to feel the heat for herself. “Umi-chan is cute like this.”

“Honoka.” Umi groaned in embarrassment and turned her face into Honoka’s hand, almost in an attempt to hide. They both froze when her lips brushed against a soft palm.

Honoka held her breath, surprised by the gentle brush of Umi’s lips. After their first kiss she’d had trouble keeping her mind off those lips. She couldn’t help but want to kiss Umi again, though the hurt look on Kotori’s face when she’d burst in on them had stopped her. She watched as Umi reached up to grip her wrist. She thought for a moment that she was going to be pushed away but then Umi was kissing her palm again, this time firmer than before.

Umi held Honoka’s hand close to her, her lips trailing down to the inside of her friend’s wrist. She allowed them to rest there for a moment, feeling the gentle pounding of Honoka’s pulse. It was just as fast as her own, she was sure. Her heart felt like it was going to burst from her chest at any second. There was no way she’d be able to stop herself now.

Honoka watched with wide eyes as Umi kissed her way up her arm, torturously slowly. Umi’s lips were hot against her skin and occasionally Honoka felt the subtle brush of a tongue, the scrape of teeth against her skin. Unfamiliar heat pooled low in her stomach as Umi finally reached her neck and began to kiss there instead, her free arm going around Honoka’s waist.

Automatically, Honoka reached up, her hand finding the back of Umi’s head to hold her close. She pressed herself close to her friend, breathy gasps and moans escaping her as Umi sucked gently at the skin over her pulse point. “U-Umi-chan…Umi-chan.” She grabbed Umi’s free hand and was about to drag it closer to her when the door burst open.

Yukiho faltered at the sight of her sister’s position. “What are you doing, Onee-chan?” She watched as Umi hurriedly pulled away and stumbled back a few steps. “You’re so strange with your friends.”

Arisa appeared in the doorway a moment later, having following Yukiho. Honoka squeaked in alarm and quickly tried to cover herself but Arisa didn’t even seem to notice her. “Oh, Sonoda-san is here!”

Umi was blushing right up to the tips of her ears but she forced a smile. “H-Hi, Arisa. Yukiho. I was just…I was…Honoka tripped down some stairs and hurt her back. I was just taking a look.”

Yukiho raised an eyebrow. To her it hadn’t looked like Umi was anywhere near Honoka’s back. “I just came to see what all of the noise was about. Arisa and I are going to study in my room. Play safe you two. Try to keep the noise down.”

Arisa frowned, confused by Yukiho’s teasing. “What do you mean by that? What are they playing?” She didn’t resist as Yukiho grabbed her hand and pulled her from the room but she kept up with her questions. “Why can’t we play too? We could study lat…” Her voice drowned out as she was pulled from the room.

For a few awkward seconds, Umi and Honoka made eye contact. Honoka opened and closed her mouth a few times before she spun on her heel and grabbed her clothes, hurrying out of the room. She hastened to the bathroom and shut the door behind her. Her clothes dropped to the floor and she leaned back against the door, closing her eyes.

“Umi-chan…” She mumbled, her thoughts shifting back to her friend. Her hand shifted to her stomach, her fingers toying with the waistband of her underwear. Her breathing was labored as she allowed her hand to slide inside, her fingers brushing against the intensely hot area between her legs. She yelped at the thrum of pleasure that coursed through her and quickly pulled her hand away. “What am I doing?!” She hurriedly walked over to the sink and turned on the faucet, splashing water on her face. Her whole body felt too hot, even though she wasn’t wearing anything beyond her underwear.

She looked up, meeting her own concerned gaze in the mirror but her focus quickly went to her neck. She gasped, her hand shooting up to cover the mark. It was still warm beneath her fingers, still a bit damp where Umi’s tongue had slid over her skin.

“Crap, I can’t let Kotori-chan see that!” Even if Kotori wasn’t exactly interested in speaking to her at the minute, she knew it wouldn’t go down well.

“Honoka?” Umi’s worried voice was coupled with a gentle knock upon the door. “Are you okay? Can I come in?”

Honoka’s mind was filled with unwanted images of letting Umi into the bathroom and shoving her back against the door, pleading with her friend to touch her. Her face turned red at the thoughts. What was she thinking?! She couldn’t do something like that.

“Honoka? I’m coming in.”

“NO!” Honoka threw herself toward the door as the handle turned. She had locked it, but that didn’t stop the momentary panic she felt. “I-I’m just changing, Umi-chan. I’ll be right out.”

“I…” Umi sounded like she wanted to say something but she stopped suddenly. “Okay. I’ll be waiting for you in your room.”

Honoka whimpered helplessly and pressed her forehead to the door. “Don’t say something like that.” She was glad to hear the sound of Umi walking away from the door.  She needed to take a minute and calm herself down.

—

Umi was having trouble looking Honoka in the eye after what had happened between them the previous night. She supposed it was a good thing Honoka seemed to be looking anywhere but at her too. It was downright embarrassing to think about the way she had been shamelessly forward. She couldn’t help but wonder what she had been trying to do. Had she been trying to seduce Honoka? It didn’t seem likely to her but every time she recalled the sound of Honoka’s breathy gasps and moans she thought that might have been exactly what she was trying to do.

“Do you think Kotori-chan is coming?” Honoka asked anxiously, craning her neck to peer out of the large window. “What if she doesn’t come? Maybe I should call her.”

“Relax. She’ll be here, she promised she would.” Umi said, trying not to roll her eyes at how worried Honoka sounded about Kotori being a few minutes late. She understood why. For the past couple of weeks Kotori had been neglecting Honoka somewhat, too focused on the future version of their friend. Honoka just missed her. “See? Here she is now.”

“What?” Honoka perked up as she heard the door to the maid cafe open and she hurriedly turned around.

Umi couldn’t help but feel a little bit jealous of the way Honoka’s face lit up when she saw Kotori and the way she sprung up to greet her with an exuberant embrace, but she ignored it.

Kotori gave a soft laugh as she returned the hug. Her hold was slightly tighter than usual but only because she’d realized that she hadn’t seen her best friend in a long while. Finally she released her and took her seat at the table, flashing Umi a quick smile. The fact that it was quickly returned made her feel a bit better. She had been certain Umi was angry with her after their discussion in the entrance hall.

“Can I take your order?” A maid had wandered over to the table and Honoka and Umi both reached for the menu at the same time, their hands brushing. Honoka pulled hers back quickly, her cheeks flushing in embarrassment as she remembered the last time Umi had touched her hand. She barely heard her two friends order, too busy remembering the gentle press of lips to her palm.

“Honoka-chan?” Kotori reached over and touched Honoka’s arm, finally breaking her from her thoughts. “Are you ready to order?”

“Ah…yeah, sorry.” Honoka gave a shaky smile and shakily ordered the curry she knew to be on the menu. She always ordered the same thing anyway, she just liked to check the menu.

Kotori watched Honoka carefully as the maid wandered off, noticing the blush on her cheeks. Umi was being noticeably shifty too. Her cheeks were pink and she hadn’t said much at all since Kotori had reached the table. Her gaze followed Honoka’s hand which was scratching at her neck and she caught a brief glimpse of red skin. “Honoka-chan, your neck…” She leaned across the table, gently pushing the hem of Honoka’s turtleneck down. She almost expected to see a wound similar to that of Future Honoka’s. She certainly hadn’t expected to see a bite mark. No, not quite a bite mark. A hickey. “W-What’s that?”

“Oh, uh…” Honoka gave a nervous laugh and tried not to look at Umi. “I-It’s nothing, don’t worry. I was just…I was fooling around the other night. It’s nothing.”

Kotori didn’t feel like it was nothing. She felt sick with jealousy. “I didn’t know you were dating anyone. Why wouldn’t you tell me that?”

“I’m not!” Honoka said quickly, waving her hands in front of her. “I’m really not, I was just…I got carried away with someone and we um…we just went too far, that’s all. I didn’t want you to see, it’s embarrassing…”

“Right.” Kotori mumbled, looking down at her hands. If Honoka had a hickey she must have been making out with someone. They had to have been kissing her, touching her…Kotori’s hands clenched at her skirt. She didn’t want anyone else kissing or touching Honoka. She should have been the only one. Maybe she deserved it, for being so focused on Honoka’s future self. She had been all but ignoring Honoka recently. She cast a glance up and found Honoka with a far away look in her eyes and a crimson flush to her cheeks. “Are you seriously thinking about them right now, Honoka-chan?”

Honoka cast a subtle look at Umi, their eyes meeting for a second before she looked away. “Sorry! I can’t help it. I’ll stop, I promise.”

Umi bit her lip to hold back a grin as she stared down at her lap. So Honoka was thinking about her, at least. That was a good sign.

Honoka noticed Kotori looked somewhat down and reached over to grab her hand. “I’m glad you’re here, Kotori-chan. I’ve missed you.”

Kotori gave a small smile as she looked back up at Honoka. “I’ve missed you too.”

Umi didn’t miss the way Honoka’s eyes kept flicking toward her. The realization upped her confidence dramatically and she lifted her leg, brushing her foot against the inside of Honoka’s leg. Her cheeks flamed with warmth but after hearing Honoka’s admission she couldn’t help but test the waters.

Honoka flinched at the light touch, her grip on Kotori’s hand tightening. She looked toward Umi with wide eyes, having not expected the move. It seemed every touch from Umi caused her body to heat up to an unnatural level.

“Are you okay, Honoka-chan?” Kotori asked, having noticed the flinch. “You’re blushing again.”

“Y-Yeah, I’m okay.” Honoka breathed a sigh of relief when Umi’s foot seemed to fall away from her leg. Her relief didn’t last long though as Umi glided her foot further up the inside of her leg, sending Honoka’s head spinning. “I-I have to go to the bathroom!”

Umi stifled a laugh with the palm of her hand when Honoka shot up from her seat and practically sprinted for the bathroom. Maybe she was better at this than she thought she would be.

“Umi-chan?” Kotori’s voice drew Umi’s attention back toward her. “Is Honoka-chan definitely okay? You…said that she wasn’t eating and she wasn’t acting like herself.”

“You don’t have to worry about her. I’m looking out for her.” Umi said sincerely. It was true, there was nothing she wouldn’t do to make sure Honoka was safe and happy. “How is her future self?”

Kotori gave a meek shrug of her shoulders. “I’m worried about her. She’s trying to push me away but she’s hurting. I can always tell when Honoka-chan is hurting…” Her gaze drifted to the bathroom. She should have noticed just how affected her Honoka was too. “Is she mad at me?”

“You hurt her.” Umi’s answer was blunt but gentle. It still caused Kotori to wince. “But she’s not mad at you. She just wants you back.”

Kotori nodded resolutely and steeled herself. “I’m not going anywhere.”

–

Honoka drummed her fingers anxiously against her desk and glanced over at Umi’s vacant seat. Umi was never late for school, she was usually so diligent. When Honoka and Kotori hadn’t found Umi waiting for them that morning they had assumed she had gone to school especially early for some reason but it seemed that wasn’t the case.

“Kousaka-san!” The teacher’s voice snapped Honoka from her thoughts and she sat bolt upright. “Do you have something more interesting than class to focus on at the minute?”

Honoka hurriedly shook her head in response. “N-No! I’m sorry.” She sank down slightly in her seat, hoping that the teacher would go back to teaching. It seemed that she would but then the door at the far end of the classroom opened and Umi walked in.

The room was immediately filled with the sound of whispers but Honoka didn’t notice anything beyond the plaster on Umi’s cheek and the bandages on her hands. They extended up beneath the sleeves of her blazer, which was for a change, unbuttoned. She could only assume that there were more bandages on Umi’s arms. Her tie was loose around her neck too, the top couple of buttons of her shirt loose.

She vaguely heard Umi apologize for being late and the teacher telling her to tidy herself up. Amber eyes briefly made contact with her own as Umi walked to her desk. Honoka glanced to her right at Kotori and found that she looked just as concerned as Honoka felt.

Honoka’s brow furrowed questioningly and Kotori gave a slight shake of her head to signal that she shouldn’t ask just yet.

“Kousaka-san, Minami-san, pay attention!”

Honoka squeaked in alarm, drawing a few giggles from the other students in the classroom. Hurriedly she turned her attention back to the teacher, her cheeks flushed with embarrassment. She couldn’t help but look at Umi out of the corner of her eye, her heart soaring at the sight of the tiny smile on Umi’s lips.

Hurriedly, she turned her attention away from Umi and tried to focus on her textbook. Despite her best efforts she continually found her gaze shifting back to Umi’s bandaged hands. Her distraction wasn’t helped by Umi moving one of her bandaged hands up to her head in an attempt to tame her unkempt hair. With her fingers bandaged it didn’t seem as though she could manage and Honoka almost rose from her seat to help before remembering she was in class. She quickly angled her chair away from Umi to stare out of the window instead.

The class passed torturously slowly after that and Honoka bolted up when the bell finally rang.

“Kousaka-san, stay behind after class.”

“Eh?!” Honoka exclaimed before she could stop herself. She quickly simmered down when the teacher glared at her. “Y-Yes, Sounou-sensei.”

Umi shook her head in amusement at Honoka and quickly made her way out of the room. Before she could take more than two steps out of the room, she felt warm hands grip her own. She almost pulled her bandaged hands away, expecting to feel pain. She was surprised when she didn’t feel anything. In fact they felt better than they had a moment ago.

“Nozomi…” Umi murmured, realizing who had taken her hands. She allowed herself to be pulled a short distance away from the door and marvelled at the way her hands were completely free of pain.

“What’s this?” Nozomi asked in a hushed voice as she looked down at Umi’s bandaged hands. “I felt it all the way from my classroom.”

“That’s what I’d like to know.” Kotori said as she joined the two of them. Honoka was nowhere to be seen but Umi assumed she was still being berated by the teacher. “What happened?”

“Nothing. I’ve just been training on my own. Which we should all be doing.” Umi’s response was clipped and a little bit defensive but she didn’t pull her hands away from Nozomi’s gentle grip. She watched Nozomi’s thumbs brush gently over the white bandages on the back of her hands, a strange sense of peace overwhelming her. “What are you doing…?”

Nozomi was doing her best to bite back a grimace but the at ease look on Umi’s face made the pain she was absorbing easier to deal with. “What does it look like I’m doing?”

Kotori huffed out a sigh, realizing she wasn’t going to get any answers from Umi. “I’m going to find Honoka-chan. The other Honoka-chan.”

Umi couldn’t bring herself to frown at Kotori like she usually would have whenever her friend rushed to Future Honoka’s side.

Nozomi noticed the distant look on her junior’s face and shuddered slightly at a new emotion that coursed through her body. She glanced down at the hands she was caressing and slowly examined them. When she caught dry blood stains up the sleeves she felt her heart drop.

“If this is what you call training then I have to ask you to stop.” Nozomi’s eyes darkened and she glanced around to make sure nobody was watching them before she dragged Umi into an empty classroom. She tugged off the younger girl’s blazer and rolled up her sleeves without giving Umi an opportunity to protest. Turquoise hues widened at the sight of dirty bandages on Umi’s hands and arms. She began to undo them only to be met with at least 4 deep red slashes which stretched from Umi’s wrists to her elbows. Some of the cuts were crisscrossed at certain points, stretching around her arms. There were blisters and littles cuts on her hands and fingers. Nozomi’s eyes stung at the sight.

“Umi-chan, this wasn’t caused by your own weapon! The only way these could have happened is if you were fighting someone. What the hell happened!? Who did this!?”

Nozomi could feel white hot anger burning in her chest. Was this the reason Future Honoka was always so angry? Was this the kind of brutality she’d witnessed in the future?

“ _Umi_!”

Umi bowed her head and clenched her hands at her sides. Now that Nozomi wasn’t holding her hands the cuts hurt a lot more. She shook her head, tears blurring her vision. “I can’t tell you, she’ll find out I’ve told.”

“Who’ll find out?!” Nozomi exclaimed anxiously, her gaze flitting between the top of Umi’s bowed head and the cuts on her arms. “What’s going on, Umi? What haven’t you told us?”

Umi shook her head, a whisper of a sob emerging from her throat. “I can’t.”

The fear that gripped Nozomi took her breath away for a moment. It wasn’t just her fear. It was mostly Umi’s. “Umi-chan.” She stepped forward and drew Umi close to her. Whatever was going on with Umi, she didn’t like the sound of it. Feeling Umi’s hands grip the back of her blazer as tightly as she could, she closed her eyes and focused on taking Umi’s pain from her. The strength of it hurt but she did it anyway, her own worry close to overwhelming her.

Umi breathed a shaky sigh of relief as the aches she had felt, both emotional and physical were taken away from her. Suddenly weary without the feelings, she allowed her eyes to droop shut. “I’m scared, Nozomi…”

“I know.” Nozomi whispered back, holding onto Umi tighter. She did know. She could feel the fear herself, like an icy chill that ran up her spine and caused the back of her neck to tingle. “It’s okay.”

“No, it’s not. It’s only the beginning…”

—

Honoka sighed and leaned back in her seat. She had decided she would do some work for the student council after school but it was just too hard to concentrate. Her thoughts kept shifting back to Kotori and Umi. It wasn’t surprising that Kotori was still spending most of her time fawning over Future Honoka but it seemed that even Umi was going out of her way to avoid everybody now. She couldn’t help but worry. She already felt like she had lost Kotori in some way. She didn’t want to lose Umi too. She wasn’t sure she could bear losing both of them.

The door across the room opened and Honoka jolted up straight again, her gaze shifting toward the door. She watched as Umi shiftily moved into the room, only pausing when their eyes met.

“Honoka, I…I didn’t know you’d be here.” Umi said honestly as she pushed the door closed. She couldn’t exactly turn and run now that she was in the room. “What are you doing?”

“I was doing some work for the student council.” Honoka said quietly, trying to hide how much Umi’s words had stung. “I didn’t know you would be here either. I thought everyone had left already.”

Umi made a soft noise of acknowledgement and shuffled over to sit next to Honoka. She awkwardly tried to tug the sleeves of her blazer over her freshly bandaged hands. Nozomi had gently changed them for her earlier because the ones she’d been wearing that morning had been bloody.

Honoka knew the bandages were there. She’d seen them with her own eyes when Umi had walked into the classroom. So had Kotori. “Hey, Umi-chan…” She pushed her chair back slightly and angled herself so that she was facing her best friend. Carefully, she reached out and gripped Umi’s hands. “What happened?”

“Training.” Umi answered automatically. She didn’t expect Honoka to believe her and she could see in her eyes that she didn’t. But then Honoka was smiling, that tiny knowing uplift of her lips.

“Umi-chan should be more careful. I need you in one piece.” Honoka lifted Umi’s hands to her face and pressed a kiss to the back of each one of them.

Umi felt her cheeks colour with embarrassment. “You’re doing something so childish…”

Honoka’s lips lingered against Umi’s bandaged right hand as she looked up through her eyelashes. Finally, she drew her head back. “Tell that to the girl who kissed my knee all better.”

“I was twelve, it was a different time.” Umi remembered the moment Honoka was speaking of quite well. Honoka had been crying after an especially rough fall and so Umi had gotten down on her knees next to her and kissed her scraped knee better. “I was different…”

Honoka laughed, the noise soft and airy. “Stop it.” She reached up and brushed a strand of hair behind Umi’s ear. “You’re not that different. You’re still my Umi-chan.”

“Your Umi…” Umi whispered back, her eyes widening slightly. The words caused her stomach to flip in anticipation for some reason. She knew Honoka didn’t mean it possessively but if she was honest with herself that’s how she wanted it to be. “Yeah.”

Honoka lowered her eyes slightly in embarrassment as Umi seemed to agree with her. She barely had time to focus her stare on the floor beneath their feet before her chin was gripped gently by a bandaged hand. Her head was lifted and then Umi’s lips were against hers, soft yet firm at the same time. She couldn’t help but inhale sharply for a moment, in surprise at being kissed so suddenly. Their first kiss hadn’t been like that. It had been softer, much more tentative than the way Umi was kissing her now.

Honoka instinctively returned the kiss, spurred on by spending the past couple of days remembering what had happened in her bedroom. She had wanted to do this then though there hadn’t actually been time. Her hands slid up over Umi’s chest to her shoulders and she pushed her blazer down. It landed on the floor at Umi’s feet but neither of them noticed it.

Umi pulled away for a moment, thinking it would be a good idea to stop the kiss before it went too far. She watched as Honoka reached up and pulled off her own tie, her mouth running dry at the sight. Before she could stop herself, she was kissing Honoka hungrily again, eagerly untucking her friend’s shirt from her skirt in an attempt to get to untouched skin.

Honoka whimpered against Umi’s lips and gripped the other’s girl’s hips, guiding her back onto the desk. She mimicked Umi’s actions, hurriedly untucking her shirt before she began to unbutton it. She didn’t know what she was doing, all she really knew was that she wanted to know more of Umi, she wanted to lose herself in her.

Their fingers, making short work of the buttons on each other’s shirts began to fumble and they pulled away to look down between them, hot and heavy breathing mixing in the small space between them. Their shirts came off at the same time but while Umi found herself entranced by the sight before her, Honoka felt her heart clench in her chest. Umi’s torso was heavily bandaged. Not just her arms and hands but her shoulders, chest and stomach too. There wasn’t very much skin to be seen at all.

“Umi-chan…” Honoka’s suddenly damp stare lingered on the scar in the centre of Umi’s chest.

Umi gently grabbed Honoka’s face and kissed her hard to shut her up. She pulled away after a second to meet Honoka’s gaze. “You don’t need to say anything.” Her thumb brushed over a wet lower lip. “Just kiss it better, Honoka.”

Honoka sniffled softly. “I-I thought you said it was childish…”

“It is.” In the long run it wouldn’t help anything. It was silly and needy, to want Honoka to do that. “But from you, it makes me feel better. It makes me feel loved.”

“I do love you.” Honoka leaned in again and pressed her lips to Umi’s, needing to convey just that. She felt Umi’s arms wrap around her neck, long legs going around her waist at the same time and she found herself drawn flush against her best friend. Fingers toyed with the clasp of her bra. “I-I want to go out with Umi-chan.”

Umi inhaled sharply at the admission. Despite everything that had happened between the two of them she hadn’t expected that.

“What the fuck are you doing?!”

Umi didn’t have time to tell Honoka she wanted the same thing, a new voice cutting into their conversation. Or not entirely new. It was just more mature now. She looked up, finding that Future Honoka had appeared in the room.

Future Honoka’s view of Umi was mostly blocked by Honoka’s body. “I thought I told you to keep your damn hands off my past self?! She’s not yours to screw around with!”

“Yes, I am!” Honoka countered irritably as she spun around to face her future self full on. She felt a bit self conscious given that she wasn’t wearing a shirt. “I can be whoever’s I want to be!”

Umi, terrified as she was of Future Honoka felt like her heart was going to burst from her chest at Honoka’s words.

Future Honoka opened her mouth to protest but she was stopped when she finally noticed the bandages that littered Umi’s upper body. “What…?” She shook her head as she stepped closer. “Wait, what the hell happened to you, Umi?”

“I…I…”

Future Honoka took another step inside. “No! Shit, the old hag knows, doesn’t she? She did this to you, right?!”

“I…I have to go!” Umi grabbed her shirt and pulled it back on quickly. She didn’t bother to pick up her blazer before she hurried from the room, hurriedly buttoning up her shirt as she went.

“Umi-chan!” “Umi!”

Both her Honoka and Future Honoka called after her but Umi didn’t stop. She bumped into Nozomi just outside of the door and briefly met her concerned gaze. She shook her head and hurried past.

Maki, who had been following right behind Nozomi froze as Umi’s arm brushed against hers, the contact enough to break through the block she was trying to put on reading other people’s thoughts and seeing their memories.

_“Now be a good girl or face the consequences, Umi.”_

_Umi was on her knees, her clothes soaked in blood. There was a sword pointed right at her throat, held by an older woman._

_“Yes…mother.” Umi, her eyes filled with tears bowed her head to the older woman._

Maki doubled over at the memory, grabbing her head as pain seared through it. She heard the sound of footsteps approaching and then Nozomi was back at her side, her arms wrapped around her to keep her standing.

“What happened, Maki-chan?!” Nozomi asked quietly, aware that Maki’s head would be hurting her.

Maki shook her head and looked up, finding that Honoka and Future Honoka had joined them in the corridor. Umi was nowhere in sight. “Umi is in danger.”

—

“Nozomi?” Eli asked carefully, glancing over at her girlfriend. They were walking hand in hand back to Nozomi’s apartment. They had been for the past ten or so minutes but it seemed that Nozomi’s thoughts were elsewhere. “Are you okay?”

“Hmm?” Nozomi turned to Eli, surprised at hearing her speak. “I’m fine, Elichi. I just have a lot on my mind. Actually I…I have something I need to do. I know I said we’d eat dinner together but maybe you could wait for me at my apartment?”

“What?” Eli drew to a stop, her brow furrowing in confusion. “Why? What’s going on?”

Nozomi forced a smile to her lips. “Just trust me, Elichi. I just need to do something, that’s all.”

The vague answer didn’t make Eli feel better. “You’ve been acting strange since you ran out of class this morning. Please just tell me what’s wrong, Nozomi.”

“I just need to pay someone a visit. I’ll come by as soon as it’s done, I promise.” Nozomi placed her free hand on Eli’s shoulder and stepped forward to kiss her softly. She could feel Eli’s worry without even trying. She could never block Eli out. “It’s safe. I’ll be fine.”

Eli wanted to insist that she go along but she couldn’t do anything but watch as Nozomi let go of her hand and turned to walk away from her. She stared after her girlfriend until she turned the corner and disappeared from sight.

Nozomi’s smile disappeared, her expression darkening as she walked away from Eli. The anger she felt that morning at seeing the cuts on Umi’s arms was back, this time tenfold. There was no way she could hold it back now.

—

“How are we going to save Umi-chan?!”

“Hello to you too.” Future Honoka said dryly as Nozomi shoved past her into the hotel room. She vaguely wondered how many of her friends hadn’t been in the room. She closed the door behind Nozomi and turned toward her.

“Seriously Honoka!”

“Oh look, you dropped the ‘chan’.” Honoka mocked, crossing her arms in front of her chest. She was in no mood for whatever Nozomi had shown up to say to her, or rather ask her, it seemed. “It’s about time.”

“Honoka.” Nozomi growled angrily at the older version of her friend. “Cut the crap! What are we going to do to save Umi-chan? Maki-chan said she’s in danger.”

Future Honoka carelessly shrugged her shoulders. “What’s your point? Umi’s business is her business, I’m not going to get involved with that and neither should you.”

“What?!” Nozomi wasn’t sure what to think of the way Honoka was acting. Trying to get a read on her was too confusing and painful but she caught glimpses every now and then. “Umi-chan is in DANGER, Honoka!”

“I don’t fucking care!” Honoka threw her hands up at her sides. “I hope the old hag kills her. It’ll be a solution to all o-” she was cut off by Nozomi storming forward and delivering a sharp slap to her cheek. It wasn’t restrained by any means. She tasted blood in her mouth as her shirt was grabbed and she was shoved back against the door.

“Shut your damn mouth, Honoka! If I ever hear you say anything like that again…” Nozomi drew Honoka away from the door only to shove her back again, her eyes glistening with tears. “Do you seriously hate Umi-chan enough to wish death on her? She’s your best friend!”

“I hate her. If I could kill her myself, I would.” Future Honoka gasped out, winded from being shoved back against the door. “It’s about time someone di-” She was cut off by a hand being slapped over her mouth.

“You’re such a liar. Look. You want to know what Umi-chan is feeling? You want to understand her a bit more?” She ignored Honoka shaking her head and focused on pushing the feelings she’d felt from Umi into Honoka. The sharp intake of breath against her hand and the way Honoka’s eyes widened let her know it had worked. “We talked about you today you know. About your past self anyway. You think Umi is a liar, don’t you? You don’t trust her.”

It was easy to pick these bits of information up when she could feel what Honoka felt. “You want to know what she feels for you?” She concentrated again, pushing the emotion she’d held back into Honoka. “She loves you, you idiot! How could you not know that?!”

Honoka trembled beneath Nozomi’s hands, her eyes wide with shock. That last emotion had been overwhelming in it’s strength and she’d had to fight to hold back tears.

“I’m going to ask again.” Nozomi slowly let go of Honoka. “What’s the plan to save Umi-chan?”


	9. Chapter 9

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> DOUBLE CHAPTER COMING UP SO LOOK OUT FOR THAT.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning(s): General angst, violence etc.

“What the fuck is this?” Future Honoka glanced between the eight girls standing in front of her. “I said I needed Eli, not the rest of you!”

“We come as a pack. Deal with it, Honoka-chan.” Nozomi said with a roll of her eyes. She could never let the two go in there alone. It was too dangerous.

“You’re all just going to get in the way. Clear off!” The situation was frighteningly familiar. When she had been kidnapped her friends had come running to save her, with no regard for their own safety and they’d all ended up dead.  

“I’m not going anywhere until Umi-chan is safe!” Honoka snapped irritably, gripping the hilt of the knife at her belt. Future Honoka was sure her past self had no idea how to use the weapon. “I’m going in there with you!”

Kotori nodded in agreement.

“I’ll go too, nya!” Rin exclaimed, bouncing from foot to foot. She was fast enough to get in, snatch Umi up and get out within seconds, but she didn’t know where Umi was.

“No. I need you somewhere else.” Future Honoka said, glancing toward Rin. “I need you to get through those gates and take out as many guards as possible, okay Rin?”

“I can do that, nya!”

“I’m going with you.” Maki said, stepping closer to Future Honoka. “I can guide you with my telepathy to where Umi is.” Even now, she could hear Umi, just faintly, but it was there.

“I’m going with you too.” Nozomi said as she too stepped closer to Future Honoka. Out of the corner of her eye she noticed Honoka do the same thing.

Future Honoka was about ready to scream in frustration. “FINE!” She turned to Hanayo. “Hanayo, go with Rin and take the guards out, alright? Just um…knock them out if you don’t want to kill them. Eli…” She stepped forward and grasped Kotori’s arm gently, guiding her over to Eli. “I know you’re going into the thick of it but I need you to look after her, okay? You’re the only person I’ll trust with her.”

“Honoka-chan, I want to help too!” Kotori protested though a look from Honoka silenced her. “I-I mean…”

“You can help by staying with Eli and staying alive.” Honoka said softly. “Right, let’s go.”

“What about me?!” Nico exclaimed, offended that she hadn’t even been mentioned. “You need someone to take the bullets for you, don’t you? There’s nobody who’d be better at it here. I’m…”

“Yeah, yeah. My Nico would have been over the wall already. I forgot you were here. Get moving.” Future Honoka stared a shocked Nico down for a moment before the indestructible girl flew into action, rushing toward the wall.

“W-What about me?” Honoka asked nervously. “I want to go with you to get Umi-chan. I-I mean I AM coming with you to get Umi-chan. You can’t stop me.”

“You’re staying where you’ll be safe, dumbass.” Future Honoka said with a roll of her eyes. “I don’t want you running around and getting me killed, do I make myself clear?”

“No, I want to go with you, to get Umi-chan!” Honoka clenched her fists at her sides. There was no way she’d be staying where she’d be safe when her best friend was in trouble. “I’m going to get her!”

“Fucking hell!” Future Honoka gave her past self a sharp push, sending her stumbling toward Kotori who quickly grabbed her to steady her. “Eli, keep an eye on that idiot too.”

“But I…” Honoka began to take a step forward, only to be stopped by Kotori’s hand in her own. She glanced at her friend and watched as Kotori gave a subtle shake of her head in response. “Fine…”

“Right, let’s go. Nozomi, Maki, you’re with me.” Future Honoka paused, looking up as the first shots rang through the air. It seemed that Nico had been noticed already but that was part of the plan. She needed to draw attention away from the main gate so the rest of them could get through. “Everyone grab on.”

Kotori, who was closest to Future Honoka reached out and grabbed her hand, leaving her other in Honoka’s.

Nozomi walked over, meeting Eli’s gaze intently. “Be careful.” She mouthed to her. The small smile she received in response made her feel a little bit better about the situation. But not much. She knew that Eli could take care of herself but that didn’t keep her from worrying.

Future Honoka waited until everyone had grabbed onto her before she closed her eyes and focused on getting them past the gates. She felt the ground slip out from under her, re-appearing a few seconds later.

“They’re over there!”

Future Honoka’s eyes snapped open at the loud yell that seemed to echo around her. “Shit.” She had thought Nico would have been able to buy them at least a few seconds to get their bearings but she had underestimated just how many guards the Sonoda’s had at their disposal. “Everyone move!”

Eli shared one last look with Nozomi before she took off running toward the guards, Honoka and Kotori hot on her heels.

Rin grabbed Hanayo and took off running too, passing Eli and the others in less than a second thanks to her enhanced speed.

“Come on!” Future Honoka barked out, trying not to let her gaze follow Kotori. It was hard to let her go off without her but she knew her future girlfriend would be safe with Eli. She rushed for the main building, aware that she had to go through it to get to Umi. She cursed under her breath when guards filtered out of it. “How did I get stuck with the two people with the most passive powers?”

Nozomi rolled her eyes at Honoka’s question. She had felt the yearning from the other girl without even having to seek it out. “Geeze, Honoka-chan. Do you hate me that much in the future? I’m sorry I’m not your precious Kotori or Senpai.”

Future Honoka growled under her breath. She knew Nozomi was just goading her, for a reaction. “I didn’t say I wanted to go with Kotori, did I?”

“You didn’t have to, it’s written all over your face. You should have just brought her along if you wanted her with you that much…”

“Shut up, Nozomi. Why did you come with me anyway? To make sure I don’t do anything to Umi-chan?”

Nozomi raised an eyebrow. “Umi-chan?”

“Argh, shut up!”

Maki glanced back at the two in irritation. “Do you even see those guards?!” It was like they were completely ignorant to what was happening around them, too lost in their stupid bickering.

“Yeah.” Honoka sped up to get past Maki as they finally reached the five or so guards. Drawing her knife from her belt, she easily took one of them out with a slash to the throat. She tried not to think of the way Umi had died in her own time though the blood spatter didn’t help matters. She didn’t hesitate to throw herself in front of Maki as one of the guards began to rush toward the telepath. She delivered a solid kick to the guard’s stomach, sending him stumbling back. She followed quickly, hitting him in the head with the hilt of her knife and knocking another guard out with a solid punch.

“Nozomi!”

Honoka looked up sharply at Maki’s exclamation and found two guards had cornered Nozomi. She tensed instinctively, remembered the promise she had made to her Eli. She sprung into action, jumping onto the back of one of the guards and driving her blade deep into his neck. His knees buckled and he dropped to the ground, taking Honoka with him. She looked up just in time to see Nozomi slam her fist into the face of the other guard, knocking her out with a single punch.

“I didn’t know you could do that.” She mused, pushing herself to her feet. She wiped off her bloody blade on her arm. “I shouldn’t be surprised, considering how hard you slapped me earlier.”

“Still complaining about that?” Nozomi quipped, shaking her hand in front of her to relieve the ache in her knuckles. “I’d have thought you could take a little slap, Honoka-chan. Besides you needed someone to knock some sense into you. You’re so hard-headed.”

“I’m hard-headed?!” Honoka echoed in disbelief as she rounded on Nozomi. “This was your idea in the first place! You realize we could all die, right?!”

Maki rubbed her temples, feeling an oncoming headache. “What the hell is wrong with you two?” Her gaze lingered on Nozomi. “Seriously, since when do you bicker?”

Honoka shot a final glare at Nozomi. “Let’s keep moving. You know where she is, don’t you, Maki?”

“Dojo.” Maki answered simply as she slipped past Honoka. She could already hear Umi louder than she’d been able to before and she didn’t like the thoughts invading her head one bit. “We have to hurry.”

“You heard her, Nozomi. Stop arguing with me.” Honoka said with a pointed look at Nozomi. “You’re just pissing me off.”

“Hey, show some respect to your senpai!” Nozomi exclaimed, rushing after Honoka. Thankfully they seemed to have cleared the guards who’d lingered instead of going after Nico and the others.

“Senpai? If anything you’re my kouhai. I’m older now, remember?!” Honoka called over her shoulder, not bothering to pause and turn around. “Show me some respect.”

“What?!”

Maki growled irritably under her breath. Why hadn’t she opted to go with Rin and Hanayo instead?

“Hey, what are you doing taking the lead?!”

“I guess it’s just where I belong, ‘Honoka-senpai’.

“You sarcastic little…”

Maki clenched her fists at the sound of Honoka’s loud question. She didn’t know what was going on or why Nozomi was acting so strange but it was annoying her. They were worse than her and Nico. “SHUT UP!”

“…You can walk in front if you want. You may have a crappy personality but even I’m not immune to that ass of yours, Senpai.”

“Fuck off.”

“I’m going to kill them.” Maki muttered under her breath, her fingernails digging into her palms. “I’m seriously going to kill them.”

—

“SUPER SONIC PUNCH, NYA!”

Hanayo watched as the blur that was Rin sprinted past her, having already circled the Sonoda estate a couple of times to build up her momentum. She watched as the line of ten guards were all knocked down by Rin’s punch.

“I think you’re enjoying this too much, Rin-chan.” She said as Rin came to a stop a few feet in front of her, her breathing laboured. She had already taken a few guards out herself by punching them but she wasn’t as happy about it as Rin seemed to be.

Rin was about to answer when three more guards rounded the corner, all with guns in their hands.

“RIN-CHAN!” Hanayo’s panicked voice rang through the air as she phased herself instinctively to avoid the bullets suddenly raining down on them. Rin wouldn’t have time to move out of the way. She was too spent. She lunged forward to grab her but then Nico was ducking in front of Rin, the bullets which would have hit the first year hitting her instead. “N-Nico-chan…”

Rin stumbled back a step, staring at Nico in shock as the bullets hit her, covering her clothes in blood. Nico didn’t budge when the bullets hit but she did wince with every shot, clearly pained. “Nico-chan…” Her voice shook at the sight of the blood.

“Get out of here. I’ll take care of them.” Nico said, straightening up slightly. Her eyes glinted dangerously as she spun the knives in her hands. She waited until she saw Hanayo grab Rin before she rushed forward. If those guards thought they could try to hurt her friends and get away with it they were wrong.

—

_“SHUT UP!”_

_“…You can walk in front if you want. You may have a crappy personality but even I’m not immune to that ass of yours, Senpai.”_

_“Fuck off.”_

Kotori frowned at the odd conversation she caught from Future Honoka and Nozomi. She could hear them even with so much distance between her and them. She supposed it was because they were talking quite loudly. Eli didn’t seem to be paying them attention, too focused on looking for guards. She’d already taken out quite a few.

Honoka wasn’t listening either. She was standing as close to Eli as she could, gripping her shoulder tightly for reassurance.

The dojo. That was where Maki had said Umi was. She could easily get there. She could just turn herself invisible and run for it. But Future Honoka had told her not to. She took a deep breath and focused her power, quickly disappearing from sight. As soon as she was invisible, she held her breath and took a faltering step toward Honoka.

“Wait…” Eli looked around in alarm, causing Kotori to stop in her tracks. “Where the hell did Kotori go?!” She had been able to sense her a moment ago but then it was like she’d just disappeared completely.

“What?” Honoka hurriedly looked around, panic filtering into her features. “Kotori-chan?! KOTORI-CHAN?!”

“Honoka!” Eli turned around and grabbed Honoka, dragging her off to the shadows. “Just calm down, she’s probably just invisible. We’ll find her, okay?” She noticed the slight glimmer of tears in Honoka’s wide eyes and drew her close, feeling the hammering of the girl’s heart against her own chest. “I’ve got you. It’s…” She was cut off by two rapid gunshots.

“PLEASE! I’LL DO WHATEVER YOU SAY, JUST DON’T DO IT!”

“UMI-CHAN!” Honoka yelled, recognizing the voice.

“No!”

Two more gunshots and Eli felt an invisible force collide with her back, pushing her to safety. She hit the ground, taking Honoka with her and then there was dead silence. She’d been able to hear faint yelling before but now there was nothing. Nothing except Honoka’s harsh breaths beneath her.

—

Future Honoka’s stomach twisted uncomfortably at the sound of Umi’s yelling. She looked down as a hand grabbed at her wrist and found that it was Nozomi.

“Shit…it hurts. She’s in so much pain.” Nozomi clenched at her shirt, her vision blurred with pained tears. She didn’t know what to do with the physical pain she felt. It was indescribable.

Future Honoka glanced around at the frozen time. Maki was doubled over, completely frozen but the pain on her face was unmistakable. She could only imagine what was going on in Umi’s head. “That idiot must have let her emotions take over, she must have frozen everything…”

Nozomi winced and gripped Honoka tighter. “This is what it’s like?” It was odd. There had been a breeze before but even that had stopped now. The air was completely still around them.

“Hm. Come on, we have to get to the dojo before my past self does. Don’t touch anyone, Nozomi.”

“What about Maki-chan?”

Future Honoka shot a regretful look at the telepath. “Time is frozen, she’ll be fine for now. We need to get to Umi now.”

Nozomi couldn’t help but feel worried by Honoka’s sudden urgency. She allowed herself to be pulled along. “W-Why do you think Umi-chan said that, Senpai?”

Had Honoka not been so worried she would have noticed that the nickname was sticking. “Because Sonoda Kasumi has the ability to manipulate minds and take away memories.”

“W-wait!” Nozomi resisted the pulling and dug her heels into the ground. Every step she took toward Umi hurt more. “Just leave me here. I’m useless to you anyway.”

“What?! No. Nozomi, I need you with me. You’re not useless, okay? I NEED you. This was your damn idea so you need to see it through!”

“I’m just holding you back, I’m too slow…”

Future Honoka cursed loudly and let go of Nozomi. “Fine.” She bent down and scooped Nozomi up from the ground, earning herself a startled gasp.

Nozomi hurriedly wrapped her arms around Honoka’s neck and a second later the older girl was running as fast as she could toward the dojo.

“Elichi really rubbed off on you in the future, huh?” She mumbled, fighting to contain a blush as she gripped Future Honoka tighter.

Honoka didn’t answer though she caught the question. She was sure it was true that Eli had had some influence on her but she didn’t want to linger too much on the idea.

Nozomi knew she needed to keep the woman with her calm. She could already feel her emotions getting more frantic as she runs.

Future Honoka could see the dojo ahead and pushed herself forward, her focus going toward the girl inside. She started to think about everything Umi had done to her. Honoka had never really thought of what she went through in the future. Had Umi also suffered as much as the rest of them? She knew her mother wasn’t the kindest person when people go against her. Did Umi have a choice when she decided to fight her that time at the camp?

She felt her arms getting heavy and she could tell she slowing down. Suddenly, she felt something pressing against her chest. She looked down at Nozomi and watched as she took the physical and emotional pain away from her. “Nozomi…”

“We’ll get to her. Don’t worry, Senpai, we’ll save Umi-chan.” Nozomi smiled at her. It wasn’t one of her plastic ones, but a true reassuring gentle smile. With her free hand, she gently touched Future Honoka’s cheek, trying to draw every ounce of pain from her.

Future Honoka felt suddenly light and she began to pick up her pace. Realizing it was taking too long, she concentrated and teleported herself and Nozomi to the front of the dojo, only to encounter her past self and Eli.

“Nozomi?!”

“She’s fine, just tired.” Future Honoka carefully set an exhausted Nozomi down next to Eli and watched as the blonde’s arms went around her girlfriend to steady her.

Honoka though couldn’t stand the waiting and before anyone could stop her she had rushed forward, restarting time. Umi’s gut wrenching screams were louder now and she pushed herself to run faster, only freezing when she was inside the dojo.

Umi was at the center of the room, on her knees. She was clearly battered and blood dripped down her arms while her face was slashed across her cheek. Hands were gripping her head and her eyes were pure white. The woman who was holding her also had white eyes but they were narrowed in concentration.

“UMI-CHAN!” Honoka cried out, though there was no reaction from Umi. She began to hurry forward only to be forced back by an invisible force. She stumbled, barely avoiding falling over and looked around for the source.

“M-Mom?” Eli, who had run in with Nozomi and the others stopped short, her eyes widening in shock at the sight of her mom holding her hand up to Honoka. “W-What…?” She shook her head in disbelief, tears forming in her eyes. There was no way her mom could be in on this.

The sudden wave of emotion had Nozomi crumbling to her knees. But it wasn’t just Eli’s she could feel. It was someone else’s too.

“Papa?” Maki’s voice cut through the silence left in Eli’s wake and Nozomi glanced over her shoulder, finding an out of breath Maki standing there. She’d obviously run all the way to the dojo after finding herself alone when time had unfrozen.

Maki’s gaze shifted to the vial in her father’s hand who was standing in back of Umi and her mother,  her breath caught in her throat. She knew exactly what that could do. And it seemed like they were going to try it on Umi. “W-Why?!”

“Get the hell off her!” Future Honoka teleported herself over to Umi and her mother and gave the older woman a sharp shove to break the connection between the two of them. Umi’s mother fell to the floor though it didn’t take more than a few seconds for her to push herself to her feet.

Future Honoka, who had positioned herself in front of Umi, felt her collapse forward against the back of her legs now that she wasn’t being held up. Her knees almost buckled because of the collision but she held firm, glaring at Umi’s mother.

“UMI-CHAN!” Honoka was beating at the invisible force holding her back, tears streaking their way down her cheeks as she took in Umi’s condition. “Let go of me!”

“What the fuck do you think you’re doing?” Future Honoka growled, her left hand reaching back to Umi. The girl’s forehead was resting against the inside of her knee and she could feel her jeans being soaked with blood but she couldn’t care. Her hand came to rest lightly on the back of Umi’s head. “She’s your daughter, you sick bitch!”

Kasumi narrowed her eyes at Future Honoka. “Kousaka Honoka. How nice to meet you in the flesh.”

That voice sent a chill down Future Honoka’s spin. She had met this woman many times in the future and each experience had been unpleasant. They were memories she didn’t want to repeat.

“H-Hono…” Umi’s voice was weak and raspy as she clutched at Future Honoka’s legs. It was obvious she was barely conscious. “H-Ho…”

Future Honoka felt her chest tighten. The way Umi struggled to speak sounded too much like the way Kotori had near the end.

“WHAT THE HELL IS THIS?!” Maki’s voice rang out clearly across the room, her eyes fixated to the vial in her father’s hand. “You were going to give Umi that POISON?!”

Jin shook his head at his daughter’s accusation. “It’s not poison, Maki. It’s a cure.”

“It’s a cure for all of us.” Irina chimed in in agreement. “We can finally get rid of this cursed power for good! We’ll be normal, just like everyone else.”

Eli, who had grabbed Honoka to keep from hurting herself, stared at her mother through blurred vision. “That’s crazy. There’s no such thing as a cure. We’re not sick!”

Future Honoka vehemently shook her head. “It’s unstable, all it’s going to do is cause a huge epidemic. Not just for Ability users but normal humans! It’s a damn virus!”

Jin’s eyes widened at the accusation. “That’s not true. I’ve devoted my entire career to making this cure. I, along with other specialized doctors have run thorough tests on it. There’s no way it could be a virus!”

“Do you know how many corrupted ability users there are in the world?!” Kasumi yelled, angered by Honoka’s unfounded accusation. “They’ll kill to gain power! Corps is a secret organisation that has been keeping dangerous ability users under the radar of the world’s governments for years. Do you know what will happen if we’re discovered!”

“Of course I do! I’ve witnessed firsthand what they’ll do to us if…” She was cut off suddenly as Kasumi’s eyes narrowed at her. She knew what that meant. Before she had a chance to react, she noticed a blur of red hair and suddenly Maki was in front of her, her own eyes narrowed dangerously as she fought off the telepathic attack.

Nozomi, still on her knees, buckled forward slightly, her hand grasping at her chest. There was too much anger, pain both physical and emotional, fear and betrayal to block out. It hurt, a lot.

Eli stepped away from Honoka, her fists bursting into flames as she watched the mental fight between Maki and Umi’s mom. The slight furrow in Maki’s brow was worrying but what was worse was the fact that Umi was no longer conscious.

“Why can’t you just understand?!” Eli’s mom waved her hand, sending the swords hanging on the wall flying at Eli and Honoka.

“Honoka!” Eli threw herself toward Honoka, taking her down to the ground with an arm wrapped protectively around her head. The impact was hard and took the wind out of both of them but the swords flew over them. Quickly, Eli checked that none of them had hit Nozomi. They hadn’t, though her girlfriend was clearly in pain. “Nozomi!”

Nozomi looked up, tear filled eyes meeting Eli’s though she couldn’t bring herself to respond.

Eli felt her stomach drop in fear and she let go of Honoka to crawl over to Nozomi. She was stopped when Nozomi shook her head slightly.

“P-Protect Honoka, Elichi.”

“What?!” Suddenly Jin’s voice rang out, drawing everyone’s attention toward him.

Irina’s eyes widened as she watched Jin batting at the air as if he was trying to hit something that wasn’t there. “Jin, what are you doing?!”

“It’s not me, something is pushing me!” Jin exclaimed, stumbling forward with an especially sharp shove. “It must be Minami’s kid!”

“Kotori-chan?” Honoka pushed herself to her knees and looked around for her friend but she didn’t find her anywhere. “KOTORI-CHAN, GET UMI-CHAN!”

Jin felt his grip on the vial loosen and suddenly it wasn’t in his hand any more. It was floating a few feet away from him.

Kotori barely had time to feel victorious about getting the vial before she was flying through the air. She hit the wall hard, losing control of her invisibility and inadvertently re-appearing. The vial slipped from her grasp.

Rin raced into the room, using her speed to get there quickly. She grabbed the vial before it could hit the floor and lifted it to eye level to examine it. “What’s this, nya?”

Nico jumped down from Rin’s back and rushed toward Irina, tackling her to the ground and forcing her to lose her concentration on Kotori. The ashen haired girl slumped to the floor, dazed.

“RIN, DON’T LET THEM GET THEIR HANDS ON THAT!” Future Honoka yelled from behind Maki.

Rin glanced around the room, doing a quick assessment of where the others were. Spotting Umi, her eyes widened in surprise. “Umi-chan!” She raced toward her and grabbed Umi before running from the room with her.

Honoka pushed herself to her feet and ignoring Eli’s attempts to grab her, ran toward Kotori and tugged her to her feet.

Nico punched Irina, knocking her out cold before she scrambled up and rushed towards Nozomi, falling to her knees in front of her. “Nozomi!” She grabbed Nozomi’s hand and pressed it to her chest. “Give it to me. Give it all to me.”

Nozomi opened her mouth to protest but the look on Nico’s face left no room for argument. Against her better judgement she pushed everything she was feeling into Nico. A wave of relief washed over her as the pain left her.

Future Honoka forced herself into action, hurrying forward to push Kasumi to the ground. “Get out of here, all of you! Maki, go!” She turned on her heel and hurried toward the exit, grabbing Maki’s hand on the way. She sought Kotori out and found her being helped outside by Honoka and Eli while Nico and Nozomi seemed to be supporting each other. She didn’t let go of Maki’s hand until they were out of the now open gates.

Rin, who had set Umi down on the ground just outside of the gates, looked up in panic. “I-I tried to stop the bleeding but I couldn’t, nya! Umi-chan won’t wake up!”

“UMI-CHAN!” Honoka began to move forward only to be stopped by Eli.

“Move, Rin!” Maki ushered Rin out of the way and dropped to her knees at Umi’s side, hurriedly feeling for a pulse. It was so faint she could barely feel it. “Shit, I don’t…”

“They’re here!” A man, dressed in a guard’s uniform rushed out of the gates, his gun drawn and raised to fire.

“NO!” Hanayo jumped forward, her hand outstretched in front of her. It phased through the man’s chest. She gripped his heart and without thinking about what she was doing, pulled her hand back. The guard let out a startled cry, his eyes widening in pained shock. He slumped to the floor a moment later, lifeless.

Hanayo stared down at the bloody organ in her hand as it beat for the last time. She felt like time had stopped moving again, her mind a complete blur. What had she done?

Rin’s eyes widened at the sight of the blood on Hanayo’s hand. Even Maki, who had been tending to Umi, had briefly turned her attention to Hanayo. An especially raspy intake of breath from Umi had her looking back down again though.

“Sh-She’s not going to make it. I can’t do anything…”

“NO!” Honoka dropped to her knees in tears, her gaze focused on Umi. She couldn’t lose her. She just couldn’t. “No, no, no…you have to do something, Maki-chan! PLEASE!”

Kotori, in tears herself sank to the ground next to Honoka and drew her friend’s head close to her chest. She knew it would kill her to have to watch Umi die. She felt the same way. Still, her eyes sought out her other best friend.

“Maki, get out of the way!” Future Honoka ordered suddenly, earning herself a frown from Maki. Nevertheless the redhead moved out of the way and Future Honoka took her place, carefully drawing Umi into her arms. “Stay with me, Umi-chan.” She pressed her forehead gently to Umi’s, her eyes watering. How many times did she have to lose her? It wasn’t fair. “I’m sorry. I’m so sorry, I should have realized…I should have known you’d never do anything like that unless you were forced. I should have known!”

Eli, choked up, turned away quickly and found Nico helping Nozomi through the gates. She surged forward, her arms going around her girlfriend. She couldn’t watch as Umi died either.

“Don’t you dare die on me, damn it.” Future Honoka was reminded of when she’d said the same thing to Kotori, right after she’d tried to save her. Her eyes widened in realization and with her free hand she quickly searched her pockets, finally emerging with a small bottle of blood. It was the last one she had, the last thing she had of her Nico and her world. She uncorked it with her teeth. “Just hold on a bit longer, Umi-chan.” She pressed her lips briefly to Umi’s forehead and focused on freezing everything around her, Umi included. As quickly as she could, she teleported to the nearest hospital supply room and searched for a syringe. Finding one, she teleported back to the Sonoda estate and moved back into her position with Umi, unfreezing time.

“Maki, I need your help!” She exclaimed, looking up at the telepath. She waited until Maki was kneeling next to her before she quickly shoved the needle into her hands. “Inject her, hurry!”

Maki wasn’t sure what she was doing or why but she did as she was asked, filling the needle with the blood. Quickly, she searched for a vein and slid the syringe in, injecting Umi with the blood.

Within seconds Umi’s injuries had disappeared completely, even the healing cuts from the previous day were gone. She gasped loudly, urgently drawing air into her lungs and opened her eyes to see a teary Honoka staring down at her. “H-Honoka…”

“Umi-chan.” Future Honoka drew Umi close and hugged her tighter, unable to hide her relief. “You’re okay. You’re safe.” She pressed her lips firmly to the top of Umi’s head, feeling the younger girl shudder against her and reach up to grip her jacket. “I’m so sorry. For treating you like I have been. I didn’t know…”

Umi squeezed her eyes shut, trying to block out the memories of what her mother had done. She held onto Future Honoka tightly until the future version of her friend released her and slowly stood up from the ground.

Kotori released Honoka and let her scramble over to Umi, throwing her arms around her.

“Umi-chan!” Honoka sobbed freely into Umi’s shoulder. She couldn’t believe how close she had come to losing her. It was hard to comprehend. “I thought..I-I thought…”

Umi exhaled slowly, comforted by Honoka’s presence. “I know, Honoka. I’m sorry.” She felt Honoka pull away from her and feared for a moment that her friend was going to leave her. What happened instead shocked her. Honoka leaned in and pressed their lips together in front of everyone. She didn’t seem to care who was watching.

Kotori, who had been on her way over, stopped short, the small smile that had lingered on her lips dropping away. She watched as Umi seemed to relax into the kiss, her arm going around Honoka’s shoulders. She shook her head in shock. That wasn’t right. She was supposed to be the one dating Honoka in the future.

After a moment, the kiss broke and Kotori found Umi’s gaze seek her out. Quickly, she forced a smile back to her face. Walking over to the other girls she pulled them both into an embrace. Right now wasn’t the time to be thinking of things like that. Her best friends needed her.

Rin turned her attention back toward her best friend and frowned at the obvious sobs escaping her. Maki who was next to her, pushed her. “She’s in shock Rin, she just killed someone. She needs comfort..go to her, you idiot!”

“R-Right!” Rin hurried forward, coming to a stop at Hanayo’s side. “K-Kayo-chin?” She looked down at Hanayo’s hand and found that she was still gripping the lifeless heart. Her stomach turned at the sight. “Hey, maybe you should put that down…” She began to reach for Hanayo’s wrist only for her best friend to jerk away from her.

“DON’T!”

Rin found herself being shoved away and she stumbled back a couple of steps, her eyes widening in surprise. “Kayo-chin…”

Maki watched in horror as the shove almost sent Rin to the floor. “Hanayo, stop it. Rin is just trying to help.”

“Well she shouldn’t.” Hanayo dropped the heart, feeling it growing cold in her hand. “I-I can’t be near any of you right now. I-I can’t…”

“Hanayo, relax. It’s okay.” Nico spoke up, trying to soothe the situation. It was obvious that Hanayo was distraught. “I’ve killed way more of them, y’know. They’re the bad guys. They would have killed us!”

Hanayo shook her head, the tears that had welled in her eyes flying free with the movement. “They’re people too!” She had never meant for it to be like this. She had never meant to hurt anyone. “I-I have to go…”

“Kayo-chin, wait!” Rin watched as Hanayo turned and ran away. With one last glance at the others, she quickly followed. It might have been the case that Hanayo didn’t want her there but she couldn’t let her best friend go off alone. She paused briefly when Hanayo phased herself beneath the ground. Her brow furrowed for a second before she realized that her friend must have run off to the sewers. “I’ll find her!”

Eli watched as Rin raced off with her speed ability. “I have to call Arisa, to…tell her to go to Honoka’s house, to spend the night with Yukiho. It’s probably safer there.” She still couldn’t believe what she’d seen. That her own mother was the enemy.

Future Honoka had been staring at her past self, Umi and Kotori, her eyes glossed over with unshed tears but she managed to snap herself out of it. “We have to go. Before anyone else shows up.”

“We can go to my apartment.” Nozomi spoke softly, her hand firmly in Eli’s. “We’ll be safe there for a while, I think. And Umi-chan can rest.”

Future Honoka felt a familiar probing at her mind and she glanced up at Maki, her eyes sharp. “Quit that, Maki! You remember what happened last time, don’t you?”

Maki flushed in embarrassment. She remembered it well. “I was just…I just wanted to talk to you.” She remembered seeing Honoka’s memories of how she’d interacted with Future Maki. They’d often done it telepathically as far as she remembered. “I wasn’t going to do anything.”

Her gaze fell to Honoka’s neck. She had only just noticed the significant absence of the necklace she’d grown used to seeing Future Honoka clutching but she wasn’t sure she should say anything. She was sure she’d seen Future Honoka wearing it before they went in.

“Oh.” Future Honoka vaguely wondered if Maki was upset or something like that but she couldn’t bring herself to offer reassurance. “Let’s go, come on.”

Nico pocketed the vial she’d taken from Rin and walked over to Honoka, grabbing onto her arm. Eli, Nozomi and the others joined them a moment later and Honoka quickly teleported them away.

“Damn, we missed them.” Anju commented as she watched the group disappear. “We should have done something as soon as we got here, instead of standing around.”

“We have to be patient.” Erena said with a shake of her head. “We’ll get them soon. You need to remember she doesn’t want any of them dead, Anju.” She looked toward their leader for confirmation.

Tsubasa smiled secretively. “We’ll get them sooner than you think. I have the perfect plan.”


	10. Chapter 10

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Remember this was a double chapter so don't forget to read chapter 9! :)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning for angst!

Shaken, Future Honoka stared down at her bloody hands. She was covered in the sticky substance. It was in her hair, smeared on her face, hands and clothes. Her gaze shifted slowly toward her past self and Umi. Honoka was clinging to her tightly, her arms wrapped around the pale girl’s neck as if afraid to let go. Kotori was sitting closeby, her hand gripping Umi’s tightly. The sight of them together sent a stab of pain through Future Honoka’s chest. She would never sit like that with her Kotori and Umi again, she would never have the chance to make amends with Umi. Her Umi had died with the knowledge that Honoka and everyone else she loved hated her.

“You can take a shower if you want.”  Nozomi offered, noticing Honoka’s bloody state. Umi was almost as bad, having been the one who was bleeding in the first place. “The bathroom is…”

“I’ll find it.” Future Honoka stood up sharply. She couldn’t look at her past self with Kotori and Umi any more. She just felt sickeningly jealous. She left the room, leaving the others sitting in tense silence.

Honoka gripped Umi tighter, her fingers digging slightly into her friend’s skin. After what had happened at Umi’s house she wasn’t willing to let go, even for a second. She could feel her usually composed best friend trembling against her. She wished she could say something to comfort her but if she was honest, she was just as shaken.

Umi almost flinched when gentle lips found her temple but she reminded herself that it was just Honoka and stayed still, her eyes closing as she focused on the warmth the comforting kiss brought. She couldn’t help but remember the way Future Honoka had embraced her so protectively earlier, strong arms encasing her body. It had been a brief change from the hatred she usually felt directed toward her by the young woman.

“Are you okay?” Eli whispered, leaning a little bit closer to Nozomi. Her girlfriend had seemed pained ever since they’d arrived at Umi’s house. She couldn’t help but feel concerned, aware of Nozomi’s inability to block so much pain out.

Nozomi hummed softly in response and flashed Eli a small smile.

“Are you su…?” Eli was cut off as Nozomi’s eyes widened quite suddenly, her hand flying to her chest. At the same time, Maki cried out in pain and clutched her head. Suddenly there was a commotion from the bathroom, the sound of thumps and choked screams.

“Honoka-chan?!” Kotori shot to her feet, her eyes wide with panic. She felt hands grab either of her own and glanced down at Umi and Honoka, who’d both grabbed onto her to keep her still.

Nozomi clenched her shirt tightly over her chest, her vision blurred with tears. Feeling what future Honoka was feeling was the most painful thing she had ever felt. It was as though she’d been stabbed in the chest.

Maki whimpered as unwelcome images filled her mind. Future Honoka being embraced by a tall blonde, obviously the future version of Eli. Future Eli sitting at Future Honoka’s hospital bedside, holding her hand. Future Eli bandaging Future Honoka’s wounds, the two of them laughing and drinking together, her Future self with Eli and Honoka in her office, talking about how Maki was going to cause a fire one day with her smoking habit. Future Eli throwing herself in front of Future Honoka to protect her…Future Honoka feeling something tucked into her hand. A cross.

Something smashed in the bathroom, followed immediately by the sound of loud, heartbroken sobs. The sensation almost had Nozomi keeling over.

Kotori tore her hands from her friend’s and hurriedly started for the door. Even Umi, who was still trembling after her encounter with her mother, stood, her heart hammering against her chest. No matter what, that was still Honoka and she obviously needed someone.

Eli quickly stepped in the way of Kotori, keeping her back with a hand held out in front of her. “You can’t.” She said hurriedly. She didn’t know what Kotori and Umi would find if they entered the bathroom. “I’ll go.”

“N-No, Honoka-chan’s my…” Kotori cut herself off, her eyes flitting toward the bathroom. She couldn’t just tell them that Honoka was her girlfriend in the future. It would upset Umi, not to mention confuse the rest of them. “She’s my best friend, Eli-chan!”

Eli swallowed thickly. They really didn’t have time to argue, not when Honoka was still so audibly distraught. The thumps and smashes hadn’t stopped despite being masked by sobs now and Eli had a rough idea of what it was.

“We don’t have time for this! We all know the two of you…have a thing for each other. Honoka is…if she tries to make a move, you won’t stop her.” She watched as Kotori’s cheeks flushed bright crimson. She had thought as much. Considering how much Future Honoka had seemed to open up to Kotori, it didn’t feel right to keep the two of them apart but she was just trying to protect Kotori. Her gaze shifted to Maki who was sitting down but leaning heavily against Nico. She was surprised to find tears shimmering on Maki’s cheeks. “Shit…” She turned to Nozomi, finding her in a similar state.

“Go and help her, Elichi.” Nozomi tearfully met Eli’s eyes, her shirt still clenched in her fist. “She’s hurting so much. Just do whatever you can…” Her voice was full of emotion, and it made Eli worry. What did Nozomi mean by that?

 _“Eli, be careful. Don’t get lost in the moment.”_  The thought came suddenly. Startled, Eli met Maki’s eyes. “ _Honoka isn’t well. She has memories that affect her way of thinking. When she says something that sounds weird, you need to know she’s talking to her Eli, not you.”_

Eli raised her eyebrow at the warning but turned around, missing the exchange between Nozomi and Maki. She walked into the hallway and made her way to the closed door that led to the bathroom. She could hear hysterical sobs and the sound of banging. With one more deep breath to calm her nerves the teenager placed her hand on the knob and turned it gently.

What she was met with was fog, the scorching hot water steaming the area and making it difficult for Eli to see properly. She stepped in and almost tripped over the clothing on the floor. She ducked down, spotting blood. There was so much blood on them, especially on the jacket with the unfamiliar stitches on the front. She bit her lip and heard a loud crash came from behind the shower glass.

Eli pushed herself to her feet and walked closer, the cries and yelling becoming clearer with every step. She caught sight of blood smeared on the shower screen and feared the worst. She grabbed on quickly to the handle and pushed the glass door open. She was met with bright blue hues, shimmering with grief and tears. She reached up a hand and opened her mouth to gently tell Honoka she needed to get out of the shower. The water was too hot, the steam too thick and Honoka’s hands were bleeding from where she’d hit the now crumbling tiles.

She carefully stepped into the shower, a moment later finding her back slammed into the wall. Eli gasped sharply at the shove and the feeling of Honoka’s fingers pressing into her skin. She opened her eyes and felt her heart skip a beat, her face flushing all the way to her ears and neck. She’d forgotten about the state of dress Future Honoka was in and it came with unwanted images. Her gaze followed every curve and tone muscle until landing on the gash on Honoka’s shoulder. She lifted her head meeting tearful eyes.

“Neck…lace” Future Honoka uttered, her features pained. It wasn’t something Eli nor the other members of Muse had seen before. Her breathing was heavy and the tears weren’t stopping. Eli was pushed further against the wall and gasped as the water struck against her skin like needles piercing her. She wasn’t as sensitive as she once had been but it still hurt.

“H-Honoka, stop! Ah, what are you doing?!?” She managed to choke out in surprise.

Future Honoka wasn’t in the right state mind to answer. She could only cry harder against the warm body under her own. She wanted to forget, she wanted to die. Just like everyone else she just wanted to plunge into the darkness and let herself finally rest.

When fingers brushed against the upper part of her back Honoka’s breath hitched. A distant memory came to her but she shook her head and pushed herself further against the younger girl. It was too painful, to remember things like that.

“I..just want it to stop..” She sobbed into Eli’s shoulder. “I don’t want to be the only one left. I can’t do this any more, I just can’t! I already used Nico’s blood and now I’ve lost my only connection to you..” She wasn’t speaking about the teenager. She was talking about the other one. Her tall, brave, stupid and selfless partner in crime. Her best friend, her Eli.

Eli was frozen for a moment, taking in Honoka’s words. A lump formed in her throat and she reached up, clutching Honoka tightly instead of trying to push her away like she had been. Underneath all of the defensive layers Future Honoka had built up over the years, she was still Honoka. Still the same girl who cared too much. Eli clutched her tightly, choked up by the thought of what Honoka had been through. It wasn’t fair. None of it was.

Suddenly, Honoka was trying to pull away from her and Eli’s eyes widened. She’d seen the blood smeared on the shower screen. Honoka’s bloody knuckles made it obvious that she’d been out of control. She held on tighter. “Don’t.” She said, her voice slightly sharper than she intended. “I’ve got you, Honoka.”

The water pounding down on her hurt terribly but she wasn’t about to let go. Especially not when Honoka only began to cry harder at her words. Her fingers dug into Honoka’s back and she once again felt a slightly rougher area beneath her hand. She didn’t have the presence of mind to think about that though, not when her clothes were soaked through, making them seem oddly heavy. Her hair was wet too, her bangs clinging to her forehead as water dripped down her face. It would have been uncomfortable for anyone, but to her it was beyond painful. It made her remember when Nozomi had tossed her into the sea, having been unaware of her ability and her weakness against water.

She inhaled sharply through her teeth as the water seemed to get colder and gripped Future Honoka tighter, both as a reaction to the pain and an attempt to comfort her.  She could hear Kotori from the other side of the door, obviously adamant about getting to Honoka. Nico and Maki were trying to hold her back but they were obviously struggling. It wouldn’t be long before Kotori got past them, probably by turning invisible. They couldn’t really stop her if they couldn’t see her.

She gently shushed the broken girl in her arms, fingers gently running through soft ginger hair. “Get us out of here, Honoka.” She whispered, hoping Honoka would have the presence of mind to do so before Kotori burst into the room.

A few seconds ticked by before Eli felt the familiar tugging sensation of Honoka’s power. She felt as if she were standing on air, as if the two of them were surrounded by nothingness. It was as though the only thing keeping her anchored was Future Honoka’s grip on her. She closed her eyes tightly, only opening them when she felt like her feet were planted solidly on the floor again. Honoka was silent now, only shuddering occasionally against her and Eli realized with a blush that the older girl was still very much naked. It seemed that Honoka realized the same thing as she pulled away quickly and moved off to change.

Eli couldn’t quite manage to avert her eyes from Future Honoka’s bare back as she walked away from her. Her gaze sought out the rougher patch of skin she’d felt earlier, expecting to see scars. She didn’t and she frowned thoughtfully. The skin on display was slowly covered up, though not by much.

She took a moment to look around the hotel room. It wasn’t an especially nice room. It was more of a mess than anything else, empty bottles, food cartons and clothes lying around. It looked to be fine for what Honoka needed it for though. Eli supposed she mustn’t do anything but sleep in the room.

A few minutes passed before she felt something soft being pressed into her hand. Startled, she turned her attention forward and found Honoka standing there. Her eyes were clouded with tears but she seemed to be holding herself together. For the moment. She reached out to take the article of clothing that was being offered but her eyes traveled elsewhere, her cheeks reddening at the amount of skin being displayed.

Future Honoka was clad in just a pair of fitting black jeans and a plain black sports bra. She could see the blood trickling down from the strap that was over her shoulder. Eli completely forgot about the clothes given to her and hurried to the older woman.

“We need to wrap this! Who knows how much blood you’ve already lost? God, you really are still an idiot aren’t you?”

Honoka stared at Eli in surprise, having not expected the outburst. Numbly, she pointed to the first aid kit she had on her bedside table. It seemed she needed it just as much now as she had in the future. She pressed the clothes into Eli’s hands though, silently insisting that she put them on first.

She watched as Eli walked over to get it but eventually tore her eyes away and moved to sit on the bed instead, not watching Eli change into the fresh clothes. She was silent as the blonde walked back over to her and began to bandaged her shoulder for her. She winced slightly as the wound was accidentally prodded. Eli had never been the best at first aid. Most of the time when Eli bandaged her up, Maki had to redo it.

Eli tried to ignore the way Honoka was shaking beneath her hands as she applied the bandages. There was little else she could do in terms of first aid. She was no Maki, that was for certain. Even now, Maki seemed to have a knack for treating wounds. Honoka could almost hear her, tutting about how Eli had just slapped a bandage on for the sake of it, that she hadn’t even bothered to disinfect the wound.

_“Damn pyro thinks she can cover it up and it’s fixed. I swear I’m going to force her to take a first aid course…”_

Honoka clenched her hands into fists, her eyes watering again.

“Honoka, I have to take this off.” Eli said softly, her hand sliding around Honoka’s back to the clasp of her bra. She waited for some kind of agreement from Honoka but it didn’t even seem as though she was listening to her. Sighing, she unclasped the clothing and gently tugged it off Honoka. Her fingers brushed against the slightly rougher skin again and she frowned in confusion. Struggling to keep her eyes away from Honoka’s chest, she finished wrapping the wound as best she could.

Future Honoka was lost in her own thoughts but she tensed suddenly when Eli’s fingers moved over her back, skimming gently over the area she’d only allowed one person to touch. Not even Kotori was allowed to touch her there. “What…?”

“What is this?” Eli’s gaze was innocently curious as Honoka looked up in confusion. “It feels…different. Not like the rest of your skin.”

Honoka had to swallow thickly to continue speaking. “A tattoo.”

Eli raised an eyebrow, her fingers continuing to roam gently over the rougher skin. “I can’t imagine you having a tattoo.”

“Yeah…it wasn’t by choice, trust me.”

Eli frowned at Honoka’s words and shifted to look over the young woman’s upper back. There was nothing there, no visible sign of the tattoo. “Why is it invisible?”

“It just is.” Honoka slid off the bed and as she stood, Eli noticed that her knuckles were still bloody. Before she could suggest that she wrap them too, Honoka was limping to the bathroom. Eli stayed where she was, uncertain about what else to do. She took a moment to look around the room, noticing the notes pinned to the far wall. From where she was sitting, it looked like a timeline. She was about to get up to inspect it when Honoka returned with something in her hand.

“I’ll have to turn the lights down for this.” Future Honoka said softly as she wandered over to the light. She paused with her hand on the switch. It was hard not to remember how her Eli had reacted when she’d first seen the tattoo. “Are you sure?”

Eli nodded even as her heart thudded urgently against her chest. The lights turned off and after a few moments, Honoka returned to the bed, sitting down in front of her like she had been before.

Numbly, Eli took the small torch offered to her and switched it on. She carefully brushed Honoka’s hair out of the way and shone the blue light onto her upper back. AU017TM. She blinked in confusion. She had expected music notes, lyrics, some kind of quote…not a seemingly random combination of letters and numbers. “What does it mean?”

“Ability User 017. Time Manipulator.” Honoka answered, her voice soft. She didn’t stutter like she used to but there was a quiver in her voice. “It’s just a tag. I told you, I didn’t want it to be put there.”

“A tag…” Eli echoed, her fingers skirting carefully over the letters. Honoka was tense beneath her fingers but she couldn’t help her curiosity. “What do you mean? What for?”

“I was in a camp. A world government restraint camp. I was…in the future, ability users aren’t thought of as human. We’re evil. We’re savages, according to them, and we need to be stopped.” Honoka sounded far away suddenly, her voice hoarse. “I was in one for a few months, I think. I was experimented on and…this was just my tag. So they could keep track of me, I suppose.”

Eli wasn’t sure she wanted to know, but she needed to ask. Maybe it wouldn’t be so bad but she had to know either way. Her heart in her throat, she managed to speak. “Experimented on…how?”

“Blood tests, injections, physical tests, IQ and intelligence tests. They liked to push us to our limits, to see how much we could take from them.” Honoka shuddered at the memory of her time in the camp. “Ability tests mainly. I was almost always under heavy drugs so I couldn’t do much but they would push my abilities to the brink. The officers there liked to beat us too. I don’t think that was part of the tests.” She let out a bitter bark of laughter, even as her eyes misted over.

Eli let out a shuddering breath as her fingers continued to gently dance over the ‘tag’. It was more horrible than she could have imagined. “Oh god…” The more she thought about it and pictured that happening to Honoka, the worse it got. She’d been tagged, like some kind of animal and tortured. ‘Experiments’, Honoka had said, but Eli knew what that meant. “Bastards! I’ll…I’ll…” She couldn’t finish that sentence. There was nothing she could do.

Honoka felt Eli’s fingers on her back start to get hot and she jolted in surprise, whipping around to face the blonde. Eli’s eyes were damp with tears but her cheeks were flushed, her jaw clenched. There was no mistaking the fury in her expression.

_“Remind me why we’re doing this.” Eli was knelt on the bed behind Honoka who was sitting cross legged, her back bared. She glanced contemplatively at the torch in her hand, her brow furrowing._

_“I don’t want to lie to you any more.” Honoka answered simply. Eli had asked her so many times about what the officers and doctors had done to her but she’d never told the truth. “Just shine it on my back, Eli-senpai. You’ll see.”_

_Eli sighed at the vague answer but flicked the torch on and shone the light onto Honoka’s back. When a tattoo showed up, she almost dropped the torch in surprise. “Wh-What the hell is that? You got a tattoo?!”_

_“The doctors gave me one. When I was at the camp. Ability User 017. Time Manipulator. I thought you might want to know.” Honoka answered without looking over her shoulder._

_Eli gripped the torch tighter, her gaze fixed to the tattoo. Anger flared in her chest, taking her breath away. She had heard of these identification tags from other camp survivors but she never thought they would be this horrifying to witness at first hand. Tears gathered in her eyes and the hand that was holding the torch was suddenly ignited, burning it to ash._

_“Fucking bastards! Why the hell are they treating us like dogs!? We’re human too! We’re not some science project!” She could only picture how much torture Honoka had gone through. With no questions she sank down onto the ruddy bed and wrapped her arms around the younger woman. She didn’t care about the bare skin that was obviously being displayed. It didn’t matter._

_A hitch was heard from Honoka, the trembling of her body only causing Eli to tighten her hold. She rested her forehead against the slightly rough patch of skin. “You didn’t deserve any of this..I swear to you, no one will hurt you again, Honoka. I’ll kill anyone who tries to hurt you.”_

_Honoka only sobbed harder in response to Eli’s heartfelt announcement. She couldn’t take the haunting images of the officers hurting innocents and the doctors prodding her. She turned around and wrapped her arms around the blonde’s neck. The material of Eli’s black tank top scratched against her bare chest._

_“I was so scared. I thought I was going to die, I really thought I was going to never get out of there. It was like a prison. I-I felt like I deserved it because of my ability. Eli-Senpai, I…I wished I would hurry up and die. That the guards would hit me hard enough to kill me.”_

_“Don’t say that!” Eli barked out, pulling back slightly. She gripped the back of Honoka’s neck, their tear filled eyes meeting intently. It infuriated her, that Honoka had gone through that. She was angry at the government for doing it, at Umi for taking an active role in it and at herself for not stopping it. She should have been there. She should have made sure that Honoka was safe. “I’m never going to let them take you again, Honoka. They’ll never touch you as long as I’m alive!”_

_Honoka nodded shakily and leaned in, her forehead gently meeting Eli’s between them._

—

_Honoka felt normal for a change as she laughed at the two girls in front her. They were arguing, or more like shouting, Eli holding Nico in a rather painful headlock._

_“You think it’s funny to switch Honoka’s drink with mine!? God damn it you know what she’s like with vodka!” Eli yelled as she continued to try and fail to choke the immortal._

_“You do remember this won’t hurt me, right?” Nico smirked at the pathetic attempt. She waited a couple of moments for the blonde to calm down before she slipped her way out of her grip. She pushed the swaying Honoka toward her. “Get her to her room or yours, I don’t care. I need to do something.”_

_“Don’t you mean someone?” Eli countered as she lifted Honoka to her feet. She turned her head to the time manipulator and smiled at the peaceful features adoring her face. “Come on, we need to get some sleep.”_

_Nico rolled her eyes at Eli and waved goodbye before heading out the door, leaving them on their own._

_Honoka lay her head on Eli’s shoulder and groaned as the room span. “My head hurts…I’m not too drunk am I?”_

_“Well you haven’t asked me to light you up yet so I’d say no. Seems like you’re getting better at holding vodka huh?” Eli teased gently as she wrapped her arm around Honoka’s waist and began to lead her toward the doors. “ You okay?”_

_Honoka noticed that Eli had her hair up at the moment. She hadn’t worn the style for a long time. “You look young.” She whispered._

_“What do you mean by that?! I’m 21 years old Honoka!” Eli spoke, alarmed and irritated. She was just about to drop the other girl when suddenly she heard a fit of giggles burst out of Honoka._

_“No I didn’t mean like that, I meant that you look like you did when you were seventeen…I always thought you looked really cute with your hair up like that!”_

_Eli felt her cheeks redden and rolled her eyes. Honoka was always way too carefree when she was drunk. It was something she wished Honoka was when she was sober. Most of the time Honoka was very cautious around people. She certainly wasn’t as social as she was when she was younger so it was always a rare pleasure to see her acting like her old self again. The person she had been before Umi’s betrayal and the camp._

_“Shut up and let’s get you to bed.”_

_“Love you too, my dear onee-sama!”_

_“Don’t call me that! I prefer senpai over that honorific. Ugh, you’re such a pain in the ass when you’re drunk.” Eli’s cheeks flushed again and Honoka could only laugh before leaning in and patting Eli’s head._

_Life was good when she had her best friend with her._

_—_

_Honoka ignored the greetings of her fellow rebels, too focused on getting to Eli to pay them much attention. She had checked the medical wing and Nozomi had been there, sleeping peacefully, but Maki had told her that Eli had left a while ago. It wasn’t something Honoka had expected to hear. That Eli hadn’t been right at Nozomi’s bedside was surprising enough._

_She didn’t slow down as she approached Eli’s bedroom, bursting in unannounced instead. She found Eli sitting on the edge of the bed, her hands engulfed in flames. “Eli-senpai!” She hurried forward to Eli, reaching out for her only for Eli to quickly move out of her grasp. She blinked at the space Eli had previously occupied in confusion, noting the packed bag just behind where she’d been sitting. “Huh?”_

_“Stay away from me.”_

_Honoka gaped at Eli in shock. “What?” She shook her head and took a couple of steps forward. Eli had never spoken to her like that before and it hurt more than she cared to admit. “What are you saying, Eli-senpai? It’s me. We…” They would never tell the other to stay away. Other people, they would, but never each other. “It’s just me.”_

_Eli bowed her head, a choked sob rising from her throat. “I know that, Honoka. I know.” She clenched her flaming fists at her sides. She didn’t trust them. “Just get out.”_

_“NO!” Honoka’s voice rose, both in desperation and anger. She gestured wildly to the bag on the bed. “What the fuck is this?!”_

_Eli turned around and clenched her jaw, tears slipping free from her eyes at the slight movement. “I’m leaving. Kotori is right, I’m reckless and I’m going to get someone hurt. I…” She trailed off as Honoka surged forward and grabbed her collar, shoving her back against the wall behind her. It took every ounce of willpower she had to push down the instinct to go up in flames. “H-Honoka…”_

_“What’s wrong with you?!” Honoka growled, her eyes misty with tears. “What about Nozomi-chan? What about me?”_

_“I’m doing this for you!” Eli insisted, her voice slightly choked because of Honoka’s grip. “You and Nozomi, you’d be better off without me…”_

_“I’d be dead without you!” Honoka’s sharp voice cut Eli off completely. “You think you’re not essential here?! Do you know what would happen to Nozomi if you left? What would happen to me? You’ve made yourself essential to me! You’ve given me the strength I need to live! How am I supposed to do that if you leave me?”_

_Eli’s hands, now flame free reached up to grip Honoka’s. “I hurt her, Honoka. I hurt her with my own hands.”_

_“You didn’t mean to.” Honoka spoke with conviction. She knew Eli didn’t mean it. She would never willingly hurt Nozomi._

_“How do you know that?!”_

_“Because I know you.” Honoka slowly released Eli’s collar  and gripped one of her wrists instead, lifting it slightly instead. “Show me your fire.”_

_Eli took a shuddering breath and tentatively lit her hand up, blue flames licking at her skin. When she noticed Honoka inching her hand forward she instinctively tried to tug hers away only to be stopped by Honoka’s tight grip on her wrist._

_“Honoka, stop!” She spoke urgently, her eyes wide with fear. “Don’t. Please, I couldn’t stand hurting you too. Please…” Honoka had already been hurt too much. More than anyone should be hurt. “Please, Honoka…”_

_Eli’s desperate pleading broke Honoka’s heart but she knew there was nothing to be done about it. “It’s fine, Eli-senpai.” Her hand trembled as she inched it closer to Eli’s. She didn’t take her eyes off Eli’s, nor did she miss the fact that they were full of tears again. “I trust you with my life.” With that said, she pressed her palm firmly against Eli’s , her fingers sliding between the other woman’s. It didn’t burn. It didn’t even feel uncomfortable. Her hand was just enveloped by warmth. “See? I-I told you.”_

_Eli’s lower lip trembled as she stared at their joined hands. She threw her free arm around Honoka’s neck and pulled her close. “Do you think Nozomi will hate me?”_

_Honoka scoffed and shook her head. “She could never hate you. Neither could I. We both love you too much for that so…don’t ever leave us, alright?”_

_Eli couldn’t speak so she merely nodded and tightened her grip on Honoka._

—

Future Honoka wasn’t sure when the tears had begun, too lost in her memories to have paid attention. All she knew was that now they had started they wouldn’t seem to stop.

Eli opened and closed her mouth, surprised by Honoka’s sudden change of mood. She didn’t know what she had said or done to cause it and she didn’t know what to do to fix it. All she could do was watch, her stomach in knots. The cries started off quiet at first, but after a couple of minutes Honoka seemed to collapse in on herself, the defenses she’d meticulously built up falling away with her tears.

“Honoka…” Eli ducked down slightly, meeting Honoka’s eyes with some difficulty. She felt her breath catch in her throat at the pure devastation on Honoka’s face. She noticed Honoka was grasping for something around her neck, but was only met with air. Her necklace was gone, she realized with a sharp inhalation. It was gone and yet Honoka was still reaching for it.

She couldn’t take just watching anymore and she reached up to unclasp her necklace, taking it off quickly. Before she could think further into it, she’d put it around Honoka’s neck, allowing her to clasp the small cross.

“Eli-senpai…” Honoka’s eyes focused on Eli’s and she slowly reached up with both hands, shakily pulling Eli’s hair from the ponytail it was in. It fell neatly around her shoulders and Eli found herself holding her breath. As soon as their gazes met Honoka’s expression crumbled once again. Eli kicked herself for being the cause of it and quickly wrapped her arms around the weeping woman, pulling her close to her chest.

“I’m sorry.” Future Honoka clenched the shirt Eli was wearing tightly in her fists. “I never asked you to die for me! I wouldn’t have….you shouldn’t have…I’m so sorry. I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I…”

“I forgive you, Honoka.” Eli felt her eyes sting with tears as she pressed her hand gently to the back of Honoka’s head to hold her closer. “It’s okay. I forgive you.”

“I just want to forget everything. I just want this to be a nightmare…I just want to wake up next to Kotori-chan or with you and Maki-chan. I just want to wake up with everyone and know everything’s okay.” She choked and buried her head further against the teenager. “Please. I just want to go home, Senpai. You said…you promise you’d never leave me! Why did you…?”

It wasn’t easy, to hold back her own tears. She’d always found it sweet but a little bit odd that Honoka insisted upon calling her that. Hearing it from the older version of her friend was achingly sad. “I’m sorry, Honoka. I’m so sorry…”

Honoka slowly lifted her head to meet Eli’s watery stare. “Just let me die.” She pleaded weakly. She was tired of fighting. She was just tired. It wasn’t fair that she was the only one left. “Please.”

“I can’t.” Eli lifted her hand to brush Honoka’s tears from her cheeks with shaky fingers. “I just can’t, Honoka.”

Honoka’s gaze was hurt and confused but Eli knew she wasn’t really looking at her like that. She was looking at her Eli. “But…” She trailed off into a whimper, her lower lip trembling again. “It hurts. It hurts so much without you.” Her hands clasped Eli’s upper arms desperately, hard enough to leave a mark. “Why would you just leave me? I thought you loved me!”

Eli swallowed thickly against the lump in her throat. She would never be able to let her version of Honoka die. She could only assume that feeling was much stronger in the future. “I do love you. Why do you think I wouldn’t let anything happen to you?”

Already pressed against Eli, it didn’t take much effort to lean in and press her lips against the blonde’s, the need for contact overwhelming her. Eli was warm against her, proof that she was there with her. Not dead. She was alive and breathing.

Eli’s eyes widened briefly before closing. She was powerless to do anything but melt into the kiss. Maybe it was just what Future Honoka needed. Nozomi would have done the same thing, wouldn’t she? She would be much more useful in the situation.

_“She’s hurting so much. Just do whatever you can…”_

Eli freed her arms from Honoka’s light grip and wrapped them around her neck instead, drawing her closer still. Kissing Honoka was different to kissing Nozomi. Not in a good way or a bad way, it was just different. Even during moments of passion, there was more of a gentleness to Nozomi’s kisses. Eli assumed Honoka was being a bit rough because of the sheer desperation she felt to be close to her. Her fingers drifted gently over the invisible tattoo on Honoka’s back as she kissed her. As much as she hated what it had been put there for, she was fascinated by it.

Honoka released a soft sound of approval at the touch. Eli was acting exactly like her Eli would by touching the tattoo. She scooted back on the bed and pulled the pyro down with her as she lay down. The kiss broke for a moment and they found themselves staring intently at each other, their heavy breaths mixing between them.

“I love you.” Honoka whispered, reaching up to brush a strand of Eli’s hair from her face. She meant it like she always had, even given the situation they were in. She loved Eli as her friend, as her protector, as someone she knew she wouldn’t be able to carry on without.

It seemed that Honoka was calming down but the emotional admission of love caused Eli’s stomach to twist with guilt. She didn’t know if it was the right thing to do to step in for the future version of herself but she knew that was who Honoka needed her to be for the moment.

“I know.” She murmured, leaning in to gently rest her forehead against Honoka’s. She didn’t need to be an empath to feel the same ache Honoka felt. She could easily see how much the older woman was hurting. When Honoka kissed her again she didn’t hesitate to return it even as her thoughts drifted to Nozomi. Her girlfriend would understand, better than anyone why Eli was allowing this to happen. She could feel what Honoka could feel, and what Eli felt. She would know why. More importantly there couldn’t be any doubt that Eli loved Nozomi. She would always be able to feel that.

Honoka pulled away after a moment and carefully rolled them over so that she was on top. For a few seconds, Eli forgot to breathe as she took in the sight of Honoka straddling her. The time manipulator was still naked from the waist up and Eli could see every subtle movement of muscles as she shifted. Finally, Honoka leaned back down but instead of kissing the blonde again, she tucked her face into her neck and held on tightly.

“Don’t leave me.” Honoka whispered pleadingly against Eli’s neck. She felt arms come up to wrap around her back and immediately felt safer. She couldn’t help it, it was just the effect Eli seemed to have on her.

“I’m not going anywhere.” Eli whispered into the darkness. She stayed like that long after Honoka had fallen asleep, wondering what Nozomi would say about what happened and about how much longer Honoka would last given the state she was in.

—

Umi stirred from her light sleep at the sound of movement in the next room. Warm bodies pressed against her from each side and a small smile tugged at her lips as she remembered Honoka and Kotori refusing to let her sleep alone. It was the furthest thing from what she’d wanted anyway. She nestled further into Honoka’s arms, her eyes flitting closed again. Lying with the two of them like this she felt safer than she had in months.

Not wanting to move, she focused on the feeling of Kotori’s even breathing brushing against the back of her neck. She shifted slightly, feeling both pairs of arms instinctively tighten around her. She sighed contentedly. This was how it was supposed to be, the three of them together. It had always been like that. Unwittingly she found herself trying to think further back to when they had met for the first time. It was a memory she often thought back to with great fondness.  Now though, she couldn’t remember anything about it. Her eyes shot open in surprise and she frantically scoured her memories. She couldn’t have just forgotten something so important. It wasn’t possible.

“Oh no…” She bit down hard on her lower lip. There was really only one explanation. Her mother had taken her memories. Hurriedly, she tried to think of another memory. One she had only recently been reminiscing about with Honoka. She knew there had been a time when she had kissed her friend’s knee better after an especially rough fall but she couldn’t recall that either. “Oh god…”

Suddenly feeling unbearably hot, she pushed Honoka and Kotori’s arms off of her and quickly stood up from the bed. Her hand went to her chest where her heart was beating almost as quickly as it had been when she was at her house earlier. She watched as Kotori and Honoka gravitated toward one another, filling the gap she had left.

Quickly, she turned and left the room, closing the door carefully behind her. Nozomi had elected to give Umi her bed while she pulled out a futon for herself, Nico and Maki. Wary of disturbing them, Umi made her way to the kitchen. She was surprised to find Nozomi already in there, brewing some tea.

“N-Nozomi…” She stuttered, surprised to see the older girl was awake. “What are you doing up?”

“I could ask you the same thing.” Nozomi countered as she turned around. It hadn’t escaped her notice when Umi had woken up of course, nor had she failed to recognize the other girl’s sudden flare of panic. She decided not to question that just yet. “Do you want some tea?”

“Um…sure.” Umi answered quietly, casting a look back into the other room. She could just about make out Nico and Maki under the futon.

Nozomi went back to what she was doing, pouring another cup of tea for Umi. She hadn’t been able to sleep, too distracted by everything she could feel from Eli. Even with the blonde so far away she could feel everything she was feeling with startling clarity. The brush of fingers against slightly rougher skin, the play of muscles beneath her hands and the thrill of kissing someone for the first time.

She shuddered, her eyes half closing as she focused inadvertently on what Eli was feeling. A sudden thrum of arousal washed over her, leaving her wondering exactly what Honoka had done to elicit such a response. “Damn…”

“Are you okay?” Umi asked in concern, noticing the way Nozomi’s cheeks had flushed.

“Of course.” Nozomi answered, broken from her thoughts. She turned around and handed Umi one of the cups she’d poured tea into. “I was just thinking…Honoka’s future self is pretty attractive, huh?”

“Um…” Umi blushed at the question. She couldn’t say she hadn’t noticed it. “Yeah, I guess. A bit. W-Why do you ask?”

“No reason…” Nozomi shrugged her shoulders in response. She had to bite her lip as she suddenly remembered the feeling of Honoka’s future self wrapping her strong arms around Eli’s body.

Umi sipped at her tea, unable to press the issue of what was bothering Nozomi. She could barely even think past her own problems. “Um…” The silence grew awkward after a moment though she wasn’t sure what to say. “Honoka told me you slapped her future self.”

“Oh?” Nozomi raised an eyebrow in amusement. “How does she know that?”

“Maki.” Umi explained simply. She didn’t need to give any more of an explanation than that. She watched as understanding seemed to dawn on Nozomi. “So um…you really did that for me?”

“Yeah. Why do you look so surprised?” Nozomi couldn’t help but grin at the puzzled look on Umi’s face. “You’re my friend and I care about you. Besides, she needed a slap. She’s so damn stubborn…”

Umi raised a brow at the answer, a slight uneasy thought coming to her mind. “You seem quite fond of her…”

Nozomi let out a short huff in response though it was just as hushed as the words that followed were. “Not really. I think she’s fascinating, that’s all. She’s so different from our Honoka. She’s less social than her for a start…”

“That’s not really a good thing.” Umi said quietly, crossing her arms in front of her chest. Honoka had always been confident and outgoing. At least as far as Umi could remember, she had been. Her brow furrowed slightly in concentration. “Honoka’s future self is colder than she used to be. My Honoka is…” She faltered, struggling to call upon her memories. It was like she could almost reach them, like words that were on the tip of her tongue. “She’s not cold at all. She’s never been like that.” If she had anything to say about it, Honoka would never turn out to be that way. She would do whatever it took to keep that from happening. “She’s always been warm and kind and…and…”

“Umi-chan?” Nozomi straightened up suddenly at the sight of tears flooding Umi’s eyes. Quickly, she set her tea aside. “Hey, hey…what’s wrong?”

“I can’t remember…” Umi concentrated intently, trying to recall her childhood memories with Honoka and Kotori. They were childhood friends, they had plenty of memories together from that time. But she couldn’t remember anything. “Meeting Honoka and Kotori, everything we did together…I can’t…I can’t remember. S-She must have taken my memories away…”

Nozomi quickly made her way over to Umi, taking the cup from her before it could fall from her shaking hands. “What do you mean, Umi-chan?”

“My mother. She…She took them…my childhood memories.” Umi covered her mouth with her hand, a sharp sob tearing it’s way from her throat. Those memories with Kotori and Honoka were some of the most precious she had.

Nozomi’s eyes widened suddenly and as she watched tears slip down Umi’s cheeks she stepped forward and embraced her tightly.

“I need to remember.” Umi said through tears as she clutched at the back of Nozomi’s shirt. She’d never thought she would lose those memories. She had taken them for granted. She focused intently, her head aching as she tried to force herself to remember.

“It’s okay, Umi-chan…” Nozomi focused, trying to take away Umi’s pain only to feel herself being pushed away.

“Please, don’t!” Umi whimpered, keeping Nozomi at arms length. “I don’t want you to suffer on my behalf.” She was weak from the emotional draining of her distress. She felt the older girl hesitate before pulling her against her soft body, holding her just as tightly as before.

“I’m not going to let you suffer through this alone, Umi-chan.” Nozomi said solemnly, refusing to release her grip even as Umi squirmed in her hold. “Do you think that’s what Honoka-chan and Kotori-chan would want? You’ve pushed us away for long enough.”

Umi stilled as the truth in Nozomi’s words sank in. “I’m sorry. I-I don’t know what else to do, Nozomi…”

“Just let us help you.” Nozomi spoke in a whisper, gently rubbing Umi’s back. “We all love you, Umi-chan. Especially Honoka-chan and Kotori-chan. You’re not alone, I promise.”

Finally, Umi nodded and relaxed into Nozomi’s embrace.

TBC.


	11. Chapter 11

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> DOUBLE CHAPTER AGAIN

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning(s): Swearing, angst, slightly sexual scenes.

Rin wasn’t sure how long she ran after Hanayo, only that it was getting dark and she was hungry. Super speed, as Maki often warned her, meant that she burned through far more calories than a normal person usually would so she had to eat more often. Because of that, the redhead seemed to be constantly pestering Rin to eat after she used her powers, or else she just pushed a protein bar into her hand with a warning look. It was sweet, Rin thought, that Maki wanted to take care of them all even if she wouldn’t admit it to herself. **  
**

“Kayo-chin, stop!”

She wished that Hanayo would stop running and listen to her but her best friend showed no signs of stopping. Rin could easily get close to her. It would be easy for her to grab her and run off with her under any other circumstances but she couldn’t touch Hanayo at all while she was using her phasing power. It was so frustrating, to be unable to do anything but keep up as her friend ran from her. She wouldn’t have even had to use her ability to do that, but Hanayo kept phasing through walls to get away from her. She’d even disappeared into the sewers at one point, leaving Rin with no option but to use her speed.

She gritted her teeth together, ignoring the weakness she felt and pushed on. She didn’t care what it took, she wasn’t going to leave Hanayo alone when she was so upset. “KAYO-CHIIIIN!”

Hanayo looked back and Rin felt her chest tighten at the dampness of her friend’s eyes. It wasn’t fair, that Hanayo had to feel like this. She had only been trying to protect all of them. Rin should have been faster, she shouldn’t have frozen like she had. She should have been the one to kill the guard, she was sure she could have handled it. Hanayo wasn’t like her though, she was too good and pure to be able to handle the guilt of taking someone’s life.

Thankfully, it seemed that Rin wasn’t the only one who was tiring. Hanayo was clearly slowing down, even with her phasing to help her keep the distance between the two of them. Soon enough she stopped, bent at the waist with her hands on her knees. Rin stopped with her, swaying a little bit on her feet. For a moment, the two of them stood there, the only sound that of their heavy breathing. Finally, Hanayo lifted her head, a frown on her lips.

“I-I told you not to follow me!” She exclaimed breathlessly, reaching up to wipe her eyes. She hadn’t even noticed that she wasn’t using her ability anymore. Even such a passive power was hard to keep up. “W-Why can’t you just leave me alone?”

“You were upset and running from me, how could I not follow you, nya?!” Rin’s voice wasn’t as bright and bubbly as usual, making the ‘nya’ at the end sound a bit odd and forced. “I would rather run all night then leave you alone!”

Hanayo’s bottom lip trembled, her eyes suddenly awash with tears. “W-Why? Why would you want to be with me right now? I killed someone, Rin-chan! I…” She shook her head, curling an arm around her stomach. She was awful. She had torn someone’s heart right from their chest without giving it so much as a few seconds of thought. “Oh god…” She felt herself weaken and stumbled to her knees, barely hearing Rin calling her name in a panic. Her knees had barely collided with the ground before she felt arms going around her and she sank forward against Rin’s torso, hot tears spilling down her cheeks. “W-What did I…? I-I can’t…”

Rin swallowed thickly against the lump in her throat. She’d never liked seeing Hanayo in pain. For some reason it always made her chest ache. She stared at her friend uncertainly before her jaw clenched determinedly. She couldn’t just do nothing. She slipped her hand under Hanayo’s knees and stood with some difficulty, glancing this way and that. Seeing nobody in sight, she took a deep breath and mustering up the last of her strength, used her ability to speed off with Hanayo in her arms. Arms looped around her neck and she felt Hanayo’s face press closer to her chest. She didn’t know whether it was to protect her face from the wind whipping against them or just for comfort.

It didn’t take more than a few minutes for her to reach her house but upon seeing the car outside, her breath caught in her throat. Her father was there. A chill ran down her spine and she tightened her grip on Hanayo. She couldn’t risk taking her inside when her father was there.

“Just another minute, Kayo-chin.” She promised quietly, her voice trembling slightly as she thought of her father’s reaction to her not being home. He would be furious, she was sure. Pushing the thought away she sped off with Hanayo again, holding the other girl as tightly to her chest as she could. She didn’t have many options about where to take her. Nozomi’s apartment came to mind but she knew that the others might be there, especially if they wanted to stay together. She only had one other option.

Gritting her teeth, she changed direction. It only took a few minutes until she reached the all too familiar building. She rushed through the door, into the spacious interior. She didn’t slow down until she reached the mattress she’d placed in the corner. The speed at which she’d entered sent a pile of paper flying around. Notes from school, she realized, though she couldn’t bring herself to care.

Rin set Hanayo down on the mattress with some difficulty, having to loosen the arms from around her neck. After, she stumbled away to get some matches. Her limbs felt heavy and she felt even sicker than she had a moment ago. She went through the backpack she kept leaning against the wall, finally emerging with a bottle of water and a raggedy cloth.

When she returned to the mattress Hanayo had moved. Now she was huddled in the corner, her knees pulled to her chest as she stared vacantly ahead. Rin knelt in front of her, hoping to catch her eye but it seemed that Hanayo didn’t even realize that she was there. Sighing, she poured some of the water onto the cloth and carefully reached toward Hanayo. She had worried that Hanayo would flinch away but she just continued to stare straight forward, allowing Rin to gently wipe the blood from her cheek.

Rin sighed again but continued what she was doing, after a moment turning her attention to Hanayo’s hands. Her right hand was covered in blood. Carefully, Rin grasped Hanayo’s wrist and began to wipe at her palm, trying to get the blood off. It was difficult, given that it was everywhere, even under her nails, but she worked diligently, determined to wipe away the evidence of what Hanayo had done.

A short while passed before Hanayo spoke up, her voice raspy. “How can you do that?”

Rin looked up sharply, having been engrossed in what she was doing. Finally, Hanayo was looking at her rather than staring past her. “Rin’s used to it. It’s just blood, nya.”

“No, I mean…you’re touching me. Taking care of me.” Hanayo’s brow was furrowed in genuine confusion. “Rin-chan, I…I put my hand in someone’s chest and I ripped their heart out.” The thought left her so sickened that she thought for a moment she might throw up right there. “Why aren’t you disgusted by me?”

“What?” Rin tilted her head a little, troubled by the question. She couldn’t imagine ever feeling that way toward Hanayo. “You’re Kayo-chin. How could Rin…?”

Hanayo snatched her hand back. “Didn’t you hear me? I  _killed_  someone! Someone who probably had a family, who had a life ahead of them and I just…I took that away with my own hands.” She bowed her head, her vision blurring once again. “I’m a monster.”

Not for the first time, Rin wished she had gotten there first. If she’d been a bit faster she could have saved Hanayo the guilt she was feeling. “That’s not true! Kayo-chin isn’t like that at all. Nico-chan and Rin killed people too, nya! It wasn’t just you!”

Hanayo shook her head in response. That didn’t make her feel any better. She didn’t want to kill people with her power and she didn’t want Rin to either.

“Kayo-chin?” Rin shuffled forward and folded her arms atop Hanayo’s knees. She leaned in and rested her forehead against Hanayo’s, the only way she could think to get closer. “It doesn’t matter what you do, you’re still my best friend. You didn’t mean to, you were just protecting everyone.” She felt her guilt return and her voice clogged with emotion. “I wish I had gotten there faster, nya. I wish I had done it!”

Hanayo swallowed back a sob and reached up, her hand finding the back of Rin’s head. “Don’t say that. T-That’s not what I want.” She was met with silence and she made no move to speak up, merely drawing strength from Rin’s closeness. Finally, she lowered her hand and felt Rin lean back. She took a moment to look around. They seemed to be in an old abandoned warehouse or an empty factory of some kind. Though they were huddled in the corner, the room was large. “Where are we?”

Rin flushed at the curious question. “M-My old hideout.” She answered honestly, leaning back. “Rin comes here when…” She trailed off hesitantly. She couldn’t exactly tell Hanayo why she used the hideout. She knew that Hanayo already suspected something was wrong but she’d never told her the truth. “I thought we could stay here tonight?”

Hanayo hesitated for a moment. Even considering the way she was feeling she was concerned about how unclean the place was. Finally, she nodded. It was better than going home. This time she didn’t pull away as Rin went back to cleaning the blood from her hand.

—

Nozomi breathed a sigh of relief as she rounded the corner in the hallway and didn’t find anyone else in sight. It had been hard enough to get the key to Honoka’s room. She didn’t need anyone asking questions. She strode to Honoka’s door and slid the key into the lock, turning it quickly. She let herself in after, her gaze falling to the two in the bed. She wasn’t all that surprised to find that Honoka was only half dressed. It explained the feelings she’d felt in Eli the night before.

Nozomi stepped into the room and opened her mouth, preparing to wake the two but she stopped abruptly, noticing the necklace around Honoka’s neck and the lack of one around Eli’s. She wasn’t sure she had ever seen her girlfriend take that necklace off. She quietened, watching the two carefully. Honoka was clutching Eli tightly, almost as if she was afraid to let go of her. The tear tracks on her cheeks made it obvious she’d had a rough night though of course Nozomi didn’t need that to know. She’d felt it herself.

Sighing, she slid off her shoes and jacket and carefully made her way to the bed, slipping beneath the covers on Honoka’s other side. She moved closer to the other girl and almost expecting Honoka to wake up, slid an arm carefully around her waist. She was relieved when the future version of her friend shifted slightly but didn’t wake up.

“What are we going to do with you?” Nozomi whispered, using her free hand to gently rub at the tear stains on Honoka’s face. They didn’t rub away but she hadn’t expected them to anyway. She settled back down, laying her head on Honoka’s pillow and closed her eyes. It pained her to think of everything Future Honoka had gone through in her time so she tried not to dwell on the scars she noticed upon her skin, or the way she whimpered every few minutes and clutched onto Eli tighter. The only thing Nozomi could do in response was hold her tighter. Eventually, she drifted off to sleep herself.

It was a few hours later when Honoka finally woke up to a familiar warmth at either side. A small smile tugged at her lips as she recognized it for what it was. Nozomi and Eli. It was hardly the first time she had woken up sandwiched between them like she was now. She’d done it many times in the past, much more than she could remember, especially after she’d escaped the camp.

_Honoka hesitated outside of Nozomi and Eli’s room, her hand lifted to knock though she couldn’t quite bring herself to go ahead and do it. She knew they were both in there and hadn’t seen each other in a few days because Nozomi had been away on a mission. There was no way she wouldn’t be intruding. Still, she couldn’t bring herself to walk away. Not when Kotori wasn’t around for her to go to. Maki sprung to mind though if Honoka was honest, she still couldn’t face the doctor alone. She still needed Eli, Kotori or Nozomi to be there when she went for checkups. Just to be safe._

_She had almost convinced herself to turn around and walk away when the door opened and she found herself face to face with a bemused looking Nozomi._

_“Are you coming in or not, Honoka-chan?” Nozomi asked with a gentle smile as she held the door open a little bit wider. Past her shoulder, Honoka could see Eli already in bed though she was sitting up, her gaze on the door. “You’ve been standing out here for twenty minutes already.”_

_Honoka laughed sheepishly and rubbed the back of her neck. “I was just…uh…Kotori-chan’s away tonight and I um…I guess I couldn’t sleep.”_

_“We know. Why do you think we’re still awake?” Nozomi reached forward and grabbed Honoka’s hand, tugging her into the room. When Honoka flinched a little bit at the touch she didn’t say anything though she did look a bit apologetic and quickly let go. “We’ve been waiting for you.”_

_“Really?” Honoka looked surprised and glanced over at Eli who merely smiled in response. “I was…worried that I might be bothering the two of you. I thought maybe…since you just got back…”_

_“You thought what?” Nozomi raised a suggestive eyebrow. “Were you having dirty thoughts about us again, Honoka-chan? I’ve told you, you have to ask Kotori-chan first…”_

_Honoka blushed fiercely at Nozomi’s typical teasing. “I-I didn’t mean it like that! I just didn’t want to intrude…”_

_“You’re not, Honoka.” Eli spoke up for the first time, shooting Nozomi a slightly irritated look. “We want you here. Come on, hurry up and get into bed. I just want to sleep.” She patted the space next to her and watched as Honoka briefly hesitated before getting in._

_Nozomi watched as Honoka scooted close to Eli’s side, the blonde’s arm going around her. She couldn’t help but smile at the sight of their usual position. It was sweet that Honoka gravitated toward Eli now. She remembered a time when Honoka couldn’t even look Eli in the eye. She knew it had hurt her girlfriend more than she would say. Flicking the lights off, Nozomi got into the bed herself and shifted close, her arm going about Honoka’s waist._

_Honoka sighed contentedly at the feeling of the two of them pressed against her from both sides. “That’s better.” She murmured to herself, relieved that she wouldn’t have to go back to bed and face a sleepless night. It was almost what she had wound up doing._

For the briefest and most blissful of moments, Honoka thought she was back there again, just waking up between Nozomi and Eli like always. But it wasn’t the case and the memories of what had happened to her friends quickly came back to her. She would never wake up like this with her Eli and Nozomi again. Her eyes stung with tears and she pressed her face into Nozomi’s chest, overwhelmed by the truth. Her Nozomi would never tease her like she used to again, her Eli would never get to gently berate Nozomi for her teasing. Those two would never live to see the future they had planned out together.

She didn’t truly realize she was crying until she felt arms wrap around her, fingers combing gently through her hair and heard Nozomi whispering softly to her. She couldn’t make out what she was saying, probably because she was crying too loudly. It wasn’t fair. None of it was fair. She felt Eli press against her back, a hand taking hold of her own but she couldn’t say anything. She couldn’t think past her grief.

Nozomi shared a concerned look with Eli who just shook her head in response. She had worried that this might happen. Honoka’s breakdown the night before had been frightening but it had been briefly interrupted by Honoka seeing her as her Eli. That had seemed to anchor her for a while but now she was falling apart once again.

There was nothing either of them could say or do to make the situation any better so they settled for holding Honoka tightly until she finally quietened down. It took a few minutes but she finally seemed to regain some control. After that it only took a few seconds of sniffling into Nozomi’s chest before she wordlessly pushed herself away and slid to the end of the bed.

Nozomi and Eli shared another look as Honoka moved away from them. Neither of them wanted her to push them away but it seemed that was exactly what she was going to do.

Finally, Eli cleared her throat as Honoka pulled on a shirt. “D-Do you mind if I take a shower? I didn’t get a chance last night.”

“Yeah, go ahead.” Honoka answered without looking back toward Eli. She turned her head, wiping her eyes on her shirt. She tried not to think about what had happened the night before. She had lost control of herself completely. She could hardly expect them to trust her when she acted like that and yet she’d been unable to react any other way. She had lost every connection she had to her future and her friends. Her engagement ring, the vial of Nico’s blood, Eli’s necklace. They were all gone.

Nozomi waited until she heard the shower come on before she spoke. “Hey, Senpai…”

“You don’t have to call me that.” Honoka managed to say, standing up from the bed. “I was just messing with you.”

Nozomi frowned as she watched Honoka rise from the bed and move to get dressed fully. “I like it. It suits you.” She stood up too, crossing her arms in front of her chest. “I was just going to say, if you want to talk about anything, I’ll listen.”

Honoka buttoned her jeans, trying to ignore the way her chest tightened. “I don’t want to talk about it. I don’t want to think about it. I don’t want to think at all.” She turned, meeting Nozomi’s concerned gaze. “I’m going out. Let yourselves out.”

“Wait, you’re not…” Nozomi rubbed at her own chest, her eyes stinging slightly. It was impossible for her to block that level of loss and pain out. It was too strong. “You’re not going to…”

Honoka paused as Nozomi struggled to voice her thoughts. She didn’t have to hear the rest to know what she wanted to ask her. “You don’t have to worry about me doing anything like that. I have to save you all first.” If she was honest with herself she didn’t see any other way out but she wouldn’t abandon her responsibilities. “I made a promise.”

Keeping that promise would hardly make up for her abandoning Nico, but it was the only thing she could do.

Nozomi opened her mouth to protest but Honoka had already teleported from the room. Sighing, she stood from the bed herself and took a few minutes to wander around the room while she waited for Eli to finish her shower. There wasn’t much in the way of personal belongings in the room, in fact the only thing that drew her attention was the notes pinned to a board on the far wall. She walked closer, scanning them quickly though she knew she wouldn’t remember. Hearing the shower turn off in the next room, she took out her cell phone and snapped a quick picture, deciding to take a look later.

A moment later, Eli walked out of the bathroom, wrapped in a towel. She gave pause, noticing that Honoka was missing. Her eyes darted quickly around the room. “Where did Honoka go?!”

“She said she had something to do…” Nozomi watched as Eli hurried across the room and began to get dressed as quickly as she could.

“I have to go after her! Who knows what kind of trouble she’ll get into in her state.” The way Honoka had crumbled in front of her the previous night came to mind and she tried to pull her clothes on faster.

“Elichi, calm down. Honoka can handle herself.” Nozomi crossed the room and lay a comforting hand on Eli’s shoulder only to be shrugged off.

“You didn’t see what I did, Nozomi…”

“No, I didn’t. I felt it.” Nozomi said pointedly. She was relieved when Eli hesitated. “I know you’re worried, but it’s going to be okay.”

Eli shook her head. “How do you know that?”

“Because we’ll keep her safe.” Nozomi gently cupped Eli’s cheek in her hand, brushing her thumb over soft skin. “What happened last night really got to you, huh?” She watched as Eli’s eyes darted left and right, instinctively knowing what was coming. She wrapped an arm around her girlfriend’s shoulder, drawing her close. “She’ll be okay.”

Eli wasn’t sure she believed that. She wasn’t even sure Nozomi herself believed that but she couldn’t bring herself to argue so she merely leaned into the embrace, giving a short nod against Nozomi’s shoulder.

Nozomi’s gaze shifted toward the board on the far wall. From what she had seen it seemed that Honoka had something planned. She wasn’t sure what, but whatever it was it was clear that Honoka planned to do it alone. Nozomi was determined not to let that happen.

“Nozomi…” Eli spoke up carefully, her grip on Nozomi’s shirt loosening. “About last night…” She hesitated for a second, wondering if Nozomi had felt what she had. “Are we okay?”

Nozomi gave a gentle laugh and drew back to meet Eli’s worried blue eyes. “Of course. I can’t blame you, Honoka is a total babe.” She pressed her lips gently to Eli’s, a simple kiss of reassurance. “I trust you, Elichi.”

Eli visibly relaxed at the response. She had been worried that Nozomi would be annoyed with her at least. She noticed Nozomi’s gaze drift over her shoulder and turned her head, frowning at the board behind her.

Nozomi’s eyes widened in alarm and she reached for Eli’s hand, giving a gentle tug. “Let’s go. I want to make sure Nicocchi hasn’t wrecked my apartment.” She was relieved that the gentle tug seemed to distract Eli though she remained somewhat on edge until they left the apartment.

—

Kotori awoke to the feeling of arms tightly around her waist. Unused to waking up to the feeling, she flinched slightly and felt the arms tighten around her. She quickly opened her eyes and relaxed when she found that she was just in Honoka’s embrace.

A small smile flitted to her face and she lifted her hand, gently brushing her fingers against Honoka’s cheek. In response, Honoka inhaled and turned into the touch, her brow furrowing in confusion at the touch. The look reminded Kotori of the way Honoka had been staring at Umi the night before. She had been so worried about their friend after what had happened. So had she if she was honest but she was much better at hiding it than Honoka was.

Remembering that Umi had been sleeping between the two of them the previous night, Kotori carefully pushed herself up on her elbow and glanced worriedly around the room in search of her. She breathed a soft sigh of relief when she found Umi sitting on the edge of the bad, staring out of the window, an empty cup held in her grasp. Her relief didn’t last very long as she noticed the drying tear tracks on Umi’s cheeks.

Gently, she gripped Honoka’s wrist and removed her arm from around her. She was met with a little bit of resistance and smiled softly at the intention behind it. It was sweet, even if Honoka was sleeping. She  covered Honoka up as best she could before she crawled across the bed to Umi’s side.

“Umi-chan.” She gently bumped her shoulder against Umi’s and offered a gentle smile. “You’re awake early.”

Umi hadn’t noticed Kotori approaching, too lost in her own thoughts and almost dropped the cup she’d been loosely cradling. “Kotori! Oh, I um…I went to get a drink and I didn’t want to disturb the two of you when I got back.”

“You’ve been crying.” Kotori had tried to hold back so as not to make her feel uncomfortable but she couldn’t. Her best friend was hurting, that much was obvious. “Are you upset about your mom? Or Honoka’s future self?”

Umi paused for a moment. She was upset about those things. She was upset that her mother had turned against her, that she would go so far as to take her memories from her. She was upset that the future version of Honoka had ever hated her. She was upset about future Honoka’s breakdown the previous night. Selfishly, she was most upset about what she had lost the previous night.

“Kotori…” She was silent again, lightly biting her bottom lip as she considered what she was going to say. Finally, she released her lip to speak. “I have to tell you something.”

Kotori felt her stomach sink at the words. Usually they never meant anything good. “What is it, Umi-chan? You can tell me anything, you know that.”

Umi shook her head slightly and looked in Kotori’s direction. Kotori inhaled upon seeing tears swimming once again in Umi’s eyes. “You have to promise not to tell Honoka. No matter what. I don’t care if she begs you to tell her what’s wrong with me, you…”

“Alright, alright.” Kotori said, reaching up to place a soothing hand on Umi’s shoulder. “Honoka-chan doesn’t have to know. If…you don’t want her to know, I won’t tell her. Just tell me what’s wrong.”

Umi cast a wary look back at Honoka to make sure she was asleep. “I…I’ve lost my memories, Kotori. Of meeting you and Honoka. My childhood, w-with the two of you…” She swallowed convulsively, the confession to one of her childhood friends suddenly making everything seem so much more real. “My mother took them when she…she…”

For a moment, Kotori could only stare at Umi as she took in what was being said. She couldn’t quite believe it but she knew Umi wouldn’t lie about something like that. She drew back slightly, her hand shifting to cover her mouth as her eyes prickled with tears. “How much do you… do you remember? W-What about the tree? Our first camping trip together, the first time Honoka had to go to the hospital, the…”

“I don’t remember any of it!” Umi exclaimed, maybe a little bit more sharply than she should have. She noticed Kotori flinch and closed her eyes for a moment to calm down. They snapped open at the sound of a soft sob from next to her. For a moment she thought that Honoka had woken up and overheard the two of them but it was just Kotori, bent slightly at the waist as she buried her face into her hands

“Kotori…” She shifted close to her friend and began to reach out only for Kotori to move quickly. Suddenly, arms were around her neck and she found herself being tightly embraced.

“I’m sorry, Umi-chan. I’m so sorry.” Kotori’s voice was thick with emotion, the sound making it impossible for Umi to hold onto her composure. She lifted her arms and returned the embrace, the tears she’d refused to let fall finally sliding down her cheeks.

“It’s not fair! M-My memories with you and Honoka were the only good childhood memories I had and she just took them, Kotori! She took them and left me with my memories of training, of learning to be a good warrior like she wanted!” Her hands clenched in Kotori’s shirt. “I hate her so much!”

“I know.” Kotori whispered, wiping at her own tears with the back of her hand. She hated Umi’s mother too. To have taken her daughter’s precious childhood memories was despicable. Kotori couldn’t imagine how she would feel if she lost her own. If she knew that she used to have them but couldn’t recall them. “It’s going to be okay, Umi-chan. We’ll make new memories! Honoka-chan and I will make new ones with you, even happier ones.” Her voice broke slightly and she hugged Umi tighter, trying to emphasize her point. “Honoka-chan will never know, don’t worry.”

Both she and Umi knew that if Honoka were ever to find out what Umi’s mother had taken she would set out to kill her.

“But…” Umi trailed off helplessly. She did want new memories with Honoka and Kotori, but she wanted her old memories too. She wanted to remember the moment they first met, she wanted to remember the tree Kotori had mentioned. She didn’t want to lose a single memory of her time with them but she had lost it all. Everything was just gone. She felt tears form in the corners of her eyes again but stubbornly blinked them away. It could be a lot worse, she knew that, but to her it didn’t feel like it. She quietened down, resting her forehead against Kotori’s shoulder and inhaling her scent to calm herself. She was just about dozing off when Honoka’s voice interrupted them.

“Umi-chan? Kotori-chan?” Honoka’s sleep filled voice caused Kotori and Umi to pull back from the embrace. They looked to her, both smiling inadvertently as they watched her groggily rub her eyes. “What time is it?”

“Still early.” Kotori carefully pulled away from Umi’s loose hold on her and got to her feet. “I’m going to make some tea. I think I heard Maki-chan moving around out there.” She discreetly wiped at her eyes before she left the room, leaving Honoka and Umi behind.

Honoka finished rubbing her own eyes, though for a completely different reason than Kotori. Confused, she looked over at Umi, frowning when she noticed the tear stains on her cheeks. “What’s wrong, Umi-chan? Did something happen?”

Umi shook her head. No matter how upset she was about her memories being taken, she wouldn’t tell Honoka. “It’s nothing.” She turned and crawled over to Honoka, straddling her lap.

Honoka could only gape in surprise as Umi’s arms went around her neck, the other girl’s forehead coming to rest against her own. She felt her skin flush at the close proximity. “U-Umi-chan…”

“Honoka.” Umi gripped Honoka a little bit tighter. “I want…I need…”

“What?” Honoka whispered hopefully when Umi trailed off helplessly. She didn’t know what she could do to make Umi feel better. “What do you need?”

Umi swallowed thickly, certain that her voice would crack if she tried to speak so soon. Part of her wished she could tell Honoka what was going on, but she knew that the news of happened would upset her friend, maybe even more than it was upsetting her. “Just…” She lowered her gaze, focusing intently on Honoka’s collarbone. It was easier to do that than look her in the eyes. “Tell me you love me.”

Honoka’s brow furrowed slightly at the request. Umi wasn’t acting like herself. Clinging to her, that emotional request…it just wasn’t like her. “I love you, Umi-chan.” She lifted her hand to Umi’s cheek, gently encouraging her to meet her gaze. “Please, just tell me what’s wrong. I’m your girlfriend, you should be able to tell me anything, right?”

For a moment, Umi thought that she had heard Honoka wrong and could only stare in surprise. Finally, she found her voice. “Y-You’re my…what?”

“Your girlfriend.” Honoka repeated simply, unfazed by Umi’s confusion. “I am, aren’t I? You’re my best friend, and you like kissing me so…that makes us more than friends. It means we’re dating.”

“Um. Y-Yeah…” Umi blushed at the admission. She was confused by how Honoka had come to that conclusion but it wasn’t as though she didn’t want to date her. The opposite was true.

“So tell me what’s wrong.” Honoka was determined not to be distracted from the topic at hand, even with Umi’s agreement to be her girlfriend. “I want to know, Umi-chan. I’m worried abou-” she was cut off rather abruptly by Umi’s lips suddenly pressing against her own, immediately causing her to forget what she had been talking about. It was as though she melted beneath the touch, her body reacting of it’s own accord as she kissed back. Her free hand went to Umi’s waist in an attempt to draw her closer.

Umi shuddered slightly as Honoka had kissed her back. It wasn’t surprising after their last couple of encounters but the fact that her best friend was kissing her was still somewhat thrilling. She had no idea how she had never realized this was what she’d wanted. It seemed to be so obvious now. She pressed herself closer to Honoka still, feeling the other girl nip gently at her lip. She inhaled slightly, giving Honoka a chance to deepen the kiss.

“Mmm…Honoka…” She barely managed to mumble between kisses, both in protest and simply because she wanted to say the name. Her girlfriend’s name. As much as she wanted to keep kissing her, they needed to stop.

“Hmm?” Honoka’s lips strayed to Umi’s neck, allowing her to speak again though Umi found she couldn’t. Not with the way Honoka was kissing and nipping at her skin, cool hands finding their way beneath her shirt and to the skin underneath. Her skin tingled at the touch and she gasped softly. She felt Honoka smirk against her neck, catching the sound and wasn’t sure whether to berate her for being smug or plead with her to keep going. Suddenly Honoka was pulling back, leaving Umi feeling confused until hands gripped at the hem of her sleep shirt.

“Can I take this off?” Honoka asked, staring up at Umi through eyes darker than usual.

“Ye…wait, no!” Umi shook her head adamantly. They couldn’t do anything like what Honoka clearly had in mind. “W-We can’t…”

“Oh?” Honoka smiled at Umi’s answer but let go of her shirt. Slyly, she gripped her own and tugged it up. “Maybe I should take this off. Umi-chan liked it when I took my clothes off in the student council room.”

Umi gaped at Honoka as she slowly tugged her shirt off, revealing smooth skin. “Honoka, that’s shameless!” Her exclamation only earned her a light laugh.

“You like it though, don’t you?” Honoka leaned back and watched as Umi’s gaze seemed to drift south of her face. “You can touch if you want to, Umi-chan.”

Umi lifted her hand, tempted to reach forward and do as Honoka asked. Her hand inched forward but a rustle in the next room caught her attention and she quickly drew it back. “W-We can’t! Kotori and the others are in the next room!”

Honoka huffed and leaned back against the pillows behind her though she didn’t look displeased. “Umi-chan kissed me first.”

Umi grinned at Honoka’s disappointment. “And I’ll kiss you again.” She leaned in, kissing Honoka gently to prove her point. It was brief but when she pulled away she didn’t go far. “I’ll remember this when we’re really alone.”

“A-Alone?” Honoka stuttered in surprise. She had only been teasing, though she remembered what they had done in the student council room clearly.  She blushed heavily, glancing briefly around the room before she looked back into Umi’s eyes. “Uh, I-I think, um…you should…” She began only to be interrupted by the door to Nozomi’s room being swung open.

“Umi-chan, Honoka-chan! Sorry I took so long getting the tea, Nozomi-chan has so many that I couldn–” Kotori stopped mid sentence, noticing the position her two friends were in. Umi was on Honoka’s lap, her arms around the other girl’s neck while Honoka’s hands were placed upon  Umi’s waist. Both of them blushing but what Kotori was more interested in was the fact that Honoka was half naked. It was obvious she had interrupted something quite intimate.She dropped the mugs of tea she was holding, her cheeks flushing with embarrassment. “Oh my god, I’m so s-sorry!”

She had known there was something going on between her friends after seeing the kiss between them the previous day but walking in on them in such a position wasn’t something she had ever expected. She hurriedly covered her eyes and turned to leave the room only to bump into the half closed door. She yelped, more in surprise than shock.

Umi felt her cheeks burn with embarrassment. Even if she wasn’t half naked like Honoka was, being caught in such a shameful position was bad enough. She scrambled up from the bed and bolted out of the room toward the bathroom, muttering an apology to Kotori on the way out of the room.

Honoka frowned as she watched Umi leave the room. It was only Kotori, she didn’t see what the big deal was. “Umi-chan gets embarrassed so easily…”

Kotori peeked out from behind her hands. If there was ever a reason to be embarrassed, being walked in on was it. “Remember that this is the same girl who got embarrassed when I made her skirt too short, Honoka-chan.”

Honoka gave a sheepish laugh and rubbed the back of her neck, not noticing the way Kotori’s gaze dropped to her bare torso when she did so. “It’s cute.”

Kotori failed to answer, too distracted by the sight before her. It seemed like Honoka had been working out.

Honoka noticed the silence and her brow furrowed slightly in concern. “Kotori-chan? Did you hit your head?” She patted the space in front of her. “Let me look.”

“W-What?!” Kotori exclaimed in alarm, her gaze flitting back to Honoka’s. There was no way she could let Honoka touch her, not when she was so distracted by her friend’s torso. “I-I uh…” She looked around for something to distract herself with, finding the mugs at her feet to be a good excuse. “Oh, look at this mess. I’ll have to clean it up.”

Quickly, she stooped to pick the mugs up. To her relief they weren’t broken, or even chipped but there was tea all over the floor. “Y-You should get dressed, Honoka-chan.” She stood and made her way quickly out of the room, only to run into Nico in the hallway. The third year seemed to be hammering on the bathroom door.

“Umi, you better hurry up in there! I need to go!”

“I-I’m busy, Nico!” Umi yelled back through the bathroom door.

Nico threw her hands up in exasperation. She had been on the way to the bathroom when Umi had barged past her and slipped into the room herself. “Seriously?! Where the hell is Nozomi? It’s just like her to invite us to stay and then leave us here by ourselves. UMI!”

Kotori slipped past Nico and rapped her knuckles lightly against the door. She hadn’t failed to notice the stutter to Umi’s voice. “Umi-chan?” She called in concern. “Are you alright?”

“Fine!” Umi called back, her voice slightly higher than usual with panic. Behind the door, she gripped at her suddenly aching head. As soon as she had parted from Honoka and Kotori, the pain had hit her. Not just pain, but the feeling that something was being torn away from her.

_“Honoka, stop annoying Kotori!” Umi berated irritably as she looked over the top of her textbook at Honoka, who was clearly trying to peek over Kotori’s shoulder.  While Umi had taken up the desk Kotori had elected to sit on the floor with her back against the bed. Honoka, ever the slacker, was on the bed, trying to see the answers over Kotori’s shoulder._

Umi held onto her head tighter, her fingers curling into her hair. “Stop it! Damn it, stop it!” She couldn’t take it any more. Having the memories of her childhood disappear had been bad enough but she could feel more memories being taken, much slower this time. “No…”

_“I’m not annoying her! Am I Kotori-chan?” Honoka grinned innocently over at Umi who gave her an unimpressed look in response._

_“Not at all.” Kotori answered, laughing softly in response when Honoka’s arms wrapped around her neck in a light embrace. “Come on, Honoka-chan. I’m trying to concentrate. If you get off me, I’ll give you one answer.”_

_“You spoil her too much, Kotori.” Umi rolled her eyes and went back to working on her homework though she couldn’t help but smile slightly at the sound of her friends talking animatedly behind them. She was lucky to have them._

“Umi-chan?” Kotori’s knocking on the door became a bit firmer, her voice rising slightly in concern for her friend. “Can I come in?”

The memory she had felt slipping away, that she had been clinging onto disappeared completely, leaving Umi with no way to recall what she had been trying to remember. She didn’t even hear what Kotori was saying to her, too wrapped up in the fact that she had lost something else. Her eyes clouded with tears, a sharp sob sounding from her throat. What had she been trying to remember? How was it possible that she couldn’t remember?

“Umi-chan, I’m coming in!” Kotori waited for a split second before she walked into the bathroom, just in time to see Umi’s knees buckle. She lurched forward, catching her before she could fall. “U-Umi-chan?”

Kotori’s presence caused the pain in Umi’s head to fade immediately but without that distraction, Umi had a moment to focus on the ache in her chest. Another memory gone. It was unthinkable. She clutched Kotori tightly and cried softly into her shoulder, neither of them noticing that Maki had entered the room after Kotori.

Maki closed and locked the door, keeping Nico from seeing what was going on.

“Oh come on!” Nico exclaimed from the hallway, frustration clear in her voice.

Finding it difficult to support Umi, Kotori sank to her knees with her best friend and gently stroked her hair, trying to calm her down. “It’s okay, Umi-chan. I’m right here.”

Maki stooped down in front of Umi, gently placing her hands on her shoulders. “Umi, I know something weird is going on with you. You need to let me take a look, okay?”

“No!” Umi exclaimed, clutching Kotori tighter. “Please. I already had someone in my head, violating my memories. I can’t…not again…”

Kotori frowned at Umi’s tearful remark and held her closer. She didn’t know what to do for the best. On one hand she wanted to tell Maki to back off but on the other she knew it was in Umi’s best interest to let Maki look.

“I won’t hurt you, Umi.” Maki said gently, wary of Umi’s state. She had never seen her so upset before. “I’ll just take a quick look. It’ll only take a second.” She inched her hand forward, her fingertips grazing Umi’s temple before the older girl flinched away.

“I said NO!” Umi said loudly, Turning her head, she pressed her face into Kotori’s chest, tears seeping into her shirt. “Don’t let her, Kotori…”

Kotori wondered about the last time she had heard Umi sound so weak. She couldn’t even recall it. She shot Maki a look. “Leave her, Maki-chan. If she says no…”

“Umi-chan!” Honoka’s voice sounded suddenly, just outside of the door. “Kotori-chan? Maki-chan? Are you all alright?” The door handle turned repeatedly. “Why is the door locked? Is Umi-chan crying?!” Her voice darkened suddenly at the thought and she tried the handle again. “Unlock the door! Umi-chan, what’s wrong?!” Panicked, she tried to shoulder open the door. After what she’d seen the previous day being separated from Umi sent an icy chill down her spine. “UMI-CHAN!”

“Honoka…” Umi murmured, lifting her head from Kotori’s shoulder. She blinked back tears until the door came into focus. All she wanted in that moment was both Honoka and Kotori by her side.

Kotori seemed to realize what Umi was thinking. “Let her in, Maki-chan. Umi-chan needs her.” She met Maki’s reluctant gaze for a moment until Maki pushed herself to her feet and went to open the door. A moment later Honoka rushed into the room, stumbling to her knees next to Umi.

Kotori loosened her embrace to let Umi go but she was surprised when Umi only reached out to Honoka rather than move toward her. It didn’t take Honoka more than a second to move forward, embracing both of them.

“MAKI!” Nico kicked at the door. “LET ME IN, COME ON! I need to fucking pee!”

Maki rolled her eyes at Nico’s antics and turned to watch the three girls on the floor. It pained her to know that she couldn’t help even though the help she could offer was what Umi needed but she wouldn’t force her. She was nothing like Umi’s mother.

—

“I still think we should have attacked them when we had the chance.” Anju commented dryly as she leaned back in her seat. “It’s not like they could take us right now.”

She was sure that none of µ’s could, though she had to admit that she’d been a little bit intimidated by the way one of the youngest had torn one of the guard’s heart out. That is, until the girl had reacted. It didn’t seem like she’d meant to do it. It was disappointing in a way. None of those girls stood a chance against them.

As if reading her mind, Erena spoke up quietly. “Don’t underestimate them. It might end up being our downfall.”

Tsubasa cast a slightly amused look toward the two of them. They were so different it was funny to listen to them sometimes. “She’s right, there’s no way they can take us down, even with the time traveller.”

Erena huffed out an impatient sigh. “You two really shouldn’t underestimate them. The older ones as well as the redhead seem to be growing into their powers fast, especially with the training they’ve been getting. Their files alone should prove they won’t be easy to take down.”

Anju stared at Erena in silence for a moment. “What are you talking about?”

“If you’d read the files you’d know what I was talking about.” Erena shook her head in irritation. Sometimes it seemed to her that Anju hardly ever paid attention, preferring to jump into action without thought instead. “Some of them have had training, others have lived through impossible situations. It…”

“Yeah, yeah. I read the files already. Actually…” Anju leaned forward slightly, her elbows resting on her knees. Reaching forward, she plucked a file from the table and began to thumb through it. “Fire survivor. No wonder she’s with the pyro.” She smiled deviantly and looked up to meet the curious stares of Erena and Tsubasa. “I have a plan…”

“A plan?” Tsubasa asked, intrigued by what Anju had in mind.

Anju nodded to herself, quite proud of the plan she’d come up with in a matter of minutes. “Divide and conquer.”


	12. Chapter 12

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Second part of double chapter post. Be sure to read chapter 11 first. :)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning(s): General angst, violence and suggestions of/attempted sexual assault.

Eli’s brow furrowed in concern as she watched Nozomi getting dressed. It was obvious that she was going out, though Eli had no idea where she could be going so early in the morning. She had woken to find Nozomi trying to sneak out of bed though of course her girlfriend hadn’t managed to be quiet about it. **  
**

“Where are you going?” She finally asked, startling Nozomi into spinning around, her hand flying to her chest.

Nozomi hadn’t even noticed that Eli was awake, too intent on getting out of the apartment as quickly as she could. “Ah, j-just out! I’ll be back soon, don’t worry. I thought I would go shopping and restock. You girls are practically living here now so…”

Eli blushed, unable to keep herself from thinking about what it would be like to live with Nozomi permanently. Her cheeks flushed slightly but she quickly realized something and narrowed her eyes suspiciously. “It’s six in the morning, Nozomi.”

Nozomi laughed nervously. “Better to get it done early then I can come home to you after, hmm?” She crawled onto the bed and straddled Eli’s lap, her arms going around her neck. “You won’t go home until I get back, right?”

Eli shook her head, distracted by Nozomi’s closeness. “Of course not. I-I wasn’t planning on going home tonight. With my mom…” She nervously bit her lip. Maybe she had outstayed her welcome. The other girls, aside from Kotori, hadn’t been sleeping there. It would explain Nozomi’s distance over the past few days. “I can stay with Honoka maybe…”

“No!” Nozomi’s grip on Eli tightened just a bit at the suggestion. “I want you here with me, Elichi. That’s why I want to get everything done early, so I can come back home and spend the rest of the week with you!”

Eli knew that Nozomi probably didn’t mean it that way but the mention of her coming home to her had her heart speeding up a bit. One day she could mean that she was coming back to the home they shared. She felt her face heat up as her thoughts shifted to rings, commitment, a life together. “F-Fine. At least give me a kiss before you go.”

Nozomi laughed gently and leaned in, brushing her lips gently against Eli’s. “I think Elichi is acting spoiled.” Deciding not tease further, she kissed Eli properly this time, pressing close to her. She smiled against soft lips when she felt arms circle her waist to hold her in place. Despite her best efforts, she melted into the kiss, getting lost in the movement of soft lips and the occasional brush of Eli’s tongue.

She forgot about what she was supposed to be doing until she felt hands tugging her shirt up. She pulled back and laughed as she gently pushed Eli’s hands away. “I just got dressed, Elichi. What are you doing taking my clothes off now?” She watched as Eli pouted. She couldn’t resist the urge to lean in and kiss the pout away. “There’s time for that later, okay? I’ll be back soon.”

Eli huffed and leaned back against the pillows behind her but she didn’t keep Nozomi from leaving.   
  
Nozomi left the room and tiptoed past Kotori who was sleeping in the living room. She slid her shoes on and left quickly, shutting the door behind her. As she did, she dug her phone from her pocket and looked down at the screen, her expression darkening.

“You’re really trying to get yourself killed, aren’t you, Senpai? Idiot…” She tucked her phone into her pocket and took off down the hallway.

—

“Let me help, Nico-chan!” Honoka whined, trying to reach past Nico to grab the ladle she was using to stir whatever she was making. Honoka wasn’t sure what it was, but she knew that it smelled good. “It’s only stirring.”

“You’ll find a way to screw it up.” Nico scowled, her free hand on Honoka’s shoulder to keep her at a safe distance.

Honoka looked offended, her eyes widening at Nico’s assumption. “Eh?! I can cook fine, my family owns a sweet shop, remember?”

“So you can make chocolate, what does that have to do with making real food?!” Nico’s patience was wearing thin. “Get the hell out of the kitchen before I throw you out, Honoka! I’m not kidding.”

“EH?!”

Kotori and Umi, who were sitting close together at the table watched Honoka’s antics with soft smiles on their faces. Both of them were glad that Honoka wasn’t acting differently than usual.

It had been four days since that night at the Sonoda estate and they were all still staying with Nozomi in some way, at least they always seemed to end up there until they had to go home for the night. Umi, unable to go back home for obvious reasons, was staying with Honoka. Kotori wished she could do the same though now that she knew there was something going on between the two she supposed it would be a bit awkward. Staying with her mom though, now knowing what she had once been a part of, was difficult, so on a couple of occasions she’d fallen asleep at Nozomi’s apartment. Those nights had come as a relief if she was honest. Staying with Nozomi was so much easier than going home and facing her mother. It was hard to look at her now, and the older woman was noticing that something was amiss with her daughter.

Caught up in her thoughts, Kotori didn’t notice that Nico had successfully shooed Honoka out of the kitchen until the girl was standing right next to her. It wasn’t Kotori Honoka was focused on though, it was Umi. She looped her arms carelessly around their best friend’s neck, bending down slightly to do so.

“Umi-chan, tell Nico-chan to let me help.” Honoka whined quietly, her face turned toward Umi’s rapidly reddening ears. Unable to help herself, she brushed her lips against her girlfriend’s cheek and grinned faintly at the heat beneath her lips.

“Honoka…” Umi grumbled in embarrassment though she didn’t move to push Honoka away. She didn’t want to, even if being so close to someone was shameless and embarrassing.

Kotori averted her eyes, finding it hard to watch them due to the jealousy bubbling up within her. The two were obviously much closer than they had been before, much closer than either of them were to her. She wasn’t sure what to think, recalling what Future Honoka had said about the two of them being together in the future.

Hearing a gentle giggle from Umi, she chanced a look back at her best friends and found Honoka whispering something to Umi. It was surprising, to see Umi looking so content. It was a stark contrast to that morning.  
  
“I’m going for a walk.” She announced, standing up smoothly.

“What?” Honoka barely glanced up at Kotori. “Oh, sure. Be careful, Kotori-chan.”

Kotori felt her chest tighten as Honoka looked away from her, her undivided attention turning back to Umi. She opened and closed her mouth helplessly, uncertain as to what to say. She hadn’t wanted Honoka to go with her, but after what had happened she had at least expected her friend to offer.

“Kotori…” Umi watched in concern, noticing the tightness of Kotori’s jaw and the slight shine to her eyes.

“I won’t be long.” Kotori turned hurriedly on her heel and made her way quickly from the room, in need of some air.

“Honoka!” Umi berated, reaching up to gently swat Honoka’s arm when Kotori disappeared from view.

“Huh?!” Honoka flinched slightly in surprise. “What? What did I do?”

—

“I could’ve handled that guy.” Future Honoka muttered as she gingerly held her side. She could feel blood seeping through her shirt. She groaned a little as she allowed Nozomi to keep her steady.

She watched Nozomi with concern as they made their way down the crisp white hall of the Mokuzai building. She turned her back slightly, cringing at all the guards she’d had to kill or severely injure to get to the elevators.

Once they made it safely into one she pulled herself away from Nozomi and carefully eased her hand away from the gash on her side. “Damn.”

“Fucking idiot, are you crazy?! What would’ve happened if I actually didn’t come?! “ Nozomi growled as she turned her attention to the older woman. She let her eyes travel to the injury and grimaced at the sight of all of the blood. There was no doubt that it was deep.

“I suppose I would’ve died.” Honoka said carelessly as she shifted her weight. She took out her phone with the blueprints and notes she’d managed to get her hands on and pushed the button for basement. “I could do with the peace and quiet if I’m honest.”

Nozomi gritted her teeth together. She had known that Future Honoka was going to get herself into a dangerous situation as soon as she had seen those notes on her wall. “You may not care if you live or die but I do! I don’t care what you say I’m going to keep you alive.”

“You’re cute when you’re angry.” Future Honoka teased, leaning heavily against the elevator doors. Her body felt suddenly heavy but she knew she had to press on. “Has my past self ever told you that? Probably a good thing if she hasn’t seen you angry. We wouldn’t…want her falling for someone else…”

“Shut up, I’m being serious!” Nozomi barked, irritated by Honoka’s blasé attitude. Her cheeks flushed, both from anger and embarrassment. “You’re going to die, don’t you get that?”

“I think we’ve gathered that I don’t care.” The elevator chimed as they reached the basement floor and Honoka leaned away from the doors to keep from falling through them.  “Come on, we’ve gotta be stealthy.”

“What?!”

“Shhh!” Future Honoka grabbed Nozomi’s hand and dragged her out of the elevator. “Get a lab coat, I’m sure you’ll pass as being in your twenties.”

“I’m seventeen!” Nozomi exclaimed in a whisper yell. “And you’re bleeding all over the floor, how stealthy do you think we can be?!”

“Seventeen? Your boobs say otherwise.” Future Honoka didn’t even try to hide the fact that she was staring at Nozomi’s chest.

“Senpai!” Nozomi covered herself, her cheeks flushed crimson. She was sure Honoka must be delirious from the pain she was feeling or something. Nevertheless she allowed Honoka to drag her into a storage closet and soon found herself dressed in a lab coat. Future Honoka threw one on too, to hide the fact that she was bleeding.

“Almost…” Future Honoke tugged Nozomi’s hair ties from her hair and deposited them into her pocket before assessing the girl in front of her. “Much better. You look more mature like this. A braid suits you better but we don’t really have time…”

“Senpai, focus!” Nozomi exclaimed sharply as Future Honoka trailed off, her gaze distant.

“Huh? Oh right, let’s go.” Honoka ducked out of the room with Nozomi hot on her heels and together the two of them started the walk down the hall.

Nozomi felt her heart hammering against her chest as she walked but glancing at Future Honoka she found the older woman seemed to be quite composed. She wondered if Honoka did this kind of thing a lot in her time. It didn’t seem like the first time she’d done it.

“Maybe you should have looked for a first aid kit while we were in there.” Nozomi pointed out, concern audible in her hushed voice as she noticed that Honoka was unsteady on her feet.

“Stop fussing, you’re pissing me off.”

Nozomi raised an eyebrow. “You’re moody now? I think I preferred when you were hitting on me.”

“Oh yeah?” Honoka’s voice was almost flat, save for the twinge of amusement Nozomi could hear. “You like it when I hit on you? I’d do it more often but you know, Eli is my best friend in the future…oh, wait here.”

“What?” Nozomi tried to grab Honoka’s hand but she was already striding toward a woman a little way down the hall. Honoka tapped the woman on the shoulder, causing her to turn around and they exchanged a few words. Nozomi frowned and moved closer to hear.

“Ah…you caught me, I’m sort of new here. Today is my first day so I don’t really know where I’m going and…” Honoka trailed off, laughing sheepishly and rubbed the back of her neck. “I thought you might be able to point me in the right direction, if you don’t mind. You look like you know what you’re doing around here.”

Nozomi narrowed her eyes irritably while the woman looked unsure.

“I’m sorry, I’m bothering you!” Future Honoka sounded genuinely guilty. “I-I just couldn’t help but notice you over here. You’re just…wow, you’re beautiful. And I figured ‘this girl must have been sent to help me’, you know? It’s stupid, I know.”

Nozomi rolled her eyes as the woman in front of Honoka flushed and began to stutter. What really caught her attention was the way Honoka dipped her hand into the woman’s pocket, taking something from it. There was no hesitation in the swift movement, no sign of a shake in her fingers. It was practiced almost, like she’d done it a hundred times.

“W-Well it’s down the hall and to the left then you just have to swipe in…” The woman said nervously, her voice quivering slightly. “I-I’m sorry, I didn’t get your name…”

“I didn’t give one.” Honoka smiled cheekily and covered the name written on her lab coat swiftly, feigning that she was leaving her name a mystery rather than covering up the fact that the name on the lab coat wasn’t hers. “Thank you, Nanami-san. I look forward to seeing you again. Maybe next time I’ll introduce myself properly and take you out to dinner. To celebrate.”

“C-Celebrate?”

“Celebrate meeting you of course.” Honoka replied smoothly with a wink. Nozomi huffed in annoyance. “I’ll be going then. I’ll see you later. I hope.”

“M-Me too.”

Honoka turned on her heel and grinned at Nozomi.

“You look happy with yourself.” Nozomi pointed out snarkily.

“Is Nozomi-chan jealous?” Honoka teased, the smile not dropping from her lips. “Relax, you’re the only woman in a lab coat I have eyes for.”

“Senpai, would you…” Nozomi resisted the urge to yell at Honoka and took a deep breath instead, trying to calm herself. “Stop hitting on me.”

“But you just said you want me to hit on you?”

“I did not!” Nozomi exclaimed, maybe a bit louder than she had intended. “Besides, you flirt with everyone. It doesn’t mean anything when you flirt with me and Elichi.”

“So you want it to mean something when I flirt with you?” Honoka raised a teasing eyebrow as she continued on down the hallway with Nozomi, having noticed the woman wander away. “It does, honestly. I flirt with you two because you’re special to me. I would never flirt with Maki-chan or Rin-chan like this. And before you ask, I tease Maki-chan sometimes but that’s only because she’s one of my best friends in the future. But nobody is Eli-senpai and Nozomi-chan. And…nobody is Kotori-chan especially.”

“G-Geeze, you talk about us like you’re in love with us or something…”

“Maybe I am.” Honoka said seriously. She couldn’t hold the neutral expression for long though and finally ended up laughing. “I’m just kidding. Come on, let’s use this quickly.”

Nozomi felt her cheeks flush crimson once again and she cursed under her breath. How was it that she was being out-teased, by Honoka of all people? She didn’t notice Honoka use the key card she’d stolen on the door until she was being pulled into the room.

As soon as they stepped foot inside though, alarms started going off around them.

“Shit!” Honoka muttered, drawing Nozomi close to her. It seemed that the building was more secure than she’d thought. She hurriedly tugged Nozomi over to a computer, determined to get something from the mission. It couldn’t just be a failure. “A PASSWORD? Really?!”

Nozomi glanced around anxiously as Honoka slammed her hands down onto the desk in front of them. She could hear footsteps in the hallway. “You need to get us out of here. You need to teleport us out. Honoka-chan!” She watched as Honoka started to type, obviously trying to get the password. “HONOKA! Please, we need to go. They’re coming. If you stay here you’ll die. I know you want the information but it’s not worth your life! Please. If not for yourself, then for me.”

Honoka watched as the screen in front of her eyes blurred, then she was on her knees on the floor. She heard her name being called then Nozomi was in front of her, her hands on her shoulders.

“I can’t…I don’t have the energy to teleport us both. Maybe….if I could transport you by yourself…” She had never tried it, and wasn’t sure it would work. But she could try.

“No!” Nozomi exclaimed frantically. “No, we’re not doing that. I don’t want you to die, okay?! You can’t just decide to stay here. You have to try. For me. I-I’ll help…” She pressed her hands against Honoka’s wound and focused intently, taking the pain away from her. It hit her suddenly and she gasped loudly. She didn’t know how Honoka had managed to walk around when she was hurting so much.

She heard guards barge into the room, opening fire but a second later she was surrounded by warmth as Honoka wrapped her arms tightly around her. The telltale tugging sensation of teleportation followed and then she was outside, on her back. She realized suddenly, now that her mind wasn’t clouded with pain, that Honoka had thrown herself on top of her when the shooting had started.

“Senpai?!” Nozomi’s hands roamed over Honoka’s body, expecting to find some kind of bullet wound. “Did they hit you? Were you shot?!”

Future Honoka shook her head. The pain in her side had returned, probably because Nozomi had been distracted, but she preferred it that way. It was her pain to keep. “You’re worried about me, huh? You must really like me if you want to keep me alive this much.”

“Idiot!” Nozomi’s voice was suddenly thick with emotion, her arms going around Honoka tightly. “Idiot, idiot, idiot! Why are you such a damn idiot?”

Future Honoka gave a throaty chuckle, well aware of the reason behind Nozomi’s sudden outburst. “Yeah…I love you too, Nozomi-chan.”

“Idiot.” Nozomi muttered again, shaking her head. “I told you to stop hitting on me. Come on, get up. I’m taking you home. Or to a hospital.”

“To my hotel room.” Honoka elected. Feeling Nozomi’s grip loosen, she pushed herself to her feet. “No hospitals.”

“Of course not. You’re too stubborn for one.” She quipped as she watched the older woman give her a goofy grin.

“Damn straight, little lady!”

—

Kotori leaned back against the wall behind her and took deep breaths, trying to calm herself down. It was hard to watch her two best friends now that she had been pushed to the sidelines.

“Hey.” Kotori looked up at the sound of the familiar voice, just in time to see Nozomi walking toward her, hands clasped behind her back. “What are you doing?”

Kotori straightened up slightly and tried to suppress the feeling of jealousy and sadness that filled her. She was glad when Nozomi didn’t seem to notice. “Just getting some air. It was getting a bit loud inside.”

“Oh.” Nozomi flashed Kotori a smile and moved closer to her, leaning her shoulder against the wall. “Well you know how some of them can be.”

“I suppose…” Kotori mumbled uncertainly, assuming that Nozomi was referring to Nico and Maki. It wasn’t the two of them who’d driven her out though, seeing Umi and Honoka together had. She couldn’t make sense of how lonely she felt when she watched the two of them together. They were so close now, closer than she felt she could be to either of them. She clenched her shirt in her hand over her chest, her eyes prickling. She was horrible, for envying Umi despite what was happening with her best friend.

“You look upset.” Nozomi remarked, watching Kotori’s expression change. She reached out, placing her hand on Kotori’s arm. “What’s wrong?”

Kotori shrugged and looked down at where Nozomi was gently rubbing her bare arm. “It’s nothing. It’s…” Her eyes darted left and right before flicking back up to Nozomi. “I should be happy for them both. They’re my best friends and Umi-chan is going through something awful and she needs Honoka-chan. I know that. I do. But…what about me, Nozomi-chan? What’s going to happen to me now that they’re together?” Her bottom lip trembled slightly. She was being so selfish. “It’s not supposed to be like this.”

“Hmm?” Nozomi seemed to be listening intently, still keeping up the soothing movements of her fingers. “What do you mean?”

“I’m supposed to be with Honoka-chan in the future!” Kotori couldn’t hold the frustrated exclamation back. She wasn’t sure how this had happened. Was it because she had ignored her Honoka too much, focusing only on Future Honoka? “I love her too!”

A smile twitched at Nozomi’s lips.

“She doesn’t even see me.” Kotori whispered, bowing her head slightly. Honoka had barely glanced at her earlier, but even then it had been like she was looking right through her. “Not anymore.”

“Then she’s an idiot.” Nozomi said bluntly, reaching out to gently touch Kotori’s face with her free hand. Puzzled eyes slowly lifted to focus on her own. “I see you. Anyone with half a brain would take notice of you. You’re too pretty to just ignore.”

Kotori’s brow furrowed in confusion at Nozomi’s intently whispered words. It almost felt like the purple haired girl was flirting with her. It was unthinkable. Everyone knew that Nozomi only had eyes for Eli.

Uncomfortable, Kotori cleared her throat. “Where have you been? You’ve been gone for a while. Eli-chan was waiting for you earlier.”

“Let’s not talk about Elichi right now.” Nozomi said with a soft chuckle at Kotori’s attempt to change the subject. “I only want to talk about you.”

Kotori only grew more confused by Nozomi’s brushing off of Eli. “I-I uh…we should probably get back inside. It’s getting chilly out here.”

Kotori watched Nozomi pout, but after a moment the older girl grabbed her hand and began to guide her back to her apartment. Kotori felt a cool shiver go down her spine, but it wasn’t one she usually got when she was near Honoka or her friend’s Future self. She felt uncomfortable. Something wasn’t right, but she couldn’t pinpoint what. At times like these she wished she possessed Maki’s telepathy. “Um, Nozomi-chan, I don’t need you to treat me like a child. I know where your apartment is.”

Nozomi didn’t say a word as she let go of Kotori’s hand. Kotori positioned herself in front of the senior and made her way up the steps. She glanced at Nozomi out of the corner of her eye, watching as she looked around in interest. After a moment, she cleared her throat, desperate to break the silence. “S-So how was your walk?”  
  
Usually Nozomi was the easiest of the girls to talk to, but now she didn’t know what to say.

“It was pleasant. Though it could’ve been nicer if I’d had company.” Nozomi drawled, shooting Kotori a suggestive look. She patted herself down as they stopped in front of the door. “Ah, I forgot my key…”

“I left it open! Don’t worry. The others are in there as well so even if anyone tried to get in they would have to fight…” Kotori said with a force smile. She let her gaze drop to the floor before pushing the door open and stepping into the small entrance hall, Nozomi close behind. Kotori didn’t have time to think before she felt someone push her against the door.

“Ahh, what the..?”  Kotori began but was cut off by a pair of lips pressing against her own. Her eyes widened in alarm. For Nozomi, someone she had always seen as a somewhat parental figure to be touching her in such a way was shocking. So shocking that she froze in place, unable to even push her away.

_“Stop! Stop, STOP! “_

Kotori finally came to her senses and pressed her hands to Nozomi’s shoulders. She hurriedly pushed the slightly taller girl off of her. “Stop! What are you doing!?”  
  
She looked up and caught sight of cold emerald eyes, so different from the usual warm gaze she was used to seeing from Nozomi.

“Why? You’re obviously lonely. I could feel it with my ability, Kotori-chan.” Nozomi smirked before she leaned in again, her lips finding Kotori’s once more. She felt hands move to her shoulders, trying to push her away again but easily grabbed them, pinning them to the door above Kotori’s head. She pressed closer still, pushing her torso flush against Kotori’s and in turn pushing the ashen haired girl harder against the door.

Kotori whimpered against Nozomi’s lips and tried to move her head back only to find that she was stopped by the door she was being pressed against. She couldn’t move away to break her lips away from Nozomi’s. Every time she tried to struggle, Nozomi’s grip on her wrists somehow tightened further, causing her to wince.

Nozomi, growing tired of Kotori trying to pull away, reached down with one hand and gripped Kotori’s chin to keep her in place. She took the younger girl’s lower lip between her own and sucked for a moment before biting down hard. The taste of blood was satisfying.  
  
Kotori gasped and Nozomi took the opportunity to kiss her deeper this time, her tongue slipping past soft lips. She chuckled under her breath at the startled sound Kotori made.   
  
Panicked, Kotori accidentally activated her invisibility. She tried to flex her fingers but they were growing numb because of the tightness of Nozomi’s grip. She struggled harder, her eyes burning with tears that slowly slipped down her cheeks. She had never been kissed like this, had never kissed anyone but Future Honoka in fact and that was so much different. Even the second time they had kissed, Honoka had been desperate and a little bit forceful but she’d been gentle too. Nozomi was anything but gentle.

Having heard the door open and close a few minutes ago, Eli strode into the small entranceway, intending to greet whoever had returned - as Nozomi’s girlfriend, she figured it was her responsibility to do so when Nozomi wasn’t there to do it herself. She stopped short, her heart seizing as she watched Kotori flicker between visibility and invisibility.

“W-What the hell is going on!?”

Kotori turned her head, finally managing to tear her lips from Nozomi’s thanks to the third year’s distraction. Her eyes met steel blue. “E-Eli-chan…”

“N-Nozomi. Kotori.” Eli whispered, noticing the flush on Kotori’s face. Having seen their position before, it wasn’t hard to put two and two together. She didn’t notice Maki run in with Nico behind her, the former having heard Kotori’s thoughts from a moment ago.

Maki’s gaze found Kotori, noticing how shaken she looked. Quickly, she went to catch her as she slumped down against the door. Kotori’s thoughts were so loud and frantic that she couldn’t hear anything else, nor could she even attempt to block them out. Arms went around her neck tightly as Kotori pressed close to her. Maki was perplexed by the way Kotori trembled against her, tears soaking her neck. “What the hell…”

“Kotori-chan and I were just having some fun.” Nozomi said, oblivious to the tears that clouded Eli’s eyes. It seemed that the blonde couldn’t even speak. “Isn’t that right, Kotori-chan?”

“What the hell is wrong with you?!” Maki’s head was truly starting to ache, but that didn’t keep her from berating Nozomi. She lifted her arms, protectively wrapping them around the girl clinging to her. “She didn’t want that, you…you forced it on her!” She glared at the senior, bearing her teeth as she drew Kotori closer to her body.

“N-Nozomi…” Eli could barely get her words out as she stared at her girlfriend. She couldn’t comprehend the reasoning behind Nozomi’s actions though what Maki has said struck a chord with her. She couldn’t imagine Nozomi ever forcing herself on anyone.  

Honoka and Umi walked into the room, their attention caught by the commotion.  Inevitably their gazes found Kotori, both of them stopping short in shock at the sight of how upset their friend was.

“Kotori?” Umi glanced questioningly between the group of girls for some kind of explanation as to what was going on. She wasn’t offered one but Kotori did break away from Maki and hurry over to them, intentionally keeping her distance from Nozomi as she did so. She ducked behind the two of them, pressing close to Honoka’s back. The hand that Umi lay upon her shoulder was more reassuring than words could ever be.

“It’s not true, is it?” Eli couldn’t help but ask, desperate for Nozomi to say something to defend herself in some way. “Y-You wouldn't…”

Nozomi huffed out a sigh at Eli’s attempts to speak. “Wouldn’t what, Elichi? Want to kiss anyone but you? You’re so full of yourself, you know that? My life doesn’t revolve around you!”

Eli wasn’t sure what to say to that. Nozomi had never snapped at her in that way before. She swallowed thickly. “Is this because you’re angry with me? You want to get back at me for kissing Hono…the future version of Honoka? I thought you were fine with that!”

“What?” Honoka’s eyes widened in surprise as did Umi’s. Even Kotori, who was still shaken by her encounter with Nozomi looked stunned.

Surprise briefly flitted across Nozomi’s face before she schooled her features back to the emotionless look from a moment ago. “You think I would have told you if I was bothered by it? God, you really are selfish. All you care about is if you think you have a reason to feel guilty about what you did. You don’t care about how I would feel at all, do you?”

“W-What?” Eli shook her head vehemently, her stomach sinking at Nozomi’s words. “No, that’s not true! Of course I care about how you feel, Nozomi. What are you saying? I love you!”

“Well I don’t love you.” Nozomi’s blunt retort had Eli stumbling back slightly, her features slowly crumbling. “I don’t think I ever did, really. I wanted to. More than anything I wanted to think that you could be what I need, but you’re not. You were just something I used to try to fill a hole in my life. First a friend, then a lover…but I don’t love you in that way.”

“Y-You don’t mean that. You can’t mean that!” Eli couldn’t see Nozomi through her tears. She couldn’t think, she could barely even breathe. “You do love me, you’ve told me. You’ve told me hundreds of times that you love me. You wouldn’t just lie!”

Nozomi shrugged her shoulders, unfazed by Eli’s tears. “I was in denial, I wasn’t lying. It just took me a while to figure out what I want. And what I don’t. If it makes you feel any better, you were decent in bed. But that’s the only reason I’ve stayed with you for so long, and even that’s getting boring now.”

Eli clapped her hand over her mouth, a startled sob escaping her before she could stop it. Her knees buckled and she felt herself begin to stumble before someone caught her quickly, keeping her on her feet.

Nico stumbled slightly herself under Eli’s weight but managed to stay on her feet. “What the fuck is wrong with you?!” She exclaimed furiously, glaring over at Nozomi. She was all for honesty but everything Nozomi had said to Eli was taking it too far. She couldn’t believe Nozomi even felt that way about the blonde. Everyone who watched the two of them together could see that the two adored each other. The look on Nozomi’s face now showed no sign of that though. The look on her face was that of indifference, something Nico had never seen Nozomi direct toward Eli. “Why are you saying all of that crap to her?”

“I’m just telling the truth, Nico-chan. What’s wrong with that?” Nozomi asked, turning her gaze toward Nico. “What else am I supposed to do? Just keep leading her on like I have been?”

“You’re LYING!” Nico’s voice rose as she slowly let go of Eli and took a step toward Nozomi, her hands curled into fists at her sides. “Anyone who knows you knows that you love Eli. What the hell are you doing? Pushing her away because you’re scared of what might happen in the future? Or you’re hurt because of what she did with Honoka?”

“Honoka-chan can have her, I’m not interested.” Nozomi cast a look toward Eli. The blonde was clearly beside herself, her hands covering her face. “You were right about what you said back when we got together, you know?” She waited a moment until teary eyes slowly lifted to meet her own. “You are too boring for me.”

“Nozomi-chan!” Honoka made to take a step forward but she was stopped short by both Umi and Kotori grabbing her and pulling her back to them. She cast a look at them, finding that they both looked shaken by Nozomi’s rant. “But…”

She couldn’t just stand by and do nothing while Nozomi was speaking to Eli in such a sickening way.

Umi gave a shake of her head, her lips set into a grim line. Between the way Nozomi was behaving and the way Nico looked there was no way she was going to let Honoka get between them.

Nico let out a low growl and surged forward, grabbing the lapels of Nozomi’s jacket. She was sure that usually she wouldn’t be strong enough to move the older girl but her anger fueled her and somehow they ended up stumbling back against the wall.

“You’re going to take that back right now.” Nico said in a low, angry voice. Behind her she could still hear Eli’s muffled cries. “Look at what you’re fucking doing to her. Is that really something you want to do to the person you love?!”

Nozomi’s expression didn’t change. “I don’t love…”

“SHUT UP!” Nico punched the wall next to Nozomi’s head, causing her to cringe slightly. “Don’t say that again, Nozomi. I’m warning you. It’s bullshit.”

Maki tensed as Nico’s fist came away from the wall bloody. The passive look on the third year’s face let her know she hadn’t felt it though. Her stomach twisted with anxiety at the thought. She hadn’t approved of Nico taking the pills she’d quickly become addicted to but she knew that they were one of the only things that allowed her to feel something.

Nervousness flitted across Nozomi’s face. Nico had quite the temper, and it didn’t take a lot for her to snap. She opened her mouth to speak but she was interrupted by another voice.

“L-Let her go, Nico.” Eli’s voice trembled with emotion but it was much closer than before.

Nico looked up in surprise as a hand closed around her wrist. She found herself staring into watery blue eyes and frowned. “Why should I? Give me one reason I shouldn’t punch her right now after what she said to you!”

“Because I can’t let you.” Eli whispered, her shoulders slumped. “You know I can’t. Please, Nico. I know you’re only trying to help me but you’ll only be hurting me if you hurt her. Just let her go.”

With an irritated growl, Nico wrenched her hand away from Nozomi’s collar and stalked away from her, holding her hand which was rapidly regenerating her broken skin together.

“In case I wasn’t clear, we’re done.” Nozomi said, her voice quiet and restrained as she looked at Eli. The blonde was looking anywhere but at her, clearly trembling and didn’t offer an answer.

Silence followed the statement and Maki took a moment to glance at the others. Nico was seething and Umi and Honoka looked too surprised to do anything but her gaze paused when it reached Kotori. The ashen haired girl was rubbing her wrists. What caught Maki’s attention was the blood streaking a line down to her chin from her lip. Like she had bitten down, though Maki knew that she wouldn’t have bitten hard enough to draw so much blood.

She stepped closer until she caught sight of the reddening marks on Kotori’s wrist. “Kotori, what…?” She watched as Kotori ashamedly hid her wrists from sight, though not before Umi too had caught sight of them.

Umi gripped Kotori’s hands, keeping her from hiding them and stared at the marks - no, the fingerprints, on her wrists in shock. “K-Kotori…”

Honoka, who had been gaping at the marks suddenly swung around to face Nozomi. “Y-You did this to her?!” She couldn’t believe it, though she wasn’t thinking past the anger that was suddenly pounding through her veins. She felt angry tears blur her vision, unwanted images of Kotori being forced into things filling her mind. “H-How could…?” Her jaw clenched and she closed her eyes, focusing her power.

“Honoka-chan, no!” Kotori exclaimed, throwing herself forward. She wrapped her arms around Honoka tightly from behind though she knew it wouldn’t do much good if Honoka chose to teleport like she obviously wanted to. “I don’t want you to get hurt!”

“But she…” Honoka trembled, both with anger and fear of what was happening. The fact that it was Nozomi, of all people who’d hurt Kotori just made it worse. “I-I don’t…”

Kotori felt Honoka’s hands come up, gripping her own and allowed herself to relax, taking it to mean that her friend wasn’t going anywhere. She noticed movement out of the corner of her eye and flinched. She relaxed when Umi moved in front of her. Concerned amber eyes met her own and gentle fingers wiped the blood from her mouth and chin.

The tender touch was both reassuring and grounding, yet relaxing had her thinking back to just a few minutes ago and her eyes flooded with tears.

“Kotori, I’m going to have to look at your wrists.” Maki said in a stern but gentle voice as she stepped closer and reached out toward her embracing seniors.

Umi noticed Maki approaching first and quickly jerked away, not wanting to risk touching her. She crossed her arms in front of her chest when Maki glanced at her in concern. She cleared her throat and focused her gaze on Eli, trying to play the sudden movement off.

Maki looked back to Kotori, reaching out to gently grip her wrist. “Come on, Kotori.” She gave a gentle tug but Kotori shook her head and buried her face into Honoka’s shoulder. She sighed heavily, glancing to Umi for help. Unfortunately Umi seemed to be looking anywhere but at her.

With a determined pout, Maki tapped Kotori’s shoulder. When the older girl finally seemed to make eye contact she gave her a small sad smile and whispered. “Please come with me. I want to help you…” She felt her cheeks turning red and glanced down at her feet.  “…K-Koto-nee, just like you helped me when I was younger.”

Kotori, who had been wearing a determined, if somewhat teary look, softened at the use of the old nickname. Hesitantly, she let go of Honoka and took Maki’s outstretched hand. “O-Okay…”

“I’ll be going then.” Nozomi announced, brushing herself off. “You can all get out of my apartment before I get back. Though…you can stay if you want to, Kotori-chan. We can continue where we left off.”

“Like hell she will!” Maki’s voice rose in anger. “Don’t ever touch her again. Stay the hell away from her or I’ll hurt you!”

Nozomi scoffed and with one last glance at Eli, she left the apartment, leaving the blonde sniffling softly in her wake.

Maki hesitated for a moment but when she saw Nico make her way over to Eli, she turned her attention back to Kotori. “Come on.” She murmured, tugging on her hand. She led her into the bathroom, closing the door behind her and guided Kotori to sit on the edge of the bathtub.   
  
Kotori turned her gaze to her bruised wrists as Maki pattered around the bathroom, gathering some things to treat her injuries with.

“There’s not much here I can work with.” Maki said apologetically as she returned to Kotori’s side with a damp towel. She knelt down in front of her but paused as she lifted the towel. “Are you okay?”

Kotori gave a shaky nod. “Nozomi-chan…” She shuddered slightly, both at the name and the memory of Nozomi’s cold stare. “She’s never looked at me like that before.”

Maki frowned as she lifted the towel to dab at the bite mark on Kotori’s lip. Nozomi had done a lot of things she had never done before. She’d never used force before, she had never spoken to Eli that way before. She’d certainly never claimed that she didn’t love Eli.  

Kotori was silent as Maki wiped away the remainder of the blood from her lips. Finally, when it seemed to be done she spoke up softly. “You called me Koto-nee earlier. L-like you used to. Maki-chan…can you say it again?”

Maki’s gaze slid away, her cheeks flaming. “Koto-nee.” Out of the corner of her eye, she spotted Kotori smiling to herself. “This is embarrassing, Kotori.”

Kotori shook her head in amusement. “You used to call me that all of the time when we were younger. Remember when you were six and you wanted to show me your progress with the piano? You wouldn’t stop saying it until I went along with you.”

“K-Koto-nee, you’re being unfair!” Maki cringed as the childhood nickname for her friend passed her lips again. “Crap!”

Kotori lifted a hand to her mouth, though that didn’t stop a gentle giggle from escaping. “Maki-chan is so cute.”

Maki ducked her head in embarrassment. “I-I am not! Nico-chan is cuter…”

“Does Maki-chan have a crush?” Kotori teased gently, the heaviness that had settled in her chest starting to lighten. “Tell me all about it!”

“NO!” Maki bowed her head, her red hair concealing her equally red face. She listened to Kotori giggle again, a small smile tugging at her lips. It was almost worth the embarrassment to make her friend feel better. Silence soon settled between them and the next time Maki looked up the smile that had lingered briefly on Kotori’s face was gone again.

“It’s been a long time since we talked properly, huh Maki-chan?” Kotori asked softly, her gaze distant, as if she was remembering something from quite a long time ago. “I missed you a lot…when you stopped being friends with me.”

Maki shifted uncomfortably. “I-I didn’t, I…I just didn’t want to embarrass you in front of your new friends. I didn’t think you’d want someone younger than you following you around. And I guess I was maybe a bit jealous too. That you suddenly had new friends and you were leaving me behind.”

Kotori’s eyes widened in surprise at Maki’s honesty. “You could never embarrass me! I was always talking about you when I was with Honoka-chan and Umi-chan. I wanted them to meet you because…Maki-chan was my most important person. I-I thought you were embarrassed by me. You changed so much, you got so cool and I just stayed the same.”

Maki sighed and shifted position to sit with her back against the bathtub near Kotori’s legs. “I suppose we both had it wrong. It wasn’t the only reason anyway. My power was growing and I had to push everyone away. Even you…you know?” She looked up at Kotori, in search of understanding.

Kotori nodded somberly. “We’ll be better friends now, right Maki-chan? Like before? Earlier…” Her voice quivered slightly at the memories of what had happened with Nozomi earlier. “It reminded me of when we were younger. I didn’t know you would…”

“Of course I would.” Maki interrupted sharply, irritation returning to her features. “And I will again if she comes near you.”

Kotori bit her lip, a troubled expression on her face. “But it’s Nozomi-chan.”

“And you’re Kotori. What’s your point?” Maki tilted her head back a little bit so she could see Kotori, her bright hair a stark contrast to the pearly white bathtub it rested against. “None of us are going to let her hurt you again.”

Kotori wasn’t all that happy with the answer. She didn’t want it to be that way, but she was sure of the fact that she didn’t want to be around Nozomi. “Thank you, Maki-chan.”

Maki nodded, instantly regretting the decision. “My head hurts, Koto-nee.” She muttered, just barely loud enough for Kotori to hear. Almost unwittingly, she leaned her head to the right, resting it against Kotori’s thigh. The whispered apology, combined with the gentle hand that came to rest upon her head had her lips turning up slightly despite her discomfort.

The corners of Kotori’s lips twitched up into a small smile. Despite everything that happened she couldn’t help but feel glad that her past friendship with Maki had finally seemed to be rekindled.

—

Nozomi strode casually down the hallway, whistling to herself as she walked away from the apartment.

“You can come out now, you know.” She said, ducking into the stairwell just to be safe. She looked over the edge of the railing to make sure nobody was there. “Nobody’s around.”

The shadow behind Nozomi shifted, lifting up from the ground then materialized into a tall, fit young woman. The UTX uniform she was wearing suited her serious demeanour perfectly. She stretched slightly before turning sharp eyes toward Nozomi.

“You sure know how to make things dramatic, huh?”

“All part of my brilliant plan.” Nozomi smirked back. “Let’s just hope Tsubasa can do her part as flawlessly as I did mine.”

Erena irritably narrowed her eyes. “You call what you did flawless? You assaulted the poor girl! I thought you were just going to manipulate her?!”

“As I said, divide and conquer. You’ve read Tojo’s file. She’s the glue that holds the group together. There’s nothing more important to her than her friends and her…’Elichi’. Imagine how it’s going to destroy her to know that she broke Ayase’s heart. That her precious friends are either terrified of her or hate her.”

Erena shifted, uncomfortable with the entire situation. “I still think you went too far, Anju.”

Nozomi laughed loudly. Her features shifted and suddenly the laughter sounded different. Much harsher. “Don’t question my tactics, Erena. You’re only an agent compared to me and Tsubasa. You’re only in it to be with her anyway. I was trained, I know exactly what I’m doing while you have no idea. You’re not to share your useless opinions with me again. Is that clear?”

Erena knew better than to argue. She swallowed thickly and gave a shaky nod.

Anju leaned back against the railings and crossed her arms in front of her chest. She had almost been hoping for some kind of argument but she had gotten nothing of the sort. It was typical. Erena was so spineless, it was laughable. “You’re always such a downer. Just let me have my fun!”

Erena closed her eyes briefly, trying not to let irritation overwhelm her. “Let’s just get back. You’ve done enough damage.”

Anju almost argued, wanting to stick around and see exactly how much damage she had done but even she knew that was a bad idea. Instead she nodded and started on her way down the stairs. “My back is killing me, I don’t know how Tojo lugs those boobs of hers around all day.”

Erena gritted her teeth together as Anju laughed at her own joke. Sometimes she couldn’t help but really hate the other girl.

—

Nozomi rubbed her shoulder as she made her way along the hallway to her apartment. Her ‘mission’ with Honoka had left her feeling tired and sore and all she wanted to do was slip into bed next to her girlfriend and go to sleep. Turning the corner, she paused at the sight of the group gathered in front of her apartment door. Kotori, Honoka, Umi and Maki were standing together, Kotori between Maki and Honoka while Umi was holding onto Honoka’s hand. Nico was standing near Eli, her hand resting lightly on her lower back.

The first thing Nozomi really noticed besides their presence was the fact that Eli seemed to be upset about something. She could feel it from where she stood, even though she’d been trying to block everyone out. She could never block Eli out completely. As she stepped closer, the ache in her chest only intensified.

Hearing footsteps, Kotori looked up. At the sight of Nozomi, she flinched, positioning herself slightly behind Honoka.

Maki followed Kotori’s gaze to Nozomi and narrowed her eyes. “We’re just leaving.”

Nozomi was surprised by the cold tone of Maki’s voice as well as Kotori flinching away from her. It was an odd reaction. It wasn’t as though Kotori had any reason to fear her. “What? Where are you going?”

Nico turned to scowl at Nozomi. “I’m not in the mood for your fucking mind games, Nozomi. And don’t think I’m going to let you screw around with Eli’s feelings or touch Kotori again either!”

“Kotori-chan? What are you talking about? What did I…?” Nozomi glanced helplessly at Eli, finding the girl was staring at the floor. “Elichi…”

“HEY!” Nico marched right up to Nozomi, her expression livid. “Don’t talk to her. Don’t even look at her.”

For a moment, Nozomi could only blink at Nico, too stunned to speak. “N-Nicocchi…” Her gaze shifted around in search of answers and she flinched at the angry stares of her friends. Noticing Kotori rubbing her wrists she looked a bit closer, finding bruises circling them. “What happened?!”

She pushed Nico to the side and skirted around her, intending to check the bruises on Kotori’s wrists. She was surprised when Maki visibly tensed up but what surprised her more was Eli moving quickly, putting herself between her and Kotori. “Elichi?”

“I won’t let you touch her, Nozomi.” Eli had somehow managed to compose herself before she had left the apartment but now, with Nozomi standing in front of her, she felt tears pricking at her eyes again. She clenched her jaw but that did nothing to keep her eyes from dampening. “Kotori is my friend. I don’t care what you feel for her o-or how much you hate me, I won’t let anything…”

Nozomi felt her stomach churn at the idea of ‘hating’ Eli. There wasn’t anything about her that she hated. “Hate you?” She lifted a hand, intending to brush away a tear that was about to fall. As she did, she watched a pained expression cross Eli’s face. “How could I ever hate you? You’re my Elichi. I love you, you…”

Honoka growled low in her throat and reached out with her free hand, gripping Eli’s wrist. She pulled her back to her side and stared Nozomi down. “Stay away from us. All of us. You’ve crossed a line, Nozomi. I’m not going to risk you hurting Kotori-chan again…and you’re taking advantage of Eli-senpai. I-I won’t allow it!”

“Stay away?” Nozomi echoed shakily, her heart pounding against her chest. Eli wasn’t looking at her again but she supposed it was better than her looking at her the same way Honoka was. “But you’re my friends. Elichi is my girlfriend.”

“We’re not. And Eli-senpai isn’t your girlfriend anymore. You made that clear earlier with what you said.” Deep down Honoka knew that she was only saying these things because she wanted to hurt Nozomi, the same way the third year had hurt Eli and to get back at her for hurting Kotori too, but she couldn’t stop herself. “As the leader of μ’s…I’m revoking your membership.”

“Agreed.” Nico’s voice sounded sharply, though Nozomi only just barely heard it. “You’re out.”

Nozomi’s chest tightened again but this time it wasn’t Eli’s pain she was feeling, it was her own. There was nothing more important to her than her friends and μ’s. “Wh…Wha…?” She hadn’t realized that her eyes had flooded with tears until she felt them slip free, spilling down her cheeks. “B-But…”

The group walked past her, Kotori being careful to keep her distance. Honoka on the other hand, purposely shouldered past, causing her to almost lose her footing. The subtle ache in her shoulder was enough to stub out the hope that this was all just a terrible nightmare. It was real, though Nozomi couldn’t make sense of any of it. She’d lost Eli. She’d lost everyone.


	13. Chapter 13

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Another double chapter post!
> 
> Thanks for your comments guys, I really appreciate them and they definitely inspire me to write more. :)
> 
> Warning(s): General angst, violence and references to attempted sexual assault.

Nozomi’s lung burned, her thoughts racing in time to the pumping of her feet against concrete. She didn’t know what was happening, all she could really understand was that in the space of a few minutes she had lost all of her friends. She’d lost Eli. **  
**

_“Kotori is my friend. I don’t care what you feel for her o-or how much you hate me.”_

She wasn’t sure what that even meant. Surely she could never have given any indication that she hated Eli, of all people. The opposite was true. All of her friends had to know that. She was in love with Eli, she had been for a long time now.

_“As the leader of μ’s…I’m revoking your membership.”_

Tears blurred her vision but she didn’t slow down for a second, not even when her side began to hurt from all of the running she was doing. She didn’t slow down in the reception of the hotel, nor did she even wait for the elevator. Afraid that once she stopped she wouldn’t be able to get up again, she ran up the stairs, not stopping until she reached Future Honoka’s hotel room. She stumbled against the door, beating the wood with the side of her fist.

“Senpai! Senpai!”

There was a beat of silence before Future Honoka responded. “Ow, hold on! Damn chair.”

The door opened a moment later and Nozomi almost fell into the room. She would have, had it not been for Future Honoka reaching out to catch her.

“Senpai…”

“Nozomi?!” Future Honoka exclaimed in shock. She could hardly believe the state of her friend. Tearstains streaked down Nozomi’s cheeks, both new and older looking marks. If that hadn’t been indication enough that she’d been crying for a while, her eyes were red rimmed and bloodshot. “What happened?!”

“E-Elichi…H-Honoka-ch…” Nozomi was sobbing too hard to get her words out and Honoka worried that she was going to hyperventilate. She gritted her teeth together and supporting Nozomi’s weight, dragged her into the hotel room. She nudged the door shut with her foot before she bent down. She painstakingly scooped up the exhausted girl and carried her to her bed, sitting her down on it. Taking a step back she grabbed a chair so she could sit nearby.

“Now tell me. What happened?” Future Honoka tried to keep her voice steady but it shook audibly. “Is it Eli? Did something happen to her or….Hanayo? Rin?”

She could only imagine Nozomi reacting in such a way if something bad had happened to Eli or one of the youngest members.

“T-They all hate me.” Nozomi replied, her tears still as thick as before. “H-Honoka-chan kicked me out of μ's…”

“What?!” Future Honoka sat bolt upright in shock, sending shockwaves of pain through her stomach. She grimaced, her hand going to the bandage she had hastily applied. She had just finished doing it when Nozomi had started banging on the door and had barely had time to pull on the button down white shirt she was wearing before opening the door. She had left it unbuttoned, thankfully, so as not to put too much pressure on her wound. “W-Why would…?”

“Elichi said that I hate her a-and they said that I hurt Kotori-chan b-but I swear I didn’t! I was with you, Honoka! I would never do anything to hurt any of them. I love all of those girls, y-you have to believe me. I didn’t hurt anyone!” Nozomi seemed to fold in on herself, bent at the waist as she sobbed into her hands.

Honoka stared at Nozomi for a moment, overwhelmed by the sight of the younger girl’s grief. She knew, from her Nozomi that Eli and the other girls meant everything to her. They were her family. She leaned forward, ignoring the way her side ached in protest and drew Nozomi into her arms. “I believe you.”

Nozomi would never do anything to hurt anyone from μ’s. If there was one thing Future Honoka knew, it was that. She was silent for a few minutes until something occurred to her. “A-Rise. It has to be Anj…” She stuttered over the name, unable to say it aloud. All it did was bring back memories of how her Nozomi had been killed. In the cruelest way possible. She leaned back and cupped Nozomi’s face in her hands. “Nozomi, listen to me. I don’t know for sure but…I-I think it’s A-Rise. They have a member who… can s-shapeshift. She can make herself look like anyone she wants to. I think she might have…”

Nozomi, having quietened down, blinked up at Honoka through teary eyes. “W-Why…Why would they come after me? W-Why like this?”

Honoka clenched her jaw. She knew A-Rise. She knew just how sadistic they could be when they wanted to be. “To break μ’s from the inside out. It’s not safe for any of you now that CORPS has been discovered. They’ll do anything to take you away and lock you up.”

Nozomi was the glue of the group. Without her, they would be divided and defenseless. Easy prey for A-Rise and anyone else.

Nozomi sniffled and reached up to wipe her nose with her sleeve. She blinked as she looked up at Honoka. The young woman looked different than she usually did. Her hair was up in a high ponytail, something Nozomi had never seen from her before. “Y-You look different.”

Honoka reached up, touching the ponytail at the back of her head. “It was in the way, I needed it up so I could treat my wound.”

“You almost look like Elichi…with your hair like that.” Nozomi said quietly. Her lower lip trembled as she remembered how Eli had looked at her earlier. With betrayal and hurt in her eyes. “W-What am I going to do, Senpai?”

“We’ll figure something out.” Future Honoka gently wiped away Nozomi’s tears. “But right now you should clean up and get some sleep. We’ll talk more about this tomorrow.” She watched as Nozomi nodded and stood up but before the younger girl could go very far, Honoka realized something. “Wait! You said you hurt Kotori-chan?”

Nozomi stopped where she was. “I-I didn’t do it! I told you already, I was with you!”

Future Honoka stood up quickly and moved in front of Nozomi gripping her arms. “I know. I know it wasn’t you, but…is Kotori-chan okay? How hurt is she? Is she…?” She trailed off, shuddering at the thought. It was impossible for something that bad to have happened. She would have felt it. Her past would have changed.

“H-Her wrists were bruised, like…someone had been holding onto them.” Nozomi felt sickened by the idea of what her friends thought she had done to Kotori. It was obvious what had happened. “And her lip was bleeding, I think. The others wouldn’t let me near her and she looked like she was scared of me. She was trembling, afraid of me t-touching her…”

“I-I’m going to kill that shapeshifter.” Honoka growled as she let go of Nozomi. She grabbed her jacket from the bed. She started toward the door only to be stopped by a hand gripping her arm.  

“D-Don’t even think about confronting whoever did this tonight! You’re still injured from earlier. “  Nozomi’s voice trembled. She bit her lip as she tried to stop crying. It was only half true that she didn’t want Future Honoka to get hurt. The selfish part of her on the other hand wanted her to stay so that she wouldn’t be alone. “We need a plan. You can try to talk to Kotori-chan tomorrow. Just p-please don’t go…I don’t want to be alone. “

Future Honoka took a deep breath, barely able to keep from wrenching free of Nozomi’s grip. Her mind was full of images of Kotori being hurt. It just had to be Anju, it just had to be that one particular member that touched her. She clenched her fists and lowered her head.  “Alright, even though you and I both know I really don’t give a shit about my life. I’ll wait.”

Nozomi slowly let go of Honoka’s arm. “I’m going to clean up like you said. Just…please be here when I get back.” She waited for a nod before she turned and walked into the bathroom.

Future Honoka slowly peeled off her jacket, allowing it to drop to the ground. She slipped into bed after tugging her pants off and stared at her phone on the bedside table. She needed to talk to Kotori, needed to make sure she was alright but she couldn’t. A phone call wasn’t enough.

A few minutes later she heard the bathroom door open followed by the soft patter of Nozomi’s footsteps coming toward her. The bed dipped and then she felt Nozomi shuffle close to her, obviously seeking comfort. She couldn’t deny her that and quickly turned, drawing the younger girl into her arms.

—

Umi whimpered as she drew her knees close to her chest. She had woken up that morning to an ache in her head, similar to the one she’d felt in the bathroom the previous week. Since then there had been many similar incidents but she always managed to stop them by hurrying to Honoka or Kotori’s side. She hadn’t had to look over at the other side of the bed to know that Honoka wasn’t there.

She stared down at the phone she was loosely holding in her hand, her vision slightly blurred with tears. She was afraid. She didn’t know how many memories would be gone by the time Honoka got back to her. She’d always managed to stop it in time before but that was because she’d always had Kotori and Honoka with her. Now Kotori wasn’t staying there and Honoka had seemingly left.

“Stop it…” She whispered, burying her face in her knees. She wasn’t sure how much more she could take, how many more memories she would have to feel being torn away. “Stop it, stop it, stop it…”

“Umi?”

Umi hadn’t heard the door open, too busy chanting under her breath. She looked up sharply, hoping to find Honoka returning. The sight that greeted her was unwelcome. “W-What are you doing here?”

Maki’s brow furrowed in concern at the sight of tears in Umi’s eyes. “Honoka’s visiting Kotori so I figured you might be alone and…” It hadn’t escaped her notice that Umi hated to be alone now. She always seemed to be clinging to either Honoka or Kotori, mostly the former. It wasn’t like her. “What’s going on with you, Umi? What’s happening?”

“Nothing, I’m fine.” Umi wiped away her tears with shaky fingers despite Maki having already seen them. “Do you know when Honoka is going to be coming back? Did she say anything?”

“I think she’ll be a while.” Maki said slowly as she edged closer to the bed. When she had left, Kotori and Honoka had seemed to be lost in conversation with one another. “Honoka seemed worried about her.”

“Right.” Umi’s gaze flitted nervously around the room so she didn’t notice Maki slowly approaching. She could only hope that Honoka would come back before she lost any more of her memories. “Should she be worried?”

Maki shook her head in response though she couldn’t say that she wasn’t worried too. “I’m looking after Kotori. She’s still jumpy but I think she’s going to be fine. I won’t let anything else happen to her.”

The conviction in Maki’s tone had Umi looking toward her again but she flinched when she noticed just how close Maki had gotten to the bed. “Wait…” She pressed herself back, despite already leaning against the back of the bed. “Don’t come any closer.”

Maki stopped dead in her tracks, her brow furrowing in confusion. There was panic on Umi’s face. Not just panic but pure, unadulterated fear. Of her. “I know there’s something wrong with you, Umi. Please. I just want to help you. Why won’t you let me?”

Umi shook her head in response and pressed her face into her knees again. “I don’t need your help. And I don’t want someone else forcing themselves into my head so just…leave me alone, Maki.”

“I wouldn’t force you.” The accusation hurt though Maki tried not to let it show. She’d seen firsthand what Umi’s mother had done to her. She couldn’t blame her for being wary. “I won’t hurt you, Umi. I promise.”

Even without touching Umi she could tell that something was very wrong with her. She wouldn’t dare try to look into her mind further though. Umi already seemed to be afraid of her. She watched as the other girl shook her head. “Alright. I won’t do anything. I’m just going to sit with you, okay?”

Umi peaked over her arms and watched as Maki sat down on the far corner of the bed, clearly trying to keep her distance. For a moment the two just stared at each other until Umi couldn’t take the silence any longer and decided to speak up. “K-Kotori said that she’s staying with you now.”

“Yeah.” Maki said quietly. “In one of the apartments my family owns. She didn’t want to go back to her own house and she…” She paused, mulling over her words. She couldn’t exactly tell Umi that Kotori didn’t feel comfortable with staying with her and Honoka. “She just wanted somewhere quiet.”

“Your father can’t get to you there, can he?” Umi asked, rubbing her aching head. “He must know where the apartment is. Couldn’t he go after you?”

Maki shook her head. “He wouldn’t think to look for us there. Kotori’s perfectly safe with me. Nobody else knows where we are either. Just Honoka and that’s only because she asked.” There was a brief moment of silence as Umi seemed to take that in. “So…how’s your relationship with Honoka going?”

Umi blushed crimson at the question. “You know about that?”

“She did kiss you in front of everyone.” Maki said with a small smile. Honoka didn’t seem to be embarrassed about her relationship with Umi in any way. “Besides, it’s obvious from the way she’s been looking at you recently.”

“It’s….good.” Umi answered vaguely, avoiding Maki’s gaze. “Honoka is great, she’s um…well I really like her. Love her even. She’s just…Honoka, you know?” In many ways it hadn’t surprised her that she had fallen for her best friend. It hadn’t been difficult to do. Feeling as though her cheeks were on fire, she quickly changed the subject. “You and Kotori seem close recently. Like Kotori is to Honoka and I.”

Maki felt her lips twitch up at the comparison. “Koto-nee has been my friend for a long time now, since I was really young. I suppose we’ve just recently rekindled our friendship - our real friendship, that is.”

“Koto-nee?” Umi teased, finding it a relief to be so distracted from the pain in her head.

Maki blushed at the questioning. “I uh…used to call her that when we were kids.”

Recently, Kotori had been making her call her that quite a bit but only when they were alone. It was embarrassing to have blurted the name out and not even realized it.

Umi nodded in understanding. “I didn’t know the two of you were childhood friends.”

“We were.” Maki felt her chest tighten at the thought of the time they’d lost because of their misunderstanding. Her brow furrowed as she reflected on what Umi had said. “I thought…Kotori didn’t talk about me to you and Honoka?”

“I…don’t remember her mentioning you.” Umi said, wondering if Kotori had actually mentioned Maki in the past. It wasn’t as though she would remember it or anything.

“…Oh.” Maki wasn’t sure why she was disappointed by the answer. Maybe because Kotori had said that she had talked about her all of the time after the two had stopped spending time together. It had given Maki hope that what she’d thought when she was younger wasn’t true. That Kotori wasn’t actually embarrassed by her. “I-I thought…”

She was cut off as the door to the room opened, causing her to glance over her shoulder. She wasn’t sure whether she was relieved or disappointed when Kotori and Honoka walked into the room. It seemed that Umi didn’t have that problem as she hurriedly got up from the bed and rushed over to them.

“Honoka!” Umi threw her arms around Honoka, almost sending her stumbling back a step. The pain in her head faded instantly and she breathed a sigh of relief. “Where have you been?”

Honoka was surprised by the sudden embrace but she didn’t hesitate to wrap her arms around Umi in return. “I-I just went to see Kotori-chan. I left you a note, did you not see it?”

“Y-Yeah, I saw it.” Umi mumbled though she didn’t make an effort to pull away from Honoka. It was a bit embarrassing to be so reliant upon her girlfriend but being close to Honoka was the only way to keep the pain away and keep her memories with her.

Kotori frowned at the interaction between her two friends, feeling a bit left out. It seemed like the two only had eyes for each other now. She shook her head. She was being selfish. She knew that Umi had gone through something traumatic and needed Honoka more than ever. It wasn’t as though they were trying to push her away even if it felt that way.

“Maki-chan, maybe we should go.” Kotori said, nodding toward the door. It was obvious to her that Honoka and Umi needed some time to talk, or whatever it was they did when Umi got like this. She reached her hand out to Maki who stood up and walked past her without taking it. Kotori stood there for a moment, her stomach sinking at the subtle rejection. Slowly, she closed her hand and followed Maki out of the room, leaving Honoka and Umi behind, the former glancing at her in concern.

—-

The journey back to Maki’s apartment was nothing short of agonizingly painful. Maki wouldn’t look at her and Kotori was too busy trying to figure out what she had done wrong to say anything to her. She wondered if it had been the reason Maki had silently left the apartment in the first place.

When they walked into the apartment, Maki threw her keys down onto the small table next to the door and kicked off her shoes before heading off toward her bedroom.

“Maki-chan!” Kotori called out, struggling out of her jacket. She was relieved when her voice seemed to stop Maki in her tracks. “What’s wrong? D-Did I do something?”

Maki clenched her jaw. “You didn’t do anything wrong, Kotori. It’s fine.”

Kotori, having managed to slip her shoes off, walked closer to Maki. “If I didn’t do anything why won’t you look at me?”

Maki’s hands shook at her side. She should have seen this coming. She should never have allowed herself to hope that things could be different. “You lied to me.”

Kotori frowned at the response. “What?”

“You said you talked about me to Honoka and Umi, when you became friends with them. You said that you wanted me to meet them but it isn’t true, is it? You never talked about me with them. Umi said so herself. She says she can’t remember you ever mentioning me.” She tried not to sound as hurt as she felt but it was impossible. “I guess it’s true that you were embarrassed by me.”

For a moment, Kotori could only stare at Maki as everything seemed to fall into place. It made sense that Umi wouldn’t remember, given her issues with her memory. “Maki-chan…” She walked over to Maki and slipped her arms around her waist, embracing her from behind. “I did talk about you all of the time back then. Honoka-chan can tell you that if you ask her. I was so proud of having a friend like you, even after we stopped talking. Honoka-chan always used to tease me about it, saying that I couldn’t shut up about you. She could never sit still long enough to really listen but Umi-chan always did.”

She could feel Maki trembling in her arms though she wasn’t sure why. Maybe because she wanted to get away. Sighing, Kotori rested her forehead against Maki’s shoulder. “They’ve always known how much I care about you, Maki-chan. You were my precious childhood friend, just like Honoka-chan and Umi-chan.”

Maki took a shuddering breath and closed her eyes. She wasn’t sure she could bring herself to believe Kotori. Too many people had lied to her in the past. “But Umi…”

“Umi-chan can’t remember.” Kotori finished for her, though she was wary of doing so. “There’s a reason for that. You…you know yourself that something isn’t right with her, Maki-chan.”

Maki felt a chill run through her and drew away from Kotori, turning to face her. “You know what it is, don’t you?”

Kotori looked away. “I can’t tell you. I promised Umi-chan I would keep it a secret, even from Honoka-chan. It’s not my secret to tell.”

“I won’t tell anyone else, I promise. But you have to tell me. There’s something really wrong with Umi, I know there is. “ Maki reached out and grabbed both of Kotori’s hands, “Please Koto-nee. I just want to help. Umi’s drowning, I can feel it.” She was no empath like Nozomi but she knew despair when she saw it. “I need to help.”

Kotori’s eyes darted from side to side. She felt like she was betraying Umi but the secret weighed heavy on her shoulders. There was no way she could go on keeping it to herself. It was too important and there was nothing she could do to help. But she didn’t want to say it out loud, almost afraid that someone would overhear them. “Maki-chan…I don’t know what to do.”

“Tell me.” Maki’s voice was soft and soothing, a far cry from the irritated voice she had been using not to long ago. She let go of one of Kotori’s hands, resting hers on the ashen haired girl’s shoulder instead. “It’s okay. You can trust me, Koto-nee.”

Kotori let go of Maki’s hand and moved close to her instead, hugging her tightly. “Umi-chan is…” She turned her head so that her mouth was right next to Maki’s ear, her voice dropping to a whisper. “Her mother took away her childhood memories. That’s why…she doesn’t remember me mentioning you. She doesn’t remember us either.”

Maki’s eyes widened at the explanation. She felt the corners of her eyes prick with unwanted tears and immediately wrapped her arms around Kotori’s back. Burying her head against the older girl’s shoulder. She wasn’t happy about the fact that Umi had lost her memories, but she just felt so relieved that she wasn’t being lied to again. She was barely able to sleep after finding out her father’s involvement with the virus and whatever else he was a part of.

Kotori inhaled sharply at the tightness of Maki’s embrace. It was unexpected though it didn’t take long for her to realize why it was so tight. “Come on, Maki-chan.” She lifted her hand, brushing it over Maki’s red hair. She pulled back from the embrace and took Maki’s hand, leading her into the bedroom. Closing the door behind them, she let go of the hand in her own and crawled onto the bed before looking expectantly to Maki.

Maki stared at Kotori in contemplation for a moment, trying to figure out what she wanted from her. It became apparent when her friend patted the space next to her on the bed. Embarrassed, she shifted on the spot, unsure as to what to do.

“Please, Maki-chan?” Kotori’s voice was quiet and pleading, a tinge of sadness to her words.

Maki took a deep breath before she headed over to the bed and lay down on her side next to Kotori. “I didn’t know you could be this embarrassing, Koto-nee.”

Kotori beamed at Maki’s acceptance and turned onto her own side to face her. “I missed being called that. When we were younger…it used to make me feel special. You didn’t say anyone else’s name like that.” She reached out, brushing her fingers against Maki’s hair. She remembered that she used to be infatuated with it when she was younger. It was so vibrant, a stark contrast to her own hair. She twirled a strand around her finger, marvelling at the way it felt against her skin. “I-I’m glad I still have you, Maki-chan.”

Maki would have been happy with that, had it not been for the saddened tone of Kotori’s voice. “Are you?” She prompted gently. “You don’t sound very happy about it.”

“Oh…” Kotori tucked her bottom lip between her teeth, staying silent for a moment. “I um…it’s nothing. It’s silly. And selfish.”

Maki blinked at Kotori, trying to work out what was going on in her head. She could look for herself, though she would never do that without permission. “If it’s upsetting you I want to know.”

“It’s just…” Kotori’s voice wavered. She didn’t want to admit her fears, as if doing so would make them come true. “I’m losing them. Honoka-chan and Umi-chan.”

“What? No…”

“I-I’m in love with Honoka-chan!” Kotori blurted out, effectively interrupting Maki’s protests. “A-And I know it’s horrible. Umi-chan is dating her and she needs her more than ever right now and I’m just being selfish. But…but Honoka and I are supposed to be together in the future! Future Honoka-chan told me so but my Honoka-chan doesn’t even see me any more. I may as well be invisible to her.”

Maki was taken aback by the overload of information and for a moment she didn’t say anything. “I don’t think you could ever be invisible to her. She’s always going to see you.” She watched in concern as Kotori blinked rapidly, obviously trying to blink back tears.  “She loves you, Koto-nee. She was so angry with what…Toujou did to you. You saw how she reacted back there. Do you think she would have done that if it was anyone else?”

“If it was Umi-chan…” Kotori trailed off, guilt silencing her. She was envying Umi, of all people, who had lost her memories. Her childhood. She drew her hands back, covering her face with them. “Oh god…what’s wrong with me?”

“Nothing.” Maki shuffled forward and wrapped her arms around Kotori, placing a hand on the back of her head to draw it close to her chest. “Nothing is wrong with you. You’re just human, that’s all.” She knew that Kotori held no animosity toward Umi. It was clear that Kotori adored both of her best friends. “It’s normal to feel…left out.”

She had felt that way when Kotori had become friends with Honoka and Umi. In her case she had felt plenty of animosity toward the two of them. She didn’t point that out, aware that it would only make Kotori feel worse. Slowly, she drew back to meet Kotori’s teary eyes. “It’s okay to feel that way.”

Maki watched as Kotori wiped at her eyes with the back of her hand. Not thinking about what she was doing, she reached up to grip her hand only for her fingers to brush against the finger shaped bruise on her wrist.

Kotori jerked back with a gasp, her eyes going wide at the touch. Shuffling away from Maki she turned onto her other side and curled into herself, crying silently.

Maki sat bolt upright, her chest tightening at the sight of Kotori’s fear. She couldn’t help but think it was because of her. Umi was afraid of her, afraid of her ability. She reached out to touch Kotori’s trembling back but paused before she could. It would probably just frighten her even more.

“K-Koto-nee, I’m sorry.” She hadn’t meant to touch the bruise, she had been aiming for Kotori’s fingers. “I didn’t mean to…I’m not her. I’m not going to hurt you. I promise.” She moved closer, reaching out again to place a hand tentatively on Kotori’s back. She felt the flinch beneath her hand, even if it was subtle. “Please, Koto-nee. It’s just me. It’s Maki. You trust me, right?”

There was no answer from Kotori and Maki felt tears flood her own eyes. It wasn’t fair, that this was happening to Kotori. She gritted her teeth, cursing Nozomi for what she’d done. “Koto-nee, please…” She pressed her forehead against the centre of Kotori’s back, her voice breaking. “I couldn’t take it if you were afraid of me too.”

Everyone seemed to be afraid of her. Afraid of her ability. Umi continuously flinched away from her and wouldn’t let her help. Even Future Honoka seemed somewhat afraid that Maki would use her power to invade her memories. It had always been like this. People thought that she was a monster because of her ability. There was such a thing as having too much knowledge. Maki knew that better than anyone. “I’d never hurt you. You have to believe that.”

There was a long silence before she felt Kotori release a shuddering breath and a hand clasped her own.

_“Will you sing to me, Maki-chan?”_

Maki’s breath caught in her throat. For a moment she thought that she had heard wrong but then she realized she hadn’t heard it at all, at least not out loud. The fact that Kotori had reached out to her, to her ability spoke volumes. The request reminded her of Future Honoka’s, of the song she had requested specifically. She moved up so that her voice wouldn’t be muffled by Kotori’s back and took a breath.

“Aishteru Banzia! Koko de yokatta…” Maki closed her eyes as she began to sing softly. A memory from when she was much younger came to mind. She was sitting on the piano stool, could barely reach the peddles and right next to her was a taller Kotori. The older girl was smiling as she watched the six year old sing to her. It was one of the happiest memories Maki had as a child.

She continued to sing softly until she was sure Kotori was asleep. Just as she was about to doze off herself she heard a tapping sound, like knocking on glass. Her eyes automatically turned to the balcony doors and widened at the sight of Future Honoka standing there. “What…?”

She quickly stood up from the bed and walked over to the balcony, sliding open the door. “What are you doing here? How did you even find us?”

Future Honoka shrugged. “I have my ways. Kotori-chan is here, isn’t she?”

“She’s sleeping.” Maki said in a hushed whisper, as if she had just remembered that Kotori was sleeping in the bed right behind her. “Is that why you’re here? To see her?”

“Why else would I be here?” Honoka asked, slightly confused by the question. “Though I do miss sleeping with you.”

“D-Don’t say it like that!” Maki spluttered, her cheeks reddening.

Future Honoka chuckled under her breath and glanced briefly over her shoulder as if checking to make sure nobody had followed her. “I heard that most of you hadn’t gone home. I suppose it’s true.”

Maki nodded in response. “Except Hanayo and Honoka.”

“Honoka.” Future Honoka spoke her own name with a tone of distaste. “I heard she threw Nozomi out of μ’s.”

Maki tensed at the mention of Nozomi’s name, her hands tightening into fists at her sides. “Don’t say her name around me.”

Future Honoka frowned, feeling oddly defensive of the girl currently living with her. “You all know Nozomi. You know she would never do anything like this so why…?”

Maki shook her head adamantly. “I saw it with my own eyes! Koto-nee has bruises on her wrists you know, from where  _she_  pinned her to the wall. And her lip is still bothering her after it was bitten. More importantly she’s still terrified of what  _Nozomi_  could do to her next. You didn’t see it, Honoka. But I did. And I heard everything Nozomi said to Eli.”

“But Nozomi…”

“Kotori and Eli are supposed to be the most important people to you, right?” Maki demanded, her eyes aflame with anger. “If that’s true you need to shut up and stop defending Nozomi right now. If you plan to talk to Kotori she doesn’t need to hear you calling her a liar.”

“I’m not going to say anything to Kotori-chan. But after everything Nozomi has done for you - for all of you, you’re just going to abandon her like this?!” Honoka’s own irritation filtered into her voice as she spoke. “You’re going to regret this, Maki. You’re all…” She was cut off by the sound of movement behind Maki.

“Maki-chan?” Kotori called groggily as she sat up in the bed.

Maki turned and walked back into the room, not wanting Kotori to worry about where she’d gone. “I’m right here.”

Kotori blinked in confusion as she watched Maki shoot a glare toward the balcony. When she looked in that direction she found Future Honoka standing there. “Honoka-chan!”

“Kotori-chan.” Honoka forced a smile at the sight of Kotori and stepped further into the room, trying to ignore Maki’s warning glare. “I was wondering if…we could talk for a few minutes? In private maybe?”

“Oh, I um…” Kotori glanced toward Maki to find that she was still staring daggers at Future Honoka. “Yes. Of course we can.”

Honoka waited until Kotori had slid out of bed and walked past her onto the balcony before she shot a glare back at Maki. She followed Kotori out, sliding the door closed behind them.

“I wanted to see how you are.” Future Honoka explained quietly as she glanced over at Kotori. “I-I heard what happened.” Her eyes strayed to the bruises on Kotori’s wrists though she didn’t stare for too long. She couldn’t.

“Oh.” Kotori said softly. She rubbed her arms and shivered at the chill in the air. “I-I’m fine, I suppose.”

“Kotori-chan.” Honoka’s voice was gentle as she stripped off her jacket. She moved closer, putting it carefully around Kotori’s shoulders. “You don’t have to pretend with me.”

Kotori gripped the sides of the jacket, pulling it closed in front of her chest. “I…I’m not fine. I keep thinking about it…about the way she kissed me. It was…forceful, there was no warmth at all..not like yours. And the way she looked at me, it was like she wanted to hurt me. I didn’t think Nozomi-chan would ever do that. Why…why would she do that?”

Future Honoka froze as hurt amber eyes looked up into her own. She could only shake her head in response, not trusting herself to speak.

Kotori turned away again, trying to blink back the tears that brimmed in her eyes. She had cried so much earlier that she was sure she couldn’t continue but apparently that wasn’t true.

“Kotori-chan?” Honoka finally spoke up, her voice soft. She couldn’t just stand by and watch while Kotori was upset. “Is it alright if…can I hug you?” She hesitantly opened her arms, surprised when Kotori turned and stepped right into them. She had expected her to be wary at least. She held her close, pressing a gentle kiss to the top of her head. “I won’t let her touch you again, Kotori-chan.”

—

Nozomi hesitated outside of the student council room, her clammy hand gripping the door handle. She could hear someone in there. She had to assume it was Eli, having not seen her around the school. It wasn’t as though anyone else would be in there anyway.

Future Honoka had warned her against this, saying it wouldn’t help anything but it had been almost a week since she had spoken to Eli. She couldn’t take it any more.

She took a deep breath and pushed open the door, letting herself into the room. Her gaze went straight to the blonde who had just looked up from a folder she was thumbing through. “Elichi…”

“N-Nozomi…” Eli quickly looked away from Nozomi, her chest tightening.

“What do you want?!”

It wasn’t Eli who spoke but someone else and Nozomi realized in surprise that she wasn’t alone with Eli. Nico was sitting at a desk across the room, thumbing through an idol magazine.

“I thought I told you to stay the hell away from her. From all of us.” Nico got to her feet, tossing down the magazine she was reading. “Get out.”

Nozomi swallowed convulsively. “I’m the vice president of the student council, Nicocchi. As long as Elichi is here, my place is right by her side. I won’t let you…” She broke off, flinching as Nico punched the table she was standing next to. The sound echoed through the room.

“Nico!” Eli exclaimed, standing up quickly.

“I know most of us are against violence - not you obviously, after what you did to Kotori - but if you don’t leave I’m going to shove you through the door myself. And don’t think that I’ll bother to open it before I do.”

Nozomi shook her head, stubbornly standing her ground. “Elichi, please just listen to me. I can explain all of this, I just need to talk to you in private. I…”

“Like hell! So you can play your mind games with her again?” Nico practically spat as she walked over to Nozomi, purposefully positioning herself between the other two third years. “You have some nerve coming here.”

Nozomi didn’t seem to be paying attention to Nico, too focused on Eli. “Elichi…”

Eli blinked back the tears in her eyes and shook her head. It wasn’t fair, that Nozomi was messing with her in such a way. She had never imagined her best friend would do that. “You should leave before Nico does what she said. I don’t want to have to add a new door to the school’s budget.”

“E-Elichi, please…” Nozomi’s features crumbled and she made to take a step forward only for Nico to get in her way.

“You have three seconds to get the hell out of here.” Nico said angrily, her fists clenched at her sides. “1…2…” She trailed off as Nozomi turned and hurried from the room. “Damn, I was almost hoping to get to 3. The nerve of her…” She turned around in time to see Eli slump defeatedly into her seat. “Hey, cheer up. You’re obviously better off without her if she goes around attacking people like she did with Kotori.”

Eli nodded though she couldn’t bring herself to answer. She was still confused by how Nozomi had gone from cherishing her friends to attacking them. Though she supposed it might have been an act. She’d thought Nozomi had loved her too.

“So you’re coming over tonight, right?” Nico asked, suddenly right in front of Eli’s desk. The startled blonde looked up sharply.

“No, I…I have other plans.”

“Oh?” Nico asked curiously. Eli had been spending almost every night with her and her siblings. “What kind of plans?”

“I’m going to visit Honoka. The older one.” Eli answered quietly, her mind elsewhere. “She’s been alone for a while now, I’m sure she could use some company.”

“Hmm. Alright then, just make sure she doesn’t drag you into anything crazy.” Nico said warily. There was something about the future version of Honoka that unnerved her. Maybe it was how broken she was, or maybe it was just because she was so different from their Honoka. She wasn’t sure. “Just be careful.”

Eli managed a small smile at the concern she heard in Nico’s voice. “You don’t have to worry. She’s pretty nice when you get to know here. And she actually cares about me, which is more than I can say for some people…”

Nico raised an eyebrow at the distant look in Eli’s eyes. “Like I said, be careful.”


	14. Chapter 14

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Double chapter so make sure you read chapter 13 first. :)  
> Warnings: M RATED CHAPTER. Sexual scenes.

Future Honoka blinked as the words in front of her eyes seemed to blur, blending together. She had been reading through the research she’d accumulated about A-Rise for a while now and she wasn’t getting anywhere. It seemed like she was just reading the things she already knew.

She sighed and pushed the file away from her, tiredly rubbing her eyes. She couldn’t stand reading about Anju for too long. Reading about her power made her think of the way Anju had killed Nozomi. She shuddered at the recurring thought. Tsubasa may have been the leader of A-Rise, and in many ways the most powerful member yet for some reason none of them scared Honoka more than Anju. Maybe it was because she was so ruthless or maybe it was because of what she’d done to Nozomi. Honoka assumed it was the latter. Of all of her friends deaths, Nozomi’s had been the worst to witness.

Hearing a knock at the door, Honoka stood up and walked over to it, expecting to find Nozomi there. The younger girl had popped out a few hours earlier, promising to be back before nightfall. She was surprised when she opened the door and found Eli standing there, her arms wrapped around herself. “Eli, what…what are you doing here?”

Eli didn’t answer the question. “Can I come in?”

“Of course.” Honoka was relieved that Nozomi wasn’t there. She couldn’t imagine having to tell Eli that she couldn’t enter the hotel room. She wasn’t sure how she would have even started to explain why. She stepped aside, allowing the blonde to pass her. She made sure to lock the door behind Eli, just in case Nozomi came back. “Are you…okay?”

Eli shot Honoka a look as she sank down onto the edge of the bed. “Not really.”

“Right. Sorry…” Future Honoka made her way to the bed and sat down next to Eli. As she moved over, she noticed the blonde was wearing black jeans, a dark shirt and a leather jacket. Her hair was down too, falling around her shoulders. Honoka’s heart clenched as she was reminded of her Eli. “You look different.”

“Is that a problem?” Eli asked, tilting her head slightly to the side. “I felt like a change, that’s all. You don’t like it?”

Honoka swallowed apprehensively. Something was wrong, she could feel it. Eli’s eyes were slightly red, letting her know that tears had been shed at some point earlier but at the moment there wasn’t a tear in sight. “No, it looks good! It looks really good. It’s just…what’s the special occasion?”

Eli’s gaze had shifted as Honoka spoke up. After a moment she looked up at Honoka with half lidded eyes. “Nothing special, I just felt like it. Why? Did you want it to be a special occasion?” She gave a half smile and inched her hand toward Honoka’s, their fingers gently brushing. “We could make it one, if you want…”

“Huh?” Honoka suddenly felt like she was in high school again, faced with her first crush on Kotori. Or was it Umi? She couldn’t recall. Her memories were so mixed up at times. “Wha…”

“Cat got your tongue Ho-no-ka?” Eli whispered softly as she gripped the older woman’s hand, amused by the change in character. “You’re being so quiet. Usually you’d come up with some kind of cool comeback, right? You don’t have one for me tonight?”

“I-I’m just confused.” Future Honoka gave a slight shake of her head. “You need to give me a few seconds to catch up…”

“I can make myself at home then?” Eli finally let go of Honoka’s hand and slipped out of her jacket, revealing the tank top she was wearing underneath. “Don’t mind me.”

Honoka watched as Eli tossed her jacket aside, her mouth running dry. She didn’t know what was wrong with Eli, or why she was acting so strange, but she was slightly uncomfortable in the situation. She had expected crying from the past version of her friend, maybe even yelling, but this was completely unexplored territory. She watched as Eli’s gaze seemed to catch on something below her neck.

“You still have my necklace.” Eli said, only a hint of accusation in her voice. She reached out, lifting the small cross from Honoka’s skin and closely examined it. After so long of not taking it off, it was odd to look at it from this angle. “I feel a bit lost without it.”

Future Honoka swallowed thickly, almost waiting for Eli to tear the necklace from her. “Y-You can have it back if you want. I didn’t mean to keep it…”

“It’s fine, it seems like you need it more than me right now.” Eli said with a shake of her head. She dropped the cross, allowing it to fall back to Honoka’s chest. “I guess it doesn’t matter though. It’s not like it’s hers. Your…Eli-senpai’s. Is it really a good enough fill in?”

Honoka’s chest constricted at the mention of her Eli and automatically she reached up to grip the cross herself. “I…don’t really know.” She admitted quietly. “You’re right, in a way. It’s yours, not hers. It’s not like it’s ever touched her. I mean…it has but at the same time it hasn’t. It’s just different. In my own time, it meant something different to her.”

“Oh?” Eli asked quietly, her eyes locked on the cross in Honoka’s hand.

“Eli-senpai believed in freedom. That was what this meant to her.” Honoka explained softly, wrapped up in her memories. “She might have been out of control at times but she was always the first to help someone in need. She was a true hero. I always thought she should have been a leader, not a lieutenant but she said she didn’t need the title. She was the strongest person I knew though. She was more fitting for the job than I was.”

Eli frowned, a sickening feeling of jealousy creeping up within her. “You really loved her, huh? Must have been nice for her. To know that people loved her that much.”

“What?” Honoka couldn’t help but bristle at the irritated tone. “What’s that supposed to mean? I’ve already told you, it’s not like that.”

Eli didn’t seem to be listening to what Honoka was saying. “You loved her, Nozomi still loved her. I’m just saying, it must have been nice for her. To be with all of those people who  _loved_  her as much as you did.”

“Love. Not…past tense.” Honoka knew that she wasn’t helping her case by saying that but she couldn’t help it. She had to. “Eli-senpai went through hell in the future. She lost her whole family, she lost Arisa, someone you still have. Don’t make it sound like she had it easy. She never did. Even living a normal life was a struggle for her sometimes so just…just shut up! You have no idea what it was like for her. You two may be the same people but you’re not the same.”

“I lost Nozomi!” Eli exclaimed loudly, pained anger crossing her features. “She still had her in the future, didn’t she? Nozomi still loved her? Why? What did she do differently? You’re supposed to be the time traveller so tell me! Why doesn’t Nozomi love me anymore?! What did I do that your damn ‘Eli-senpai’ didn’t?!”

Honoka softened at the sight of moisture gathering in Eli’s eyes. She reached over, gently taking her hand. “Why does it matter? Why do you think you need to do what Eli-senpai did when she was younger? You don’t need to be her. You’re right, I do love my Eli. I love her more than almost anyone but that doesn’t mean I want you to turn into her. She had to grow up too fast and it wasn’t easy for her at all. It almost killed her. Do you really think I care so little that I’d want you to go through the same thing? I want her…you to be happy.”

“But…she must be better. You loved her, didn’t you? A-And Nozomi is still…”

Honoka shushed Eli and lifted her free hand to gently wipe away a falling tear from the younger girl’s face. “Stop it. You don’t think my past self looks up to you the way I looked up to my Eli? Why do you even think she calls you Eli-senpai? She doesn’t want you to change, she doesn’t need you to. She’s going to love you anyway.”

Eli pressed her hand against the one on her cheek, holding it against her face. “What about you? Could you…love me?” She turned her head slightly, brushing her lips against Honoka’s palm.

Honoka’s heart pounded against her chest as she took in the sight of Eli’s half lidded eyes and the way tears clung to her lashes. “Don’t be stupid, I already do.” She loved all of them, even if she was used to their future selves.

Eli offered a damp smile in response, one that Honoka couldn’t help but find dazzling. Maybe because it reminded her of her Eli, she told herself. She held her breath as Eli kissed her hand, properly this time. Somewhere deep in the corner of her memories, she was reminded of a time when Umi had done the same thing, though of course it wasn’t really her memory. It was her past self’s.

Eli lowered Honoka’s hand but gave a gentle tug, drawing her close. Seeing no reason for words, she gently kissed Honoka’s cheek before speaking in a whisper. “I can see why the others are so hung up on you…”

Honoka shuddered at the feeling of hot breath against her ear. “Eli…”

Eli kissed Honoka’s cheek again, then her jaw, then the corner of her lips. Just quick innocent pecks but they seemed to melt Honoka, her body relaxing against her will.

“Eli, you need to stop…”

“Why?” Eli whispered, her lips brushing against Honoka’s. “I don’t want to stop. I don’t think you want me to either…do you?”

“I…uh…” Honoka could barely get her words out. The dampness of Eli’s eyes seemed to emphasize the natural blue hues and she was finding it hard to breath. “You’ll regret…” She was cut off by lips pressing firmly against her own. Her eyes widened briefly before sliding closed. She automatically kissed back. It was Eli after all, and it wouldn’t be the first time they’d kissed. She felt a tugging on her shirt but didn’t think anything of it until Eli pulled away to get her shirt over her head. She lifted her arms without thinking, allowing the clothing to be taken off.

“E-Eli, come on. We shouldn’t…”

“Why?” Eli pressed herself close to Honoka, her fingers seeking on an area on her back. The gasp that escaped Honoka as her fingers brushed over the tattoo was satisfying. “You’re lonely, aren’t you? I notice it sometimes, when you look at Kotori. And I’m…” She didn’t know how to explain what she felt. She missed Nozomi terribly. She felt empty without her. Empty and worthless after what Nozomi had told her. She just wanted to feel wanted. “I want you.”

“S-Stop, we can’t…even if we want to, it’s not right.” Honoka pulled away and turned her back on Eli but that proved to be a bad idea. Arms gently circled her waist and hot lips found their way to her back, over the tattoo. Honoka shuddered at the touch. She hated that she was sensitive there, and she hated that Eli knew about it even more. Both her Eli and this Eli did, given their strange fascination with touching that area.

Teeth gently scraped over the tattooed area, followed by the brush of Eli’s tongue. Honoka groaned helplessly as heat flooded to her lower stomach. “Oh god. Eli…” She squirmed as Eli continued to kiss the spot over and over. It was somewhat of a relief when Eli’s attention strayed elsewhere but as lips trailed to her neck she found that was almost as bad. Or good, as it were. “Eli…”

“How long has it been for you?” Eli asked huskily, her hand sneaking between them. She unlatched Honoka’s bra and slowly slid it down her arms before discarding it. “You can hardly sit still, it must have been a while.”

Honoka whimpered, the words alone sending a rush to the apex of her thighs. “Don’t say things like that…” It was true, it had been a long time since she’d been with someone intimately. As she remembered, the last time she’d had sex with Kotori had been a few days before she was kidnapped by A-Rise.

Eli lightly sucked on Honoka’s neck, adamant about leaving a mark there. Her hand trailed over a toned stomach until she could lightly cup Honoka’s breast in her hand.

“W-Wait…”

“If it makes it easier you can pretend I’m her. If you want…” Eli whispered, removing her lips from Honoka’s neck. “Either of them. Kotori, your Eli-senpai…whatever you need. I could be her for you if that’s what you need.”

Honoka’s breathing was shallow and it took her a few moments to think up an answer. The fact that Eli went right back to kissing her neck and kneading her breast didn’t help matters. She lost her last shred of self control and turned, cupping Eli’s cheeks in her hands. She kissed her deeply, feeling Eli kiss her back in kind, arms circling her.

“You’re Eli.” She muttered when they pulled back. “Just Eli. That’s good enough. Alright?” She waited for a shaky nod before she leaned in and kissed Eli again. Having tried to resist Eli’s temptations she was impatient and didn’t hesitate to deepen the kiss, her tongue sweeping past Eli’s parted lips. It felt good, as she let her warm hands wander down the girl’s body, allowing them to come to rest upon Eli’s  slender waist.

The need for bare contact grew quickly and she gripped the thin fabric of the girl’s tank top, tugging it  upward past taut muscles. She was forced to draw back from the kiss and bit her lip as she allowed her gaze to dip down, admiring the younger girl’s lean figure. Her dancing had done her nothing but favors, Honoka couldn’t help but notice. Her gaze lingered on the lacy bra that was revealed as she tugged the tank top up. “Were you planning to get into my pants?”

Eli flushed at the question and arched her back to allow Honoka to pull her top off. It was true, to some extent. She had gone to Honoka with exactly that intention. She wanted to lose herself in someone. She wanted to feel as if someone wanted her. Nozomi clearly didn’t. “I-I just…” She trailed off uncertainly, causing Honoka’s brow to furrow further in confusion. Wanting to put off the questioning, Eli surged up and kissed Honoka again, her arms going around her neck.

Thankfully, Honoka didn’t protest further, melting into the kiss instead. Slowly, Eli leaned back and Honoka went with her, using one arm to prop herself up so as not to make Eli uncomfortable. The hand that had been resting upon Eli’s cheek slid down, fingers trailing down her neck and over her shoulder. Drawing her mouth away, Honoka followed the path she had mapped out, pressing gentle kisses against soft skin. Basking in the gentle gasps that escaped Eli, she distractedly pushed aside the dark bra strap, at the same time biting down lightly on the skin beneath her lips.

Eli gasped sharply, her hand flying to the back of Honoka’s head. She gripped her hair though she did nothing to push her away. If anything, she drew her closer, arching her body up into the touch. The bite hurt, a bit, but it was nothing she couldn’t take and the pleasure far outweighed the pain.

“Honoka…”

Honoka shuddered as Eli groaned her name. A moment later she felt legs wrap strongly around her waist, the heels of Eli’s feet digging into the backs of her thighs. She returned to Eli’s lips and kissed her hard, her hand slipping between them. She brushed her fingers against the front of Eli’s bra, satisfied by the sharp inhalation she felt rather than heard. It was intoxicating, to hear such sounds from her. She’d never considered doing this with her Eli, or rather she hadn’t considered it seriously. Her Eli was an attractive woman after all so she couldn’t help but indulge in some fantasies.

Her fingers strayed further, finding the front clasp of the bra. She unclasped it and helped Eli out of it before discarding it to the side. She pulled away and took a deep breath as she let her eyes wander down the other girl’s body.

Eli held her breath as Honoka examined her closely. She almost felt the urge to cover up in front of the older woman but resisted.

There were no scars on Eli’s body. Not like her own body or even Future Eli’s body, Honoka couldn’t help but notice. Awed, she slid her finger from Eli’s clavicle, down between the valley of her breast and over her stomach before being stopped by her jeans.

“You’re beautiful…” She whispered, lifting her gaze to Eli’s. Eli was soft everywhere in a way that Honoka wasn’t used to anymore. She watched as Eli blushed deeply, her skin heating up enough for Honoka to flinch just a little bit. She smiled at the reaction and slowly flicked open the button of Eli’s jeans. She couldn’t resist leaning down to kiss the soft skin of her abdomen as she pushed the zipper down, nor could she do anything about her need to push the jeans down, following them with smatterings of kisses.

Eli inhaled slowly as she looked down at Honoka, her heart pounding against her chest. Her body was flooded with heat, so much so that she briefly worried that she’d activate her power.

Honoka intentionally missed anything important as she kissed her way down Eli’s body. She kissed the waistband of the younger girl’s lacy underwear before skipping to the top of her thigh. She grinned as she looked up, finding a slightly disappointed look on Eli’s face.

“Don’t tease me.” The younger girl whispered as she continued to frown at the older woman’s actions.

“But the teasing is the best part.” Honoka shuffled back, pulling Eli’s jeans off. She heard them drop softly to the floor and moved back up to kneel between Eli’s knees. Entranced, she ran her hands over soft thighs. slowly pushing them apart. Her eyes caught on a familiar scar and she leaned down, kissing it gently. She’d only seen it once before as she remembered. Back when it was the only scar Eli had, like now.

She’d caught sight of it when they’d slept together during a mission. Neither of them were very good at sleeping alone in the future, which was why she often found herself sleeping either with Eli, Nozomi or with Eli and Nozomi when Kotori wasn’t there. Sometimes she slept with Maki too, when the others weren’t around but it hadn’t been long since she’d started doing that. She was still somewhat nervous around the redhead when she had nightmares. After Kotori, Eli was always her favourite option. She kept her warm, not to mention safe.

Eli gasped gently as Honoka kissed her way up from the scar, stopping a few inches from where she needed her. “Honoka, please…”

Honoka smiled softly as her hands slipped into the waistband of Eli’s panties, tugging them gently down soft thighs. She felt Eli kick them off.

“I-I want you here.” Eli reached out to Honoka who obediently went to her, allowing arms to wrap around her back. Feeling Eli’s hips moving subtly against her own, she kissed the blonde again, her hand slipping between them. She was slightly surprised by the heated flesh that met her fingers down there. It was far hotter than she was used to. She supposed she should have expected it from a pyrokinetic ability wielder.

She pressed down with her fingers again, more than happy to take the heat. “You’re hot…”

Eli moaned softly at the sensation and tilted her head back. “I-In what way?”

Honoka was surprised by the question and gave a gentle laugh as she pushed her fingers deeper. The answering moan from Eli was like music to her ears. “In every way.”

Eli’s grip on Honoka tightened, her eyes closing tightly as she focused on the movements of Honoka’s fingers. She didn’t protest when Honoka kissed her again, infact the gesture caused her to arch her hips to get closer. She inhaled sharply through her nose as fingers, which had previously been gently rubbing, easily slid into her. Her head spun from the sensation and she gripped Honoka tighter, nails digging into the skin beneath her fingers.

She couldn’t help but notice that Honoka’s touch was different to Nozomi’s. It seemed that they both liked to tease though Nozomi would have kept her touches lighter, would have teased for longer, to really rile Eli up. Honoka wasn’t doing that, her movements were rougher now, the strokes of her fingers long and deep.

Nozomi wouldn’t have been so rough, she would probably have been worried to be. She’d only been as rough as Honoka on a couple of occasions and had always been slightly apologetic afterwards. It was sweet in a way, that she cared enough to feel guilty for being a bit rougher than usual.

Eli’s eyes stung with tears and she pulled away from Honoka’s kiss. Her hands, which had been gripping at the middle of Honoka’s back went around her shoulders instead and she buried her face in the older girl’s neck, a soft sob escaping her despite her best efforts. She felt Honoka’s touch falter in response and pushed her hips forward.

“Harder.” She whispered, giving Honoka a firm squeeze. This wasn’t Nozomi, she reminded herself. It was Honoka, who actually loved her, or rather loved a version of her, more than Eli could comprehend. It wasn’t Nozomi, who had left her broken. Who apparently didn’t love her at all. “Harder, Honoka!”

Honoka was surprised by the request but she nodded anyway and turned her head, her lips brushing against Eli’s ear. “Bite me if it gets too much, alright?” She took a shaky breath before she pushed another finger inside, not hesitating in continuing with the rhythm she had previously picked up.

Eli bit down on her lip, failing to hold back moans that seemed to loud even to her as she moved her hips in tandem with Honoka’s movements. An especially deep thrust had her gasping for breath as she pushed her body firmly against Honoka’s, her breasts brushing against the young woman’s. “Fuck…”

Honoka winced as nails dug deeply into her back but she didn’t pause what she was doing for a second. The heat surrounding her fingers was incomprehensible, even to her. She’d never felt like anything like it but she supposed that heat was something Eli had a lot of. Her Eli certainly had. The urge to explore the heat further overwhelmed her and she squirmed out of Eli’s grip none too easily.

She slipped down, ignoring Eli’s protest as her fingers briefly stilled. As soon as she was situated between Eli’s thighs, she continued the movement and reached up with her other hand, her fingers gripping at Eli’s to reassure her.

Eli’s eyes widened in surprise as Honoka leaned in, lips pressing against her heated core. Her body arched as a tongue lapped at her. “Shit…” She lifted her hand and bit down on it, struggling to keep the noise down as she reacted to the explosive touch. It was as though every nerve ending was suddenly aflame, heat flooding through her body. For a moment she thought she  _might_  be on fire but a quick glance down let her know that wasn’t the case.

Blue eyes, partially covered by long bangs, flitted up to meet her own. The look was enough to push her to her peak and her back arched sharply as she clutched onto Honoka’s hand. She clamped her eyes shut tightly, her hips jerking as the pleasure that had been slowly growing seemed to wash over her at once. She collapsed down on the bed after, her chest heaving and her mind empty. It was exactly what she had wanted, to forget ab _out everything that was happening._

She felt Honoka move from between her legs and a moment later, arms went around her, holding her close. For a few minutes all she could do was try to catch her breath, her eyes remaining shut. She was aware of Honoka’s presence the whole time though. Fingers gently brushed her hair from her face, sweeping tenderly down her cheek, brushing against her lips before Honoka’s hand came to rest on her heaving chest.

_“Elichi?” Nozomi’s hand which had been gently resting upon Eli’s hip moved and she gently poked her girlfriend in the ribs. Eli’s breathing had slowed down now though she seemed to have zoned out. Hearing no response, she lifted her head from Eli’s bare chest to look at her. “Elichi?”_

_“Hmm?” Eli blinked as if torn from her thoughts and looked to Nozomi. “O-Oh, Nozomi. I um…sorry, I was just thinking. What is it?”_

_“What is it?” Nozomi raised a playful eyebrow in response. “You’ve been ignoring me since you…” she paused as Eli’s eyes widened, obviously expecting some kind of explicit language from her. Nozomi smiled slyly. “Finished.”_

_Eli wasn’t sure if she was relieved or disappointed by the tame explanation. “Ah, I-I was just thinking about Honoka. Future Honoka, I mean.”_

_“Oh?” Nozomi paused at the answer, her brow furrowing slightly in concern. “What about her?”_

_“She was saying that in the future, her Eli…isn’t the same as me. That I’m out of control sometimes, trying to get myself killed.” She felt Nozomi shudder at the thought and reached up, gently cupping her cheek. “I was just thinking that I wouldn’t want you to have to deal with me like that. If I turn into that kind of person…do you really think we’re still together in the future?”_

_Nozomi let out out a soft chuckle before reaching over and brushing Eli’s bangs from her face. She leaned in and gently kissed the blonde’s lips before taking her cheeks into her hands. “I’m sure we are, there’s no way I would leave you. I love you Elichi. Do you hear me? I am madly in love with you, Ayase Eli and there is nothing that would ever cause me to leave you. Nothing.”_

_Eli felt tears begin to sting her eyes at such an confession. She sniffled and turned her head to the side, biting her lip. She had never felt so much love from anyone before. It was strange, Nozomi could say it so easily and yet she found it so difficult to even grasp the idea.  “You’re terrible…”_

_“Ehh!? I just gave you my heart!? No fair, Elichi!”_

_“I love you so much Nozomi…you’re just everything to me.” Eli felt her cheeks flush at the confession. She was sure that Nozomi could feel it beneath her hands. A few moments of silence ticked by and Eli worried that she had said the wrong thing. It was silly, that she was getting so emotional. Nozomi was probably going to tease her for it. Then Nozomi was there, kissing her though, and Eli swore that she could feel a similar dampness on her girlfriend’s cheeks._

Eli felt tears form in her eyes as she tried to get that damn memory out of her mind. She needed a distraction. Everything Nozomi had told her that night was a lie, a complete lie. She said she would never leave her but she had. She’d said she loved her but she didn’t. Not really.

_“Well I don’t love you. I don’t think I ever did, really. I wanted to. More than anything I wanted to think that you could be what I need, but you’re not.”_

She turned onto her side and wrapped her arms around Honoka, burying her face into her chest. “Honoka…”

“Hmm?” Honoka mumbled, brushing her fingers gently through Eli’s hair. She waited for a moment until Eli looked up at her, tears shimmering in her bright blue eyes. “What…?”

“Tell me…” Eli choked on the lump in her throat and had to pause for a moment before she continued. “Tell me you love me. If…if you do. Don’t lie.”

Honoka’s chest ached. She felt like she would cry herself, at witnessing Eli’s pain. “I love you, Eli.” She reached down to brush Eli’s tears away with her fingers and gently kissed her lips. “I love you.”

Eli exhaled in relief. The words seemed to soothe her somewhat. Her hand moved to the back of Honoka’s head and she drew her in to kiss her again, brushing her tongue against soft lips before gaining access to slip inside.

Honoka relaxed into the kiss, her hands wandering idly up and down the silky skin of Eli’s back. The softness was entrancing. It wasn’t something she was used to feeling anymore.

Eli shifted so that she was atop Honoka, pressing her breasts against her chest. She could feel Honoka’s muscles tighten and she figured she could at least do something for the poor woman. It really must have been a while since she was touched.

She lifted her face away briefly and pushed her torso up, using one hand to steady herself. She caught sight of a jagged line adoring the woman’s skin under her breasts and curiously brushed her fingers against it. “You have these scattered all over…”

Honoka’s cheeks flushed crimson at the innocent observation and she barely managed to resist the urge to cover up. “You don’t have to say that.”

Eli’s eyes snapped up to Honoka, worried that she had said something wrong. “S-Sorry, I just…” She shrugged meekly. She had felt them before, when her hands had been wandering over Future Honoka’s torso, but seeing them was different. “I’m sorry.” She whispered again before she leaned down and gently kissed Honoka’s neck. She kissed her way down, being careful of the few scars she came across despite paying special attention to them. Rather than being put off by the scars, she found to her surprise that she was fascinated by the imperfections.

“Beautiful..” she echoed against the soft yet toned skin. It was so different from hers. It showed everything Honoka had gone through in the past years. It unnerved Eli somewhat, to think that her Honoka might have to endure the same things.

Honoka averted her eyes as Eli continued to explore her torso. She wasn’t going to argue against it but she didn’t want to watch either. It was embarrassing, to have skin that was covered in scars. She flinched as she felt Eli’s hands come to rest at her dark jeans, shaky fingers unbuttoning them. “What are you doing?”

Eli suddenly stopped at the accusation and surprise in Future Honoka’s tone. “I-I thought I could…maybe…” Her brow furrowed in confusion. “You don’t want me to?”

“It’s not that, it’s just…you don’t have to do that.” Honoka said, trying not to sound as nervous as she felt. It didn’t make sense for her to be nervous. She had much more experience than Eli and yet at the same time she had never slept with anyone but Kotori. She shivered as Eli’s fingers brushed against the waistband of her underwear. “Eli…”

“I want to.” Eli assured her, more confident this time. She took a deep breath before she began to tug Honoka’s pants down her legs, sneakily pulling her panties down with them. Curious eyes took in the scars scattered over Honoka’s legs, focusing on the long jagged one that seemed to stretch halfway around her upper thigh. She paused, fingers brushing over the darker colored area of skin.

“Don’t stare so much.” Honoka’s voice was shaky, causing Eli to look up. She was surprised to find that Future Honoka’s face was deeply red. “It’s ugly, I know…”

Eli shook her head ever so slightly and pushed Honoka’s clothes the rest of the way off before she moved up the bed to kiss her deeply. “Nothing about you is ugly.” She muttered between kisses, the words only serving to make Honoka kiss her harder. She slipped her hand between Honoka’s legs, fingers rubbing against wet folds. It once again occurred to her that it must have been quite some time since Honoka had been with someone intimately.

Honoka closed her eyes, a satisfied hiss escaping her lips against Eli’s. It had been a relief as she tried to concentrate on the gentle movements.  It reminded her of her Kotori. Compared to Honoka, Kotori was far more careful but she’d always try to drag it out forever. Honoka let out a gentle moan, her hips moving close to the burning touch of Eli’s fingers. She needed more, despite her earlier protests.

“Eli…” She groaned softly, the name feeling foreign on her lips, not because she was saying it without her usual honorific - she was used to saying Eli’s name without it now - but because of the situation and the way she was saying it. She tried to block out the shame she felt as she gripped Eli tightly. “Eli, Eli…”

Eli held Honoka close and gently kissed her cheek, followed by her jaw then her neck. “I’m right here.”

_Honoka could hear someone approaching her room, had been able to hear the footsteps for a short while now. Taking her knife from the bedside table, she moved to stand next to the door, her back flat against the wall. She waited with baited breath for the door to open and the person who’d been approaching to enter before she sprung forward, tackling the person to the ground. She brought the knife down, eyes widening at the glimpse of blonde hair. Quickly, she stopped what she was doing though the knife came within a few inches of Eli’s back._

_“SHIT!” Honoka scrambled to her feet, her heart pounding at what she had almost done. The knife clattered to the ground. “S-shit, I-I didn’t know it was you. I thought…”_

_“Jumpy much?” Eli groaned as she stood up from the ground. Seemingly ignorant of the fact that Honoka had almost killed her, she walked over to her and drew her into her arms, embracing her tightly._

_“G-Get off!” Honoka pushed Eli away by the shoulders, not giving her a chance to really linger in the embrace. She turned away, ignoring the look of shock on Eli’s face. “What do you want?”_

_“I heard that Kotori is out on a mission and I wanted to make sure you’re okay.” Eli said slowly, stunned by Honoka’s behavior. “I thought maybe I could stay the night…”_

_“N-No.”_

_“No?” Eli echoed, walking around Honoka in an attempt to meet her eyes. The younger girl didn’t turn away from her again but she didn’t look at her either. She just stood there, looking at the ground. “Why not?”_

_“N-Nozomi is here, isn’t she? Go back to her.”_

_“Um…Maki told her she has a mission. Besides, even if she was here I’d still want to stay with you. And Nozomi would want me to too.” Eli took a step forward and frowned as Honoka flinched back. “What’s going on, Honoka? You don’t want me here?”_

_Honoka shook her head._

_“But I want…”_

_“Fuck off, Eli!” Honoka snapped, finally lifting her gaze to Eli’s. There were dark circles under her eyes, something Eli hadn’t noticed until then. “I-I don’t always need to sleep next to someone. I don’t want help, e-especially not from you.”_

_“Wha…? Hey, Honoka, what…?” Eli shook her head in shock, trying to figure out why Honoka was pushing her away. She paused, having realized something. Honoka hadn’t stuttered in months. It only seemed to return to a small degree when she had nightmares. “You’re stuttering. And you haven’t slept. How long has Kotori been gone?” She didn’t get an answer from Honoka and worried, she moved over to her, grasping her arms. “Honoka! How long?!”_

_Three days, nine hours and fourteen minutes if Honoka had worked it out correctly. “Get out!” She pushed at Eli’s shoulders again. “GET OUT, GET OUT, GET OUT!”_

_“Hey, Honoka!” Eli halfheartedly defended herself against Honoka’s repeated shoves. It seemed that the girl was trying to force her out of the door. “Hey, just…just calm…STOP!” She dodged an especially harsh looking shove and ducked behind Honoka, wrapping her arms around her from behind. Honoka sank down to the ground and took a heavy breath. She felt the other girl pull her tightly against her chest and she tried to pull away but Eli’s grip was too strong. She felt herself start to relax when Eli pressed her forehead against her back right upon the spot that covered her invisible tattoo._

_“Please tell me what’s wrong…let me help, let me fix it.” Eli’s lips brushed softly against the thin piece of clothing Honoka wore which seemed too loose for her body. She was worried. Had Honoka eaten anything lately? “PLEASE!” She begged as she felt tears stinging her eyes._

_Honoka closed her eyes. She hated when Eli touched that area. It was the weakest part of her body and that infuriated her. “S-Stop it! You know that’s where the tattoo is…”_

_Eli shook her head against Honoka’s back. “I’m sorry, I’m just trying to calm you down.”_

_Honoka made a final effort to wrench herself free. She didn’t want Eli to calm her down, she was fine the way she was. She squirmed roughly in Eli’s hold until she accidentally landed an elbow to the blonde’s stomach._

_Eli cried out in pain, her grip on Honoka loosening for just a few seconds before she readjusted it again. “You’ll have to hit me harder than that.” She said, though her voice was clearly pained._

_Honoka was reminded of the blow Eli had taken for her just a week ago, of the gash expanding over her ribs. It had been her fault. She had been reckless and Eli had thrown herself in front of her, taking the blow that was meant for her._

_Eli breathed a soft sigh of relief when the fight seemed to leave Honoka and she relaxed back against her. She wouldn’t have liked to take another blow from her. “That’s better.” She said softly, her own grip loosening. “It’s alright. They’re not going to take you back there again, not as long as I’m alive.”_

_Honoka shook her head, her eyes stinging with tears. “You shouldn’t bother protecting me. I’m too weak to be useful to you.” She wanted her to get away from her. This person was what she always became when Kotori was gone and she didn’t ask for help. She becomes this useless person. Some leader she had turned out to be._

_A mumble came from the taller girl as she continued to press close to Honoka’s back, her lips and eyes dampening her sleep shirt._

_“What?” Honoka sat up slightly straighter in surprise as she felt the tears meet her burning skin through her shirt. “Are you actually crying? You are not allowed to cry Eli-senpai! “_

_“SHUT UP! I said you’re being a fucking idiot! Are you honestly angry about something you can’t control?” Eli’s voice was sharp, maybe even sharper than she had intended it to be. “Like hell you’re weak, you’re the strongest person I know! Ask anyone. Ask Nozomi, ask Maki!”_

_“Bullshit!” Honoka exclaimed, finally turning in Eli’s embrace. “Nozomi-chan can feel everything I feel, there’s no way she won’t think I’m weak. And Maki-chan must think that too. She’s always careful with me. I can’t even let her examine me without freaking out! I’m a wreck, Eli-senpai!”_

_Eli frowned at the mention of Honoka’s recent interactions with Maki. She’d heard that there had been some kind of altercation between the two of them a couple of days ago and that Maki had been upset by it. She kicked herself for not checking on either of them sooner. She knew that while Maki liked to put up a front, it hurt her that Honoka was afraid of her._

_“I should’ve been on top of this…damn it!” Eli wiped her eyes with her sleeve before fixing Honoka with a determined look. “It’s not true, Honoka. You’re not weak. Maki and Nozomi don’t think that either. Maki knows you went through something horrible and Nozomi…she loves you just as much as I do. She couldn’t think badly of you!”_

_Honoka’s lower lip trembled with emotion. “You’ll get sick of it eventually. You and Nozomi-chan.” She couldn’t count how many times she had gone to them in the past when Kotori hadn’t been there. They’d always gladly offered her comfort and a place to sleep but it didn’t keep her from feeling a bit pathetic. “And Maki-chan…”_

_“Never.” Eli shook her head, a serious look on her face. “We’re never going to leave you. Especially me. I’ll be by your side no matter what. You know there’s nothing I wouldn’t do for you.”_

_Honoka’s vision blurred with tears at the confident answer and she threw her arms around Eli, embracing her fiercely. She felt Eli’s arms go around her in turn, holding her as she cried softly into the blonde’s shoulder. She wasn’t sure how long time passed but soon enough she felt Eli move. She was lifted from the floor as Eli’s arm snaked beneath her knees. She heard a wince from the young woman but didn’t protest as she was carried to the bed, too tired to do so._

_The softness of the bed beneath her was a relief. She hadn’t dared sleep the previous night, too worried about nightmares. The bed dipped behind her with what she knew to be Eli’s weight and a moment later she felt her press close to her back, an arm going around her._

_“I-I’m sorry.” She whimpered, tears blurring her eyes as she reached down to grasp Eli’s hand in front of her chest. She felt Eli shake her head against her. There was no need for apologies, there never was. Still clutching Eli’s hand, she turned onto her other side and pressed close to her, tears slipping down her cheeks. She looked up at Eli though through her tears she couldn’t see her clearly. Her other hand made it way to Eli’s stomach, feeling for any blood. “D-Did I hurt you?”_

_Eli smiled sadly and shook her head. “No. Not in that way.”_

_The answer only made Honoka feel worse and she gripped Eli’s hand tighter. “I don’t want you to leave me. I can’t…I don’t know what I would do without you, Kotori-chan and Nozomi-chan.”_

_“I’ve told you already. I’m never going to leave you.” Eli used her fingers to push back bangs that clung to Honoka’s damp cheeks and leaned in to kiss her forehead. “You’re stuck with me no matter what.”_

_Honoka took a shuddering breath, trying to force herself to believe that. It was hard to trust people after Umi’s betrayal. Umi had promised she’d never leave her and yet she’d left her in that camp to be tortured and tested upon. And she hadn’t even looked back. She pressed her face into Eli’s chest and clutched the back of her shirt tightly. “I love you, Eli-senpai…”_

_Eli’s stomach hurt where Honoka was pressed against her but she made no move to pull away. She wouldn’t risk it. “I love you too, Honoka. So much. Just remember I’m never leaving you. I’m right here.”_

Honoka clung tightly to Eli as she was pushed to her brink. Black filtered into her vision as her hips jerked into Eli’s touch, pleasure washing over her. “Eli-senpai!”

Eli’s eyes widened at the loud cry, her breath catching in her throat. She supposed she should have expected it. It wasn’t like she wasn’t thinking about someone else too. She was sure Nozomi had never left her mind since they’d started. It still hurt though. More than she could say. She pulled away, lying down flat on her back next to Honoka. It wasn’t more than a few seconds before Honoka crawled atop her again. Her breathing rough, she tucked her face into Eli’s neck.

Eli’s arms stayed at her sides as she stared at the ceiling. Soon enough she felt her neck become wet with tears. “You loved her, didn’t you?”

Honoka shook her head. “I-It’s not like that. Eli-senpai was my best friend, my family. Kotori-chan is the only person I love in that way.” She felt her stomach churn with guilt as she realized what she had said a few moments ago. She had just lost herself for a moment, in how safe Eli could make her feel, in her desire to be back home with her Eli again. “I wasn’t lying before, Eli. I do love you. I really do. There’s nothing I wouldn’t do for you.”

“Yeah?” Eli asked, her own eyes prickling with tears. “I think Nozomi loved me once too. Until she didn’t.” She pushed Honoka off of her and slipped out of the bed.

“Eli, don’t go…” Honoka sat up, the tears that had built up in her eyes slipping down her cheeks as she watched Eli dress quickly. “Please. Come on, just stay for a few minutes. I’m sorry, okay? I’m sorry! I didn’t mean to say it!”

Eli didn’t say anything as she pulled her clothes on as quickly as she could. With a last tearful glance toward the future version of her friend, she left the room.

“ELI!”

In the shadows of the hallway, Nozomi watched, her hand gripping at her chest as Eli dashed off down the hallway. The ache she felt was intense but she wasn’t sure if that was Eli’s pain or her own. Or maybe their pain had combined. She walked into the hotel room, finding Honoka putting her clothes back on.

Honoka paled at seeing Nozomi walk into the room. “N-Nozomi!” She hurriedly turned away, wiping at her tears quickly. Eli had only just left, there was no way Nozomi hadn’t seen her go. “Fuck…FUCK!”

Nozomi was silent as she watched Honoka struggle to get herself under control. She wasn’t sure she could have spoken if she wanted to, not past the lump in her throat. Her gaze shifted and she frowned at the long scratch marks on Honoka’s back. Eli was never that rough. She must have been acting out of sheer desperation.  
  
She turned away to give the young woman some privacy as she changed her clothes. She wasn’t sure what she was supposed to do. She could feel how distraught Honoka was but at the same time she was hurt by what had happened. Eli hadn’t cheated on her because they weren’t together, but it still hurt. She just didn’t know what to say.

“Are you going after her?” She finally asked, her voice hoarse and shaky. She chanced a glance at Honoka to make sure she’d finished changing. Finding that she had, she turned toward her.

“N-No, It would only screw everything up more … I-I’m gonna go take a shower.” Honoka shuddered. She slipped past Nozomi, being careful not to touch her and made her way into the small bathroom, tears staining her cheeks.

As she slipped her clothes off, she briefly wondered why she had bothered to put them back on the first place. Modesty, she supposed, though after taking advantage of Eli it wasn’t like she had much dignity left.

She climbed into the shower, turning in on to the highest temperature possible. Somehow it only reminded her more of the future. Her Eli couldn’t stand showering in lukewarm water. It always had to be boiling hot. Her Nozomi had once complained that there was no way they could shower together because she couldn’t take the heat.

Honoka gritted her teeth against the memory and began to scrub at her skin, trying to get Eli’s scent off of her. She hadn’t just taken advantage of Eli and hurt her more than she already was, she was betraying Kotori. Her Kotori and her Eli. She’d promised Kotori that there would never be anyone else and Kotori had said the same thing. But she’d betrayed that. “Dammit!”

She struck out, hitting the shower’s cement wall with her hand. The pain helped her to calm down but not much. She closed her eyes, breathing in deeply through her nose. She should have known better, she should have seen how much Eli was hurting and turned her away. She was a fool, she’d let her emotions and Eli’s advances cloud her better judgement.

She stood there for a few minutes, wracked with guilt before she finally emerged from the shower. She dried off quickly before changing into the clothes she slept in. All she wanted was to climb into bed and forget about everything that had happened over the past few hours, the past month in fact. Upon slipping out of the bathroom she was surprised to find Nozomi still there, lying on the right side of the bed where she’d slept for the past week. She was facing away from her so Honoka couldn’t see her face.

“Y-You’re still here.”

Nozomi had a vague noise in response to let Honoka know that she was still awake. “The pillow smells like her shampoo.” Her voice was thick with emotion as she spoke and it hit Honoka like a punch to the gut. “And the sheets smell like the perfume she likes to wear sometimes…”

Honoka didn’t know what to say. “Nozomi, I-I…”

“I heard what she said.” Nozomi didn’t turn to face Honoka as she clenched the cool fabric of the sheets in her hand. “Earlier. ‘I think Nozomi loved me once too’.” She gave a bark of laughter but it was bitter and strained, full of tears. “Can you believe that? Like I just stopped or something, like it’s not killing me for us to be apart like this. I still love her. How could I not? At least she still has you though, right?”

Honoka’s legs shook beneath her. She felt sick about what she’d done. She should have pushed Eli away, no matter how much it would have hurt the younger version of her best friend. She shouldn’t have given into her own weakness. “Nozomi…” She moved around the bed to Nozomi’s side, dropping to her knees before her. “I’m sorry. I’m so sorry. I shouldn’t have…I should have told her to leave. I should have stopped her. And myself. E-Even if not for her, for you. For Kotori-chan.” She bowed her head, tears spilling down her cheeks as she sobbed quietly. “Fuck…”

Nozomi watched silently through tear filled eyes, her hand still grasping at the sheets beneath her. She was hurt by what Eli and Future Honoka had done but it wasn’t like she had a right to be angry. Eli wasn’t her girlfriend anymore. Eli thought that Nozomi didn’t love her. She hadn’t done what she had done to hurt her. She thought Nozomi wouldn’t care either way.

“Why aren’t you saying anything?!” Honoka looked up suddenly, her words choked as she looked at Nozomi. “Yell at me, I deserve it. Hell, y-you should slap me! I’ll let you do it, just…” she trailed off when Nozomi merely stared at her. “Please, Nozomi, say something, I-I…”

Nozomi sniffled softly, the first sound she had made since Honoka had started talking. Letting go of the sheets, she reached down and grasped Honoka’s hand before shuffling back on the bed.

Even in her emotional state, Honoka got the hint and stood up, allowing herself to be tugged onto the bed next to Nozomi.

“W-What…?”

Nozomi pressed close to Honoka and wrapped her arms tightly around her. “I’m not going to hurt you.” She mumbled into Honoka’s shoulder. How could she when she felt the pain and loss Honoka was feeling? “You gave her what she needed, even if you only ended up hurting each other more.”

Honoka didn’t dare move or even breathe for a moment, sure that Nozomi was going to say something else after. She gently pushed Nozomi away, staring at her in shock. “W-What’s wrong with you? You should hate me! Look at what I did, I just had sex with the girl you love!”

Nozomi flinched at the statement but she didn’t seem angry. She wasn’t, with either of them, she was just hurt. And slightly betrayed by Honoka’s actions.

“W-Why are you like this?!” Honoka’s voice was growing louder by the second. “Why can’t you just be a little bit selfish for ONCE?!”

“Why can’t you?” Nozomi countered, turning her head to wipe her damp eyes on her shirt. “Why can’t you think more about your own life than other people’s? You don’t think I know that you gave yourself over to Elichi because she wanted it… _needed_  it more than you did? I know she’s not the Eli you really want!”

She could feel it, how much Future Honoka missed the Eli from her own time. She could feel how much she missed everyone. There were times when Honoka looked at Kotori and Nozomi felt like her heart was being torn right from her chest. When Honoka looked at her and Eli on the other hand, she could easily feel the longing and loneliness the young woman tried to hide.

“I am being selfish.” Nozomi confessed, reaching up to wipe Honoka’s tears with shaky fingers. “I need this just as much as you do. You’re the only friend I have right now, Senpai. Everyone else hates me. I broke Elichi’s heart and Kotori-chan is afraid of me! So please, stop asking me to hurt you and…” She trailed off, her voice breaking though thankfully that seemed to be all she needed to say as Honoka moved back to her, embracing her tightly.

“We’ll get A-An… _her_ …We’ll get her and reveal her power. I promise!” Honoka said shakily, her fingers tightly gripping the back of Nozomi’s shirt. “I won’t let you lose Eli. Not again.”

Nozomi inhaled sharply as pain shot through her chest. It wasn’t hers, she knew. It was Honoka’s. She held her tighter and tried to push back more tears.


	15. Chapter 15

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Another double chapter upload. Feel free to tell me if I'm uploading too quickly and I'll slow down a bit. I know these chapters are fairly long. :)

Honoka woke to the sound of knocking at the door. It was soft. Far too soft to be anyone who meant her harm. She sighed and decided to ignore it, her grip on Nozomi tightening slightly instead. The younger girl’s arm was curled around Honoka’s waist to hold her close though Honoka had no intention of shifting.   
  
The knock sounded again and Honoka felt Nozomi’s head shift as she stirred.   
  
“What’s that noise…?” Nozomi mumbled, clearly half asleep.   
  
“Probably just a drunk idiot.” Honoka whispered, not quite awake herself. She gently brushed Nozomi’s hair back behind her ear. It was loose tonight, somehow reminding her of her own Nozomi, in the future. “Go back to sleep, they’ll go away.”  
  
Nozomi smiled sleepily as Honoka’s fingers skimmed across her cheek. She hummed softly and pressed closer to her, intending to go back to sleep. Another knock at the door had her groaning in irritation and pressing her face into Honoka’s chest. “What do they want…?”  
  
Honoka hummed in response and gently rubbed Nozomi’s back. “Ignore them. They…”

“Honoka-chan?”   
  
Honoka’s eyes widened at the sound of Kotori’s soft voice. She sat bolt upright, as did Nozomi next to her.

“H-Honoka-chan, please…I need to see you.” Kotori’s voice was weak and trembling, enough to send an ache through both girls’ chests.   
  
“Up. Get up.” Honoka scrambled over Nozomi, grabbing her hand to tug her from the bed. “I’ll be right there, Kotori-chan!” She tugged Nozomi over to the closet and hurriedly pushed her inside. “I’m so sorry, Nozomi…” She shut the closet door before Nozomi had time to protest. Quickly brushing her hands through her hair to make sure it wasn’t too messy, she made her way to the door and unlocked it.   
  
Kotori looked up as the door opened, tired amber eyes finding concerned blue. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to wake you, I just…” She shifted nervously from foot to foot and drew Maki’s jacket tighter around herself.   
  
“Don’t be. Come on.” Honoka waved Kotori on into the room, not daring to reach out and touch her. The poor girl looked so shaken that Honoka worried she would panic if she was touched. She closed the door behind Kotori and tiredly rubbed at her eyes. “What’s wrong, Kotori-chan?”  
  
Kotori shrugged in response, her gaze flitting around the hotel room. “I wanted to see you.” She answered quietly. “I-I miss you, Honoka-chan…”  
  
Nozomi pouted as she leaned against the back of the closet. She hadn’t even had a chance to shower before Honoka had shoved her inside. She closed her eyes, feeling weary and wondered what time it was. The middle of the night, she was sure.   
  
Honoka was silent for a moment as she stared at Kotori. “I miss you too.” Her words were laced with a double meaning she couldn’t help but ponder upon. “I’m sorry I haven’t been there, I didn’t think you’d be…comfortable with me being around at the minute.”  
  
Besides that she had been busy desperately trying to prove Nozomi’s innocence.   
  
Kotori blinked innocently at her. “Comfortable?” She took a step back and sank down onto the bed. “I don’t know what you mean…I just wanted you there.”  
  
Honoka hesitated for a moment before she walked over and sat down near Kotori on the bed. “I’m sorry.”  
  
Kotori stared down at her hands. Maki’s sleeves were a bit too long for her. Not by much but they fell over her hands right down to her fingers. She supposed the jacket might be a bit big for Maki too. She shyly looked up at Honoka and carefully scooted closer. Seeing Honoka lean away, she paused her movement. She could understand in a way, that Honoka wouldn’t want to be close to her.   
  
“Honoka-chan, are you…” She didn’t know what she wanted to ask. If Honoka was disgusted by her, she supposed. By the way she had been touched by someone else. “Do you not…feel the same about me now?”  
  
Her Honoka didn’t love her. That seemed obvious. She wasn’t sure what you would do if the future version of her best friend had stopped too. It would make sense that Future Honoka’s memories and feelings were changing along with her Honoka’s.

Honoka felt her chest tighten at the question. “Of course I do! I love you, Kotori-chan. That’s never going to change. Ever.”  
  
Kotori reached out, carefully taking Honoka’s hand. “I’m tired of thinking about it, Honoka-chan. I’m so tired.” Her voice was laced with a soft whimper. “Kiss me. Please. Just help me forget.”  
  
Nozomi did her best not to listen to what Kotori was saying, aware that the moment was a private one. If she was in Kotori’s position she wouldn’t want anyone listening in on her either.   
  
Honoka averted her eyes, a blush crawling to her cheeks. Make her forget. Just like she had with Eli. “I can’t, Kotori-chan.” She moved forward and wrapped her arms gently around Kotori, drawing her close to her. “I want to but I can’t.”  
  
She pressed her lips to the top of Kotori’s head and closed her eyes, lingering there.   
  
Kotori buried her face in Honoka’s chest and gripped the back of her friend’s tank top. “Honoka-chan doesn’t love me.” She hadn’t seen her friend in days. Umi either. They both seemed to be lost in each other. “Not like you do.”  
  
Honoka sighed softly at the observation. She knew it was true. The past version of herself couldn’t love Kotori nearly as much as she did, but that was because she had spent the past few years with her. She had lost her so she knew just how precious she was. “She loves you. Even if she doesn’t know that she does yet. How could she not? She’s me.”  
  
Kotori shook her head. If Honoka loved her why wasn’t she with her?   
  
“It’s never going to be like it was for you. Honoka-chan is in love with Umi-chan.” Just watching the two of them together made that perfectly obvious. She clenched her eyes shut against the tears that stung at them. “That’s why I thought…at least I have you.”  
  
Honoka clenched her jaw. She wanted nothing more than to think that was true. She’d let herself entertain the idea of staying there, with this version of herself. “Look, Kotori-chan…” She carefully gripped Kotori’s upper arms, moving her away a bit. “You can’t do that.”  
  
Kotori sniffled softly. “Do what?”  
  
“Get attached to me. I’m…not going to be around forever, you know. In fact I won’t be around much longer. As soon as I’ve finished what I came back for…” She trailed off, lost in her thoughts. She had an idea of what she would do when she wasn’t needed but she couldn’t tell Kotori that. “I don’t want you to be hurt when I’m gone.”

  
Kotori pulled away voluntarily this time, confusion making it’s way to her face. “W-What do you mean?”  
  
Nozomi closed her eyes. She knew what Honoka meant. She knew all too well. She clenched her hands into fists. She wasn’t going to let that happen. She didn’t care what Future Honoka had to say about it. She wouldn’t let her throw her life away.   
  
Honoka smiled sadly and reached up, ruffling Kotori’s hair. “Don’t worry about that for now. I just want you to be careful, that’s all. You love too easily, Kotori-chan. It’s one of my favourite things about you but it’s only going to get you hurt.”  
  
Kotori shook herself free of Honoka’s hand, slightly irritated by the gesture. It was like Honoka was treating her like a kid. “That’s why you won’t kiss me? Because you think I’ll fall in love with you? It’s too late for that.”  
  
Honoka felt her cheeks grow hot despite her best efforts. “That’s not it. I know what you’re doing, Kotori. You’re trying to use me to forget. About Honoka and…everything else. You don’t think I’ve done the same thing before? It’s not going to help. Later, when you see that your Honoka really does love you, you’re going to feel terrible. I know you want to forget about her right now but this isn’t the…”

“I’m not trying to forget about her!” Kotori’s voice was louder than Honoka’s, effectively interrupting her. She quietened down when Honoka fell silent. “I-It’s not her I’m trying to forget, it’s…it’s…”  
  
“Nozomi.” Honoka finished in a whisper, realization sinking in.   
  
Kotori flinched at the mention of Nozomi’s name alone and gave a nod of her head. “Y-Yeah, I…I feel her all over me, my arms, my mouth…I just want it all gone. I feel so violated!” She was met with silence and averted her eyes from Honoka’s, feeling them prickle with moisture. “I-I’m scared all of the time, Honoka. I keep thinking it, a-about her. I always felt safe when I was with…N-Nozomi-chan. I don’t understand why she’d want to hurt me.”  
  
Nozomi clamped her hand over her mouth to hold back a whimper, tears slipping their way free from her eyes. She wouldn’t do that. She would never hurt Kotori or any of her friends.   
  
“I-I don’t know either, Kotori-chan.” Honoka answered, barely able to bite back the urge to tell Kotori that Nozomi was innocent. That she would never hurt her. “I’m sorry…”  
  
Kotori risked a glance up at Honoka only to find that the future version of her best friend wasn’t even looking at her. Her gaze seemed to be fixed on something across the room. “I feel…dirty. Like I’ve done something wrong. I’ve tried to wash her off. I’ve tried everything but I can’t and…I just can’t get her off.”  
  
She began to unconsciously rub at her wrist with her knuckles, wincing as she did so. The bruises were still there, though she had scrubbed her wrists red raw too, trying to scrub away Nozomi’s touch. She seemed to feel it all of the time, especially when she was alone. It was like her skin was crawling.   
  
“I just can’t get her off…”  
  
Honoka looked to Kotori for a moment, stunned by the confession. It struck something within her, something she’d long since tried to forget.   
  
 _She scrubbed urgently at her skin with the sponge in her hand, her teeth gritted against the pain. She could still feel them. Their hands on her, prodding and poking at every inch of skin they deemed to be valuable. It was as though they thought her body could tell them something if they mapped it out enough times.  
  
She growled under her breath and continued to scrub, the muscles in her upper arm aching in protest at how hard she was working them. It wasn’t enough, it was never enough. Her skin stung as she continued to scrub, the hot water that beat down upon her not helping at all. She didn’t really notice, she was too focused on the memories that haunted her from the nightmare she’d had.   
  
She didn’t hear the door open, nor did she hear Kotori’s gasp or the sound of her approaching. She didn’t even notice Kotori was there until the shower was turned off and the sponge was wrenched from her hand.   
  
Her knees buckled beneath her and she crumbled, barely feeling Kotori grab her around the waist to catch her. Together they crumbled to the floor.   
  
“MAKI-CHAN!” Kotori yelled Maki’s name frantically as she looked over her shoulder. In her arms Honoka was breathing heavily though that wasn’t what concerned her. What worried her was the bleeding scrapes left by the sponge. They covered Honoka’s upper arms, chest, back and shoulders. “MA-”  
  
“I’m here, I’m here!” Maki was suddenly by Kotori’s side, pushing her gently out of the way. She gaped at the bloody scrapes on Honoka’s bare torso. It was obvious they were self-inflicted. She placed a gentle hand on Honoka’s elbow, one of the only areas not bleeding. “Honoka, I’m just going to take a look. I…”  
  
At the sight of a white lab coat Honoka flung herself away with a panicked yell, terrified blue eyes locking with Maki’s lavender. “S-S-Stay away from me!”  
_  
 _Maki’s brow furrowed in concern. “H-Honoka, it’s just me. It’s Maki. I’m not going to hurt you.” She slowly reached out for the older girl only for Honoka to flinch away from her, her back pushing against the cold tile wall. “Honoka?”  
  
“Don’t touch me. Please, no more. I can’t…” Honoka’s eyes welled with tears as she struggled to push herself further away from Maki. Blood from her back smeared against the otherwise pristine tiling. “I can’t take a-a-any more…” Her gaze turned pleadingly to Kotori. “K-Kotori-chan, don’t let her touch me. Please.”  
  
Kotori glanced between Maki and Honoka, catching the pain on Maki’s face. She heard yelling coming from another room and quickly moved to Honoka, dropping to her knees next to her. In an instant Honoka’s arms were around her and she was pressing her face into her chest, sobbing softly.   
  
Eli stumbled into the bathroom, her hair messy and her eyes half-lidded. She had been woken by the noise a few minutes earlier and had hurriedly gotten out of bed to see what it was. Her eyes sprung open upon realizing what was going on.   
  
“Maki, go back to the hospital wing. Kotori and I can take it from here.” Eli moved past Maki, kneeling down on the floor next to Honoka and Kotori.   
  
“E-Eli-senpai…” Honoka broke away from Kotori and threw her arms around Eli’s neck.   
  
Kotori glanced between Maki, who had slowly stood up and Eli and Honoka. “E-Eli-chan, Honoka needs medical attention. Her back…”  
  
“Can wait.” Eli finished seriously, meeting Kotori’s worried stare. She quickly turned her attention back to Honoka. “It’s alright, I’m here. I’m right here. Nozomi is on her way too. It’s okay.”  
  
Maki turned on her heel and fled the room, trying to conceal the dampness of her eyes._

_“I can’t get them off, Eli-senpai.” Honoka whimpered, her grip on Eli’s tank top tightening. “I need to get them off…”  
  
“There’s nothing on you, Honoka. You’re fine.” Eli gently brushed her fingers over Honoka’s upper back, trying to distract her from whatever she was thinking about. “It’s okay. I’ve got you. You’re okay.”_  
  
 _The sound of bare feet against wet tile met her ears and suddenly Nozomi was kneeling behind Eli, her hand moving to rest upon Honoka’s cheek. A sense of peace immediately washed over her and she felt herself relax into Eli’s arms._  
  
Honoka shook in the wake of the memories and she clenched her hands into fists. Her Eli, Kotori and Nozomi had always been there for her and she had betrayed them. All of them. She’d let the past version of her best friend take advantage of her and she’d taken advantage of her in return. She’d betrayed her Kotori, her Nozomi and her Eli.

She realized that Kotori was still scrubbing at her wrists and quickly grabbed her hands to stop her. “Kotori, don’t.” She moved to her knees in front of Kotori and gently pushed up the sleeves of her jacket to reveal bruises and reddened marks. “Please. Don’t hurt yourself like this.”  
  
She leaned in, kissing the palm of each of Kotori’s hands as she pleaded with her. She was surprised when Kotori slipped down from the bed too, arms going tightly around her neck.   
  
Nozomi bit down on the sleeve of the shirt she was wearing, trying to keep herself quiet. It was hard to do so when she could feel every bit of fear and hurt Kotori felt, coupled with all of Honoka’s loss and pain too. As well as her own, of course. It was too much.   
  
Honoka sat like that for a few minutes, holding onto Kotori as tightly as the other girl was holding onto her. Finally a ringing sound pierced the air and the two pulled away, Kotori hurriedly going through her pockets and emerging with her phone.   
  
“He-”  
  
“KOTO-NEE!” Maki’s voice was so loud that even Honoka could hear it from where she sat, still in her knees. “Where are you?! I woke up and you weren’t here! It’s the middle of the night!”  
  
Kotori’s watery gaze shifted to Honoka’s. “I-I’m sorry. I’ll come back. I’ll come back right now, Maki-chan.”  
  
“Where are you? I’ll come and get you.” Maki offered, worry evident in her tone.   
  
Kotori shook her head though she knew that Maki couldn’t see her. “I’ll be there soon, I promise. Don’t worry about me.” She waited a beat before she ended the call and put her phone back into her pocket.   
  
“Do you want some advice?” Honoka stood up along with Kotori, running her fingers through her hair. She didn’t wait for an answer. “Talk to Maki. She cares about you. She can help. You can come to me whenever you need me but I really think Maki can help you too. I know she’s not me or my past self or Umi but she wants what’s best for you. Trust her.” She waited for a nod of agreement before she continued. “I mean it. With everything. Even this.” She reached for Kotori’s hand and lifted it, showing her the redness of her wrist.   
  
“Okay.” Kotori whispered, finding it better not to protest. She closed her eyes as Honoka enveloped her in another quick hug. A kiss was pressed to her cheek before Honoka pulled away. She took a deep breath to steady herself and walked towards the door.   
  
“Hey, Kotori-chan?” Honoka called hesitantly, gripping the bottom of her shirt to control the shaking of her hands. She waited until Kotori looked back before she continued. “I love you, okay? Don’t doubt that. No matter what’s going on right now, nobody could ever replace you.”  
  
Kotori managed a weak smile. “I love you too, Honoka-chan.” Her gaze lingered on Honoka’s for a moment before she let herself out of the room.   
  
Honoka locked the door as soon as Kotori left and quickly made her way to the closet. She pulled the door open, pausing at the sight of just how distraught Nozomi was. “Nozomi…” She reached in, taking hold of Nozomi’s arms and pulled her out of the closet into a tight embrace. “I’m so sorry.”  
  
Nozomi melted into the embrace, her arms going around Honoka in turn. “Senpai…” She buried her face in the crook of Honoka’s neck, her tears continuing relentlessly. “I-I would never hurt her. I hate that she’s so scared of me. I-I should be the person she comes to f-for help, not the p-person she’s afraid of…”  
  
“I know.” Honoka gently ran her fingers through Nozomi’s hair, trying to calm her. “I’m sorry. We’re going to fix this, Nozomi. We will.”  
  
Nozomi shook her head against Honoka’s shoulder. “But when? I want to help Kotori-chan. She needs our help! I’m tired of doing nothing. I’m tired of Elichi thinking I don’t love her and Kotori thinking I hurt her. We have to do something!”  
  
“Alright, we’ll…I know where A-Rise is. I’ll make a move tomorrow.” Honoka explained though she seemed to be talking more to herself than Nozomi. “I didn’t want to involve you in this, so I looked into it myself. I know where they are now so…I can handle it.”  
  
“We can handle it.” Nozomi corrected, her features set in determination as she pulled away from Honoka’s embrace. “I’m going with you. I don’t care what you say, I’m going to be there. I want to kill that shapeshifter myself!”  
  
Honoka gaped at Nozomi and shook her head. “No. No, no, no. Nozomi, it’s too dangerous. I can’t let…”  
  
“I don’t care, Senpai!” Nozomi interrupted loudly. “I’m going with you. I want her, I want Anju. She has to pay for what she did to Elichi and Kotori-chan!”  
  
Honoka stared at Nozomi anxiously, surprised by her behavior. “I can’t let you kill her, Nozomi. You’ve never killed anyone before, have you? I know you, you won’t be able to live with yourself if…”  
  
“Honoka!” Nozomi’s voice grew louder. This time it was tinged with anger. “I’ve told you I’m going so I’m going alright?!”  
  
Honoka crossed her arms in front of her chest. “No, you’re not. You need to think about this logically. We need to capture Anju, not kill her! You’re not thinking straight. All you want is revenge. Right now you’re acting like…like Eli-senpai! You’re going to get yourself killed!”  
  
“You think I care?!” Nozomi growled, her hands tightening into fists at her sides. “What’s the point if I don’t have anyone beside me?! You don’t understand Honoka, my life was Elichi and my friends and she took that away from me!”  
  
“I don’t understand?!” Honoka echoed, her voice slightly higher than usual. “My friends are dead! The love of my life is dead. I understand more than you think but getting yourself killed isn’t the way to fix things. You can still get Eli back!”  
  
“So it’s fine for you to say that you don’t care about your life but it’s not okay when I say it?!”  
  
“Of course it isn’t!”  
  
“WHY NOT?!”  
  
“BECAUSE!” Honoka grabbed Nozomi’s arms, trying to shake some sense into her. “BECAUSE YOU HAVE PEOPLE WHO NEED YOU, BECAUSE AS SOON AS YOU HAVE ELI AND YOUR FRIENDS BACK YOU’LL WANT TO LIVE! I’M NOT TALKING ABOUT BEING RECKLESS WITH MY LIFE, I WANT TO DIE. I CAN’T WAIT UNTIL THIS IS ALL OVER, DON’T YOU GET THAT?!” She quietened down, a breathless tone to her voice as the tears she’d managed to hold back with Kotori finally surfaced. “You matter to people, Nozomi! You matter to Eli and everyone else. I need you to live, okay?”

Nozomi’s anger left her, replaced with a chilling fear. “I don’t want you to die. I won’t let you. You matter to me, isn’t that enough?” Her eyes stung with oncoming tears but she stubbornly pushed them back. “You can’t just leave me, Senpai. I thought…you and me, I thought we were partners.”  
  
Honoka relaxed her grip on Nozomi’s arms and wrapped her arms around her instead, drawing her close. “Fine.” She said hoarsely. “I’ll let you come with me but you’re not allowed to kill anyone, okay? And you stay with me at all times.”  
  
Nozomi rolled her eyes though secretly she felt relieved. “At all times? Do you want me to hold your hand at all times too?”  
  
Future Honoka chuckled softly at the attempt at teasing. Nozomi’s voice still sounded thick with tears. “I’ll let you know when we get there. Now come on, let’s go back to bed. It’s too early to do anything now and I need to sleep.”  
  
Nozomi let out a slow breath and hummed in agreement. She almost protested when Honoka pulled away but her hand was grasped a moment later and she found herself being tugged back to the bed. She waited until Honoka was situated before she crawled into bed next to her, tucking herself into the young woman’s open arms. She felt Honoka pull the blankets up around her and murmured her gratitude.   
  
Nozomi fell asleep quickly but Honoka couldn’t force her mind to settle. She could only hope that she’d be able to keep Nozomi safe.   
  
—-

Maki paced anxiously back and forth near the door, her phone in her hands. She wondered if it had been long enough to warrant her calling Kotori again. It had been at least an hour, she knew that. Long enough for her to panic again and call Nico.   
  
The third year hadn’t been much help. She had grumbled at her for ten minutes, not making much sense, listened to Maki rant and then told her to go back to bed before putting the phone down. It hadn’t calmed Maki down, it had only made her more agitated. It annoyed her even more that she automatically thought to call Nozomi. It was downright infuriating. Nozomi was the cause of all of this.   
  
Finally the door opened and a tired looking Kotori walked in, closing the door behind her.   
  
“Koto-nee!” Maki dropped the phone in her hand and ran to Kotori, almost knocking her over with the force of her embrace. “Where the hell have you been? Why didn’t you tell me o-or at least leave a note?!”  
  
With a sinking feeling of guilt, Kotori realized that Maki’s voice was clogged with tears. “I-I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to worry you, Maki-chan.” She slowly lifted her arms, returning the embrace carefully so as not to put any pressure on her wounds. “I’m sorry.”  
  
“Where were you?” Maki dashed at the tears in her eyes before she pulled back to look at Kotori. “It’s the middle of the night!”  
  
“I needed to see Honoka-chan. Future Honoka.” Kotori admitted quietly, her gaze shifting from Maki’s. “I-I had a nightmare and I just…needed to see her.”  
  
“Why?” Maki couldn’t deny that the confession stung. “I was sleeping right next to you, you could have woken me up.”  
  
“It’s…I needed Honoka. Just Honoka.” Kotori didn’t look back at Maki so she missed the look of hurt that crossed her face. “I’m sorry I left without saying anything but I really needed to be with her.”  
  
Maki’s jaw clenched at the thought. “I-I see. I guess…if that’s what you want.” She stepped away from Kotori and turned away. She didn’t feel panicked anymore, she just felt empty. “Why are you even here then? If Honoka is who you want to be with why did you even come back?!” Her tone was harsher than she intended and she took a deep breath. “I’m sorry. I understand that what you went through was horrible but all I want is to help you and you keep pushing me away. I feel like…you’re afraid of me.” She didn’t dare turn to face Kotori. “Umi is scared of me, the future version of Honoka is scared of me, you are, Rin is, even Nico is sometimes. I…damn it, I just want to help!”  
  
“I am scared.” Kotori’s words had Maki physically flinching. It hadn’t been what she wanted to hear. Not at all. She had known it all along. She felt her eyes burn with oncoming tears and turned, hurrying toward the door. At the last second Kotori stepped in front of her and Maki all but dug her heels into the floor to bring herself to a stop so as not to inadvertently force Kotori back against the door.   
  
“I’m so scared I don’t know what to do.” Kotori continued, her voice slightly choked. “I-I’m not scared of you, Maki-chan. I’m scared in general. I’m so afraid of anyone touching me and…only Honoka-chan makes me feel safe. It’s not that I don’t want to be around you, it’s just that I can’t get her off and…I’m afraid that if you get too close you might see how…disgusted I feel with myself. I want to trust you, Maki-chan.”  
  
Maki searched Kotori’s eyes for any sign that she was lying and slowly relaxed. “I know what that’s like, Koto-nee. I know what it’s like to be disgusted with yourself. I’m scared too, you know?”  
  
“I-I want to trust you, Maki-chan.” Kotori slid the zipper down on Maki’s jacket. She watched as Maki’s gaze inevitably shifted to the opening jacket.   
  
Maki’s eyes widened at the realization that Kotori was wearing her jacket rather than her own. Her cheeks flushed in embarrassment but she didn’t interrupt whatever Kotori was doing.   
  
“Honoka-chan said I should let you in, that I should trust you…” Kotori shrugged the jacket off, taking a breath before she let it slide down her arms. It dropped to the floor behind her but she didn’t pay it any mind, she kept her eyes on Maki instead.   
  
Maki’s gaze fell to the bruises and scrapes on Kotori’s forearms, her breath catching in her throat. “W-What…?”  
  
“I just wanted to get her off, Maki-chan.” Kotori’s stare pleaded with Maki to understand what she was saying. “I feel like I can’t wash her touch away.” She carefully stepped forward and grasped Maki’s hand, leading it to her wrist. “Will you help me?”  
  
Maki couldn’t speak past the lump in her throat so she settled for nodding instead. She had to swallow several times before she could speak. “Sit down, Koto-nee. I’ll get the first aid kit.”  
  
Kotori obediently went and sat down on the couch and watched as Maki left the room. She waited patiently until the redhead returned and knelt down in front of her on the ground. “Maki-chan, I…I don’t need that. I just need you to stay with me.”  
  
Maki flushed at the slight amusement she heard in Kotori’s tone though it made her somewhat happy to know that her actions had cheered Kotori up somewhat. She found herself being tugged onto the couch next to Kotori. A second later arms went around her though she couldn’t bring herself to hug Kotori back, not wanting to scare her.   
  
“It’s okay, Maki-chan. I trust you.”  
  
Maki tentatively curled her arms around Kotori’s waist, being as gentle as she could.   
  
Kotori exhaled a shaky breath and lay her head on Maki’s shoulder. Her heart hammered anxiously against her chest despite her best efforts.   
  
“ _I won’t hurt you, Koto-nee._ ” Maki communicated telepathically. She felt Kotori grip her shirt harder.   
  
“ _I know.”_  
  
—  
  
“That tickles, Honoka…” Umi mumbled, her half-lidded gaze fixed to the laptop screen in front of her. Honoka had situated herself behind her, pressed flush against her back so she could see the screen. Her fingers which had been resting on Umi’s bare arm until a few minutes ago, were wandering up and down.   
  
“Sorry, Umi-chan.” Honoka stilled the movement of her fingers and Umi immediately found herself missing the touch. It wasn’t like she could ask Honoka to continue without it sounding odd though. She sighed and tried to focus on the movie, but it wasn’t easy with Honoka behind her. Though they were both clothed, it was distracting to feel her best friend’s chest pushed up against her back like it was. She tried as best she could to concentrate but it was no use.   
  
She turned over onto her other side and leaned in, pressing her lips to Honoka’s. She almost pulled away when Honoka kissed her back and drew her closer.   
  
“Honoka…” Umi’s voice came out as a whimper as she gripped the front of Honoka’s sweatshirt and kissed her harder. Her tongue brushed against soft lips and she waited until Honoka’s parted before she deepened the kiss. She didn’t know what was wrong with her, but she couldn’t stop what she was doing. Honoka just seemed to bring out another side of her.   
  
She gripped the hem of Honoka’s sweatshirt and pulled it up. The fact that Honoka pulled away without question and lifted her arms to allow the clothing to be removed was somewhat thrilling. She kissed her again, sliding her fingers into soft ginger hair.   
  
“Closer.” She mumbled, between kisses, her words breathless. “I need you…closer.”  
  
Honoka moved without hesitation, crawling on top of Umi. She tucked her hair behind her ears to keep it from getting in the way and leaned in to kiss Umi again. She couldn’t get enough of her girlfriend. She was intoxicating. She unzipped Umi’s light blue jacket and drew away from the kiss to watch as she pushed up Umi’s shirt.   
  
She licked her lips as hungry eyes took in the subtle play of muscles across Umi’s abdomen, the softness of her skin and the soft swell of her breasts as they came into view. She did a double take at the sight. There was no bra in the way to hide anything. “U-Umi-chan is so bold!”  
  
Umi blushed brightly but settled for dragging Honoka into a heated kiss to shut her up. There was something different about the way Honoka kissed her back this time though. Like Honoka’s control was wearing thin. There was a hint of desperation there.   
  
She moaned softly as Honoka bit down on her lower lip. “God, Honoka…” Her hips bucked involuntarily into Honoka’s and she groaned again, the sound echoing around the room.   
  
Honoka gave a gentle laugh and kissed Umi again, her tongue slipping past parted lips. Umi tasted like mint, and something else she couldn’t identify. She felt Umi’s hips moving beneath her own and couldn’t help but match her rhythm.   
  
“Umi-chan can’t stay still…” She couldn’t help but tease breathlessly, even as she continued to grind her hips down. It felt too good to stop.   
  
Umi’s face flushed crimson. “N-Neither can you!”  
  
Honoka smiled at the accusation but she couldn’t say anything else, too busy focusing on her movements. She felt hands creep up her legs, sliding a moment later into the back pockets of her jeans. She moaned under her breath as the pace of Umi’s hips quickened.   
  
“Y-You’re so sexy, Umi-chan…” She reached down between them, lithe fingers finding their way under Umi’s shirt to her breast. She curiously squeezed the soft flesh under her hand, her thumb sweeping over the rapidly hardening bud.   
  
She felt Umi grip her behind, demandingly dragging her hips even closer to push them against her own. “I-I want to touch you for real, Umi-chan.” She said breathlessly, doing her best not to offset her rhythm. She wasn’t entirely sure what she was doing but whatever it was it felt good and Umi seemed to be enjoying it. That was enough for her. “I want to touch and kiss you everywhere. I want to make you feel good…”  
  
“I-It does feel good.” Umi replied, her voice just as breathless and strained. “It feels so good, I-I can’t…” She adjusted her position, parting her legs in an attempt to feel more of Honoka against her.  
  
“Umi-chan…” Honoka was surprised by how much better the simple movement could make her feel. She bit her lip to hold back a moan and sat up slightly, her eyes sliding shut. “Fuck…”  
  
“H-Honoka, I-I can’t…” Umi’s hips jerked and she squeezed her eyes shut. Black filtered into her vision as pleasure washed over her, drawing a breathless gasp from her mouth. The pace of her hips slowed and finally stopped as she collapsed onto the bed, spent.  
  
“Did you just…?” Umi opened her eyes at the sound of Honoka’s voice. Her best friend was looking down at her, awe on her face. Her cheeks flushed with embarrassment and she quickly covered her face.   
  
“I-I couldn’t help it!” She exclaimed helplessly. It wasn’t as though she had been trying to do…that. She’d just been doing what felt right, or rather what felt good. “I’m sorry!”  
  
“Sorry? Why are you sorry? That was so hot, Umi-chan…” Honoka leaned down, kissing Umi’s stomach. “I want to make you do it again…”  
  
“A-Again?!” Umi’s hands fell from her face as Honoka kissed her way up to her bare chest. “B-But Honoka…” She trailed off with a gasp as Honoka’s mouth reached her breast. It was so shameless but she couldn’t stop.   
  
The door across the room opened suddenly and Eli stepped into the room. She stopped short, taking in the sight of Honoka straddling Umi, Umi’s shirt pushed up above her breasts. “Harasho…”  
  
Umi sat bolt upright at the intrusion, hurriedly pushing her shirt back down. She quickly pushed Honoka off her causing the other girl to yelp in surprise. “Oh my god…” She slumped back down on the bed, burying her face in her pillow. “Shameless!”  
  
Honoka groaned in frustration as she ran her fingers through her hair. “Why do people keep doing this?” She muttered more to herself than Umi and Eli. Umi didn’t even seem to be listening. She was too busy muttering to herself. She glared at the intruding blonde. “Eli-senpai…”  
  
“What?” Eli couldn’t help but chuckle at the unimpressed look on Honoka’s face. “I didn’t know you’d be doing that!”  
  
Honoka growled and grabbed a pillow from next to her, throwing it across the room at Eli. “SHUT UP!”

—

Umi couldn’t look Eli in the eye, nor could she look in Honoka’s direction so she kept her gaze fixed firmly on the table the three of them were sitting at. She was sure her face was aflame with embarrassment though there was nothing she could do about that.   
  
“Did you want something, Eli-senpai?” Honoka asked, her hands wrapped around a cup of tea. She flinched when Umi gently kicked her. “Ouch! Umi-chan…”  
  
Eli could barely hold in a chuckle at the exchange. It was clear to her that Honoka was frustrated and both were just annoyed about being interrupted. “Come on, Honoka. You should really be nicer to me, you know? Not as nice as you were to Umi though…” She smirked, winking at Umi who didn’t catch it because she wasn’t looking at her.   
  
Honoka twitched at the teasing.   
  
“Okay, okay!” Eli sobered and changed the subject. “I really am sorry I interrupted, I just came over because…I guess I was lonely. I’m kind of alone right now. You two have each other, Kotori and Maki have each other, Hanayo is with Rin and Nico is…well Nico. It’s…for a long time it’s been me and N-Nozomi. I’m not used to being alone and I thought it would be okay for me to come here.”  
  
Honoka’s features softened from frustration into worry. “Eli-senpai…”  
  
Even Umi who had been determined not to look at either of them glanced up, concern written across her features.  
  
Eli bit her lip, feeling her eyes grow moist. “It’s fine. It’s really fine…” She trailed off, narrowly avoiding choking on her words. She managed a watery smile as Honoka reached out and gripped her hand. “I’m sorry. I just miss her so much. I know I shouldn’t after…what happened, but I do. I’m sorry.”  
  
Honoka shook her head, making a soft noise of disagreement. “We all miss Nozomi-chan, Eli-senpai. Even if we don’t want to. There’s nothing wrong with missing the person she was before…right, Umi-chan?”  
  
Umi looked up in surprise at being addressed. “I um…” She hesitated uncertainly for a moment. “I think so. You know Nozomi, Eli. She’s a good person really, I think she’s just made some bad choices recently…”  
  
“Bad choices?!” Eli echoed loudly, sitting up straighter. “She lied to me! She told me she loved me and she never really did! And you’re making it sound like it isn’t a big deal! And she attacked Kotori! How is that just a bad choice?!”  
  
“Umi-chan.” Even Honoka sounded slightly disapproving as she looked at Umi.   
  
Umi shrunk back slightly, overwhelmed by their opposition. She hadn’t meant anything by what she said but it was hard to imagine Nozomi, who had saved her life and taken care of her not long ago, as a bad person. “I-I’m sorry…” She looked down again, feeling guilty. “Maybe I should go…”  
  
“No!” Honoka exclaimed in alarm. She couldn’t let Umi just leave. Not when it was so clear that being alone seemed to upset her girlfriend. “Don’t go, Umi-chan. Look…we’ll just do something else, okay? We’ll finish the movie we were watching earlier. Eli-senpai, you want to stay and watch it too, right? We can have a sleepover, the three of us.”  
  
“Um…I guess, if that’s okay.” Eli answered awkwardly, glancing between Honoka and Umi. She hoped it wouldn’t be too odd for her to stay with the two of them. It already felt strange after what she’d done with Future Honoka. “I don’t want to intrude…”  
  
“Nonsense!” Honoka exclaimed brightly, clapping her hands together once as if she’d made up her mind about something. “You could never intrude! It’ll be fun, Eli-senpai!”  
  
Umi offered a nod of agreement. “Honoka is right, it’ll be nice to have a break from everything that’s been happening lately and spend time together like we used to.”  
  
Honoka bounced to her feet. “Yes! I’ll get snacks.”  
  
Umi looked up at her girlfriend. “Don’t get too much or you won’t be able to eat dinner, Honoka.”  
  
Honoka waved the concern off and left the room, leaving Eli and Umi together.   
  
A few minutes passed in silence and Eli watched with interest as Umi kept sneaking glances toward the door. “You can go with her if you want. You don’t have to worry about leaving me alone.”  
  
Umi blushed at being caught. It was hard to be separated from Honoka at the moment, even if it wasn’t by much. “I-I’m fine where I am.”  
  
Eli hummed under her breath and leaned back, using her hands on the floor to steady herself. “So is Honoka good…?” She suggestively nodded toward the bed.   
  
“W-What?” Umi stammered in surprise, her cheeks flushing red. “We haven’t even gone that far!”  
  
“Yeah but you…y’know. You were all flushed and breathless when I walked in so did you…I mean…”  
  
“Yes! Oh my god.” Umi felt like her face was on fire. “S-Shut up, why are you asking me all of these questions?!”  
  
Eli pouted at Umi’s response. “I need a distraction…”  
  
Umi took a deep breath. She supposed she could understand that. It wasn’t as though she could say she hadn’t don’t anything with Honoka either. They’d been caught red handed. “I…yes, she’s good. N-Not just good, she’s…great. Amazing. She’s rough sometimes but I um…I suppose I kind of like it.”  
  
“Rough…” Eli murmured thoughtfully, her thoughts inevitably shifting to the night she had spent with Future Honoka. Honoka had been rough then too though not in a bad way. Eli felt her face flush with shame. She couldn’t believe she had done that. Her offer for Future Honoka to sleep with her and think of her Kotori or Eli-senpai was enough to make her cringe.   
  
Honoka chose that moment to walk back into the room, her arms full of snacks. She dropped it all onto the table, quirking an eyebrow at her friend and girlfriend. “What were you two talking about? You’re both red…”  
  
She flexed her arm to ease the slight soreness from carrying everything she’d gathered from the fridge and cupboards.   
  
Eli almost choked at the sight of muscled biceps being flexed. “Y-You’ve been working out…”  
  
Honoka grinned at the praise and nodded her head. “Yeah! See…” She lifted her tank top to show Eli her slightly more muscled abdomen. She wasn’t like her future self but she was doing much better.  
  
“HONOKA!” Umi yelled, hurriedly reaching up to pull Honoka’s shirt back down. “P-Put your sweatshirt back on!”  
  
Eli lifted her hand to cover a laugh at their antics. Somehow being around them made her feel just a little bit lighter.

“Umi-chan, I was just showing her…”

“Sweatshirt, Honoka!” Umi berated, pushing Honoka to her discarded sweatshirt. She had already changed her own clothes but Honoka hadn’t bothered it seemed. She huffed in annoyance. “And you brought too many snacks! What did I tell you?”  
  
“You’re so mean, Umi-chan…” Honoka walked over to her sweatshirt, her shoulders slumped in defeat and pulled it on.   
  
Eli looked away as Honoka got dressed though she knew there wasn’t any particular reason to. She watched Umi instead, noticing that the second year couldn’t seem to tear her eyes away from Honoka. She almost teased her about the open staring but decided against it.   
  
“Come on, Umi-chan!” Honoka moved toward Umi who had just stood up from the floor and grabbed her hand, dragging her back to the bed. She collapsed down onto it, tugging a quietly giggling Umi down with her.   
  
Eli couldn’t help but smile as she watched the two situate themselves, arms automatically going around one another. It was both heartwarming and heart wrenching to watch. It was clear how happy Honoka made Umi. She used to have that with Nozomi. She used to be just as happy.   
  
She got to her feet and took a chair, sitting down awkwardly near the bed.   
  
Honoka turned to Eli with a frown. “What are you doing over there, Eli-senpai? You won’t be able to watch the movie if you’re so far away. Come over here.”  
  
Eli shook her head, her arms wrapped around herself. “I’m fine over here.”  
  
Honoka’s brow furrowed slightly in confusion. “Come on, we’re not going to bite, Eli-senpai. Just come and sit with us for a bit. Please?”  
  
Umi smiled fondly over at Eli. “You may as well just give in, Eli. She won’t stop until you get over here. Come on.”  
  
“Fine, but only to shut you both up…” Eli grumbled though she was nothing short of relieved to leave the chair. She moved onto the bed, taking the hand that Honoka offered her. She was expecting Honoka to wait until she was seated before letting go but instead the younger girl gave a hard tug, causing her to fall forward.   
  
Eli landed solidly against Honoka’s torso and felt arms go around her a moment later. “H-Honoka!”  
  
Honoka chuckled under her breath. “Just watch the movie, okay? You said you were lonely, didn’t you? Let us help. This is what I do with Umi-chan when she’s lonely…”  
  
Umi rolled her eyes at Honoka’s antics and crawled over the two of them to get to Eli’s other side. “Just watch the movie, Eli. She won’t shut up until you give in.” She slid her arm around Eli’s waist, trying not to blush. It felt strange to do this with anyone but Honoka.   
  
Eli grumbled under her breath for a moment but finally gave in. She had to admit that having the two of them close to her was comforting. It was certainly better than being alone. The three of them watched the movie in relative silence, aside from Honoka occasionally moving to fetch snacks. The movie was coming to an end when Eli felt Umi’s head fall to her shoulder. She glanced at the girl, finding she had fallen asleep. “Oh…”  
  
“Oh?” Honoka followed Eli’s gaze and smiled softly when she found Umi sleeping. She reached over Eli, brushing her fingers tenderly against Umi’s cheek. “Umi-chan is so cute like this…”  
  
Eli’s chest tightened at the look of pure adoration on Honoka’s face when she looked at Umi. “You love her a lot, huh?”  
  
Honoka tore her gaze away from Umi to meet pained blue eyes. “Of course I love her. She’s my Umi-chan.”  
  
Eli nodded slowly, as if she understood what Honoka was saying. She did in a sense though she wasn’t sure she had ever truly been able to call Nozomi hers. “I wish I could have what the two of you have. For real this time. I’m not sure…I’ll ever be able to love someone else now though.”  
  
Honoka was silent for a long moment, focused on gently brushing Umi’s hair back from her face. “I think I should hate Nozomi-chan.” She finally said, looking back to Eli. “Because of what she did to Kotori-chan but also because of what she did to you too. I don’t like to see you hurting, Eli-senpai. But I understand that you miss her. I…I miss Kotori-chan too.”  
  
With a sigh, she lay her head down on Eli’s other shoulder and tried not to think about what Kotori might be doing. She longed to see her but she knew there was no way she could. It didn’t seem like Kotori wanted her help. She reached for Eli’s hand and laced their fingers together, giving a gentle squeeze. Her eyes drooped shut after a few minutes and she drifted off to sleep.   
  
Eli swallowed thickly as she looked down at Honoka. She had taken advantage of her friend’s broken future self and she hated it. She should have known better. She looked down at the hand joined with her own, her eyes misting over with tears. She hadn’t let herself think it but she wanted what her future self had with Honoka. She wanted that closeness with her and now she might have messed everything up. “I’m sorry, Honoka.” She whispered regretfully. “I’m so sorry…”


	16. Chapter 16

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Second part of the double chapter post! Again feel free to tell me if I'm uploading too quickly and I'll slow down. 
> 
> Warning(s): Violence. Like a lot of violence.

It didn’t take much of an effort to find Eli. Nozomi knew where she was from what she had heard from Future Honoka but even if she hadn’t known all she had to do was focus on the ache in her chest and follow where that led her.   
  
It made her feel sick that she was responsible for that heartache. At least that was the way Eli and the others saw it. To them she was the one who’d hurt Eli and Kotori first. She’d broken up with Eli and thrown everything they’d had together away. The betrayal was hard to take too. Eli felt so betrayed by her actions. Nozomi was glad she didn’t have Maki’s power so she didn’t have to listen to what Eli was thinking about her.   
  
Now she was following close behind Eli. The fact that Eli seemed to be too distracted to notice her was both a relief and a concern. It meant she could get close but if Eli wasn’t careful other people could get close to her too. She followed silently, her own thoughts drifting. She missed her friends more than she could put into words, especially Eli. Often, when her thoughts strayed to them she would find herself using her powers to check on them but most of the time it wasn’t a good idea. It just made her miss them more.

Kotori was afraid, all of the time, even if she was trying to put up a brave front. She was lonely too, even with Maki there. Umi was the same. Her fear topped even Kotori’s, the only reprieve from it being the brief glimpses of happiness she experienced when she was with Honoka. Maki too, was afraid, but her fear seemed to be internalized. She was afraid of herself but Nozomi wasn’t sure why. She wished she could ask but Maki seemed to be furious with her. Every time Kotori got upset, Maki seemed to feel a burning hatred toward her. Nozomi hoped it wasn’t the case that Maki really did hate her. 

Honoka was trying to remain optimistic but Nozomi could feel she was frustrated about the whole situation and worried about her friends. It was a bit harder to read Hanayo and Rin for some reason. All she could feel from Hanayo was a sickening guilt. She had to assume it was because of the guard she’d killed. Rin on the other hand was angry with Future Honoka and worried about Hanayo.   
  
All she felt from Nico was anger and helplessness. It frustrated the other third year that she couldn’t help the others. Nozomi understood that quite well.   
  
The shop Honoka’s mother owned was closed for a change, leading Nozomi to think that the adult was out. As Eli neared the door Nozomi picked up her pace. As the door swung open and Eli finally seemed to notice someone was following her, Nozomi grabbed her arm and pushed her further into the shop.

Eli let out a surprised yell as she was spun around but Nozomi quickly pressed her against the wall and covered her mouth with her hand to silence her.   
  
“Be quiet.” Nozomi warned, her voice a hushed whisper as she held Eli firmly against the wall. She wasn’t exactly gentle. She knew that given the chance Eli could easily turn the tables on her and have her pinned against the wall instead. She noticed the fear in Eli’s eyes and quickly continued. “I’m not going to hurt you, Elichi.” She heard Eli mumble something against her hand but couldn’t work out what it was. “I’m going to take my hand away. Don’t yell, alright?” She waited until Eli gave a barely there nod before she removed her hand.   
  
“I said what the hell do you think you’re doing.” Eli said, her voice sharp but quiet at the same time. “What are you doing here?!”  
  
“I needed to see you.” Nozomi replied softly, her voice trembling. It was scary, to stare down an angry Eli. Especially when it was her Eli  was angry with. “I needed to talk to you before I…”  
  
“Before you  _what_?!” Eli’s eyes narrowed as Nozomi trailed off. “What do you plan on doing now? Going after Kotori again? If you know what’s good for you, you’ll stay away from her. Maki won’t let you hurt her anyway.”  
  
“I would NEVER!” Nozomi’s voice rose slightly at the accusation. “I would never hurt Kotori-chan. I would die before I lay a hand on any of you.” She blinked back tears as Eli scoffed in disbelief. “Look, Elichi…I didn’t come here to fight. I just came to…to say goodbye while I have the chance.”  
  
“Goodbye?” For a brief moment the anger on Eli’s face melted away, replaced with utter panic. It was gone again as quickly as it had appeared. “Where are you going?”  
  
“Maybe away. Maybe for good.” Nozomi could only imagine what she was going to walk into with Future Honoka. Anju and the other two A-Rise members had killed all nine of them in the future. There was nothing to say she wouldn’t do the same that night to her and Honoka. “I need to tell you some things b-before I go, Elichi…”  
  
Eli’s lower lip trembled but she didn’t answer.   
  
Nozomi took a deep breath. There was so much she needed to say. “If I go, you…you have to look after them, alright? Even Nicocchi and Maki-chan. Ask Umi-chan what’s wrong. She needs help even if she won’t admit it. And don’t let Honoka-chan’s optimism fool you. She’s hurting just as much as anyone else.” She briefly bit her lower lip, her eyes prickling with tears. “Keep her future self alive. Don’t let her give up even if she tells you over and over that she wants to. She doesn’t have any hope, Elichi. She’s so lost that she just wants to die. But…she loves you more than you can imagine. If anyone can keep her alive it’s you.”  
  
Eli’s eyes were awash with tears too, her jaw clenched tightly. “Why are you telling me all of this? Why…?”  
  
“I’m not done.” Nozomi interrupted. Her words were thick with emotion. “Rin-chan and Hanayo-chan are fine with each other. Just make sure you keep an eye on them. With Rin-chan…don’t let appearances fool you. She doesn’t always have bruises because she gets into fights. And Nicocchi…she isn’t always as angry as she likes people to think. She needs help sometimes too. The same goes for Maki-chan. She’s not a bad person. She needs to know that. Nothing about her is bad, even her power.” She took a shuddering breath. “K-Kotori-chan…just make sure she knows I’m sorry. I’m so, so sorry that she’s afraid of me. If I could take it away I would. I would take it all back. I don’t want you to blame yourselves when you find out the truth about what happened. It’s not your fault, Elichi. And most importantly…”  
  
Eli held her breath as Nozomi seemed to falter, bowing her head and sniffling softly.   
  
After a moment Nozomi lifted her head, determination glinting in her teary eyes. “I love you, Elichi. More than you’ll ever know. I know I’ll never stop loving you even if you don’t think I do.”  
  
Eli whimpered softly, barely managing to choke back a sob. The anger was back again, burning in her blue eyes. It wasn’t fair that Nozomi was filling her head with lies again. “If you don’t stop lying and get off me I swear I’ll set myself on fire to get you off!”  
  
“So go ahead and do it.” Nozomi smiled sadly at Eli and drew a single tarot card from her sleeve. She let go of Eli and pressed the card gently into her hand. “I love you, Ayase Eli. Don’t forget what I said. None of this is your fault.”  
  
She longed to kiss her, mindful that it might be the last time but she didn’t. She didn’t want to tarnish their final kiss by having Eli slap her for it. Instead she let go and left the shop as quickly as she could.   
  
“Wait, where…?” Eli trailed off as the door shut behind Nozomi. She glanced down at the card in her hand and shakily turned over. It showed a man, suspended, upside down. “The hanged man…” her grip on the card tightened, the tears that had lingered in her eyes finally spilling down her cheeks. She didn’t know why but with Nozomi’s parting words she felt like she had lost her for good. Nozomi had been speaking like they would never see each other again. “Nozomi…oh god…”   
  
She slid down the wall to the floor, holding the crumpled up tarot card close to her chest. She really had lost her it seemed. She buried her face in her knees and sobbed softly, feeling the tarot tearing in her grip.   
  
“Eli-senpai?” Honoka inched open the door, wary of the soft crying she could hear. She sought out Eli, finally finding her on the floor near the entrance to the shop. “Eli-senpai!” She hurried toward her, crouching down at her side. “W-What happened? Are you hurt?”  
  
Eli shook her head and looked up at Honoka, her eyes red-rimmed. “I’ve lost Nozomi, Honoka. I’ve…I’ve really lost her.”  
  
Honoka’s brow furrowed in concern at Eli’s answer. She didn’t know what to say to that without making Eli feel worse. It was the truth, that Eli had lost Nozomi. They all had in some way. She drew the older girl into a tight embrace and felt Eli returned it readily, her face pressing into her chest.   
  
Eli shuddered as Honoka gently rubbed her back to soothe her. It was meant to be reassuring but if anything it only reminded her of her night with Future Honoka. Still, she pressed herself closer, unable to help herself. Honoka was too warm to shy away from.   
  
“It’s okay.” Honoka held Eli tighter, her hand moving to the back of the blonde’s head. It was strange to see Eli so upset. She didn’t like it at all. “I’m right here.”  
  
She turned her head, her lips finding Eli’s temple and she pressed a lingering kiss there, hoping it would calm her. She didn’t know what else to do.   
  
“Hono-” Umi stopped abruptly as she took in the sight before her, her stomach sinking. “Oh. I-I’m sorry, I…” She shook her head, trying to ignore the jealousy bubbling up in her gut. “Is she okay? What happened?”

Honoka looked up, shrugging her shoulders. “I-I don’t know. Something with Nozomi-chan, I think…”

“Nozomi?” Umi stared at Eli, noticing the crumpled up tarot card in the hand that was clutching Honoka’s shirt. The jealousy returned again and she looked away. “Take her upstairs. I’ll make her some tea.”  
  
She heard Honoka move and urge Eli to stand up but she didn’t look back to the two of them until they moved past her. She watched them make their way up the stairs, Honoka’s hand on Eli’s lower back to support her.   
  
As quickly as she could she hurried to the kitchen to prepare the tea. She didn’t know what was wrong with her. It was petty to feel jealous of Eli. Honoka was only comforting her. She sighed heavily and rubbed her head. It had started hurting not long ago. She could only hope she wasn’t about to have another episode.   
  
Her phone vibrated in her pocket and she pulled it out, narrowing her eyes at the screen. Kotori. She answered quickly, lifting the phone to her ear. “Hello?”  
  
“Umi-chan!” Kotori’s relieved voice sounded through the phone and the ache in Umi’s head faded quickly. “How are you?”  
  
“How am I?” Umi echoed wearily, leaning back against the counter behind her. “Fine, I guess. What about you? We haven’t seen you in a few days.”  
  
“I’m fine. Maki-chan is looking out for me.” Kotori answered quietly, almost as if she was trying to keep the girl in question from hearing her.   
  
Umi gave a gentle hum in response. “Honoka feels bad that she can’t be with you right now. We both do. We should be the ones looking out for you.”  
  
There was dead silence on the other end of the line for a moment. “Y-You both have a lot of other things to worry about right now. Umi-chan, have you told Honoka about what’s happening with your memories yet?”  
  
Umi froze at the question, the phone almost slipping from her grip. “N-No!” She hissed, looking around to make sure Honoka wasn’t nearby. “And I’m not going to! You know what knowing will do to her. She’ll panic!”  
  
“She should panic!” Kotori exclaimed, her voice strained. “Umi-chan, this is serious! Maki-chan says you should tell Honoka what’s going on, that…”  
  
“Maki?!” Umi cut in, her eyes widening. “Maki knows?! You told her?”  
  
Kotori was silent again, apparently mulling over her answer. “I’m afraid for you, Umi-chan. I don’t want you to lose yourself. If you just let Maki-chan help you, she can…”  
  
“NO!” Umi’s voice was loud, echoing around the kitchen. It was enough to silence Kotori. “I don’t know how many times I have to tell her, I’m not letting her in my head. I’m not letting anyone in there again.”  
  
“Umi-chan, I know you’re afraid but Maki-chan won’t hurt you. She really won’t, I promise. I know…”  
  
“You don’t know  _anything_ , Kotori!” Umi had quietened a bit but her voice was still harsh. Frustrated tears brimmed in her eyes. “You don’t know what it’s like to have your memories torn away from you one by one. I can’t remember first meeting my girlfriend. I can’t remember meeting my best friend or our first day at school! All I remember from then is training, my mother yelling at me…do you know how  _that_  feels?”  
  
“U-Umi-chan, you’re scaring me…”  
  
The tremble in Kotori’s voice was enough to make Umi soften her tone. “I-I’m losing everything, Kotori. My memories…Honoka. Whenever I’m apart from her I feel more memories slipping away. Soon I’ll just be an empty shell, a trained killing machine. I won’t be the Umi she loves anymore. I’m scared too. I’m so, so scared…”  
  
She heard Kotori’s breathing growing heavy, the occasional whimper letting her know that Kotori was crying, probably covering her mouth with her hand to silence herself. She couldn’t say anything, she just stood there listening.   
  
“Sonoda-san?”  
  
Umi’s gaze flitted across the room to the doorway. A younger girl with blonde hair stood there, her hand on the doorframe. “I-I have to go, Kotori.” She hung up the phone and quickly brushed away the tears in her eyes. “Arisa! W-What are you doing here?”  
  
“I sensed y…” Arisa’s eyes widened in alarm at the accidental slip. “I mean I was getting a glass of water!”  
  
Umi smiled sadly at the younger girl. It made sense that she would have an ability too. She was Eli’s sister after all. “What’s your ability?” She watched as Arisa fidgeted uncomfortably. “Don’t worry, I have one too. If you tell me what yours is I’ll tell you what mine is.”  
  
Arisa bit her lip and glanced up at Umi. “I can…kind of sense people. Like if I want to I can always find someone.”  
  
“Oh…” Umi took a moment to think about that. At least it was a passive power. Hopefully Arisa’s wouldn’t have to suffer through side-effects like Eli did with her power. Arisa inched closer to her, looking up at her with curious eyes and Umi knew immediately what she wanted to know. “I’m hyperkinetic. It means I’m good at physical things like fighting or throwing things. And I have good reflexes.”  
  
“Hmm?” Arisa curiously tilted her head, confused by what Umi was saying. “What do you mean?”  
  
“Um…” Umi looked around for something to use as an example. Spotting a bowl of fruit, she reached over and picked up an apple. “Here.” She handed the fruit to Arisa and stepped back. “Throw this at me as hard as you can, okay?”  
  
“What?” Arisa looked between the apple in her hand and Umi’s face. “I don’t want to hurt you, Sonoda-san…” She supposed she wouldn’t be able to throw it very hard anyway. She wasn’t strong like Eli.   
  
“You won’t. Trust me.” Umi gestured for Arisa to throw the apple at her. “Come on, throw it right at me.”  
  
“A-Alright.” Arisa reared back her arm and as hard as she could, threw the apple toward Umi’s face. Her eyes widened when Umi reached up and caught the apple without blinking an eye. “W-Wow!”  
  
Umi grinned at the awed look on Arisa’s face. “Too easy. Here.” She stepped forward, placing the apple on the counter. “Want to see something even cooler?”  
  
Arisa nodded hurriedly in response, her eyes bright with anticipation. “Yes!”  
  
Umi smiled back easily, distracted from her troubles for the moment. “Alright.” She wandered away, drawing a knife from a drawer before she returned to Arisa. “Be careful not to cut yourself, okay? Throw it right at me, just like you did with the apple…”  
  
Arisa looked sceptical. “Are you sure? Onee-chan is upstairs, she might get angry with you…”  
  
“I won’t tell her if you don’t. It’ll be fine.” Umi stepped back to her previous position. “Keep your wrist straight and step forward when you throw it to make sure it gets to me. Okay, go ahead.”  
  
Arisa was still unsure but she did as Umi had instructed, drawing the knife back at an angle and stepping forward as she threw it. It flew through the air toward Umi’s face. Again, the dark haired girl didn’t flinch. She just caught the knife by the tip of the blade as if it were nothing.   
  
“A-Amazing!” Arisa exclaimed, her hands clasped together. “You’re so cool, Sonoda-san!”  
  
Umi laughed and placed the knife down next to the apple. “It’s just my ability, Arisa. It’s not me.”  
  
Arisa shook her head in disagreement. “Your power is cool but you’re way cooler!”  
  
Umi felt her cheeks warm at the praise but merely shook her head in amusement. Her expression turned serious after a few seconds. “Does anyone know about your…ability? Does Eli?”  
  
Arisa nodded grimly. “Just Onee-chan and Yukiho-chan. Onee-chan says we should keep it to ourselves. That it’s safer that way.”  
  
Eli had a very good point about that. It was a lot safer to keep their abilities a secret. “Eli is right. I won’t tell anyone, don’t worry.”  
  
Arisa barely managed a smile, one arm crossing over her torso to rub her other arm. She suddenly looked downcast, Umi noticed with interest. Before she could ask what was wrong, Arisa spoke up herself. “I don’t really understand what’s going on. Onee-chan won’t tell me what’s going on and she’s been acting odd lately. She won’t let me do anything on my own and she panics when I go out without telling her….I don’t even know why we’re here. She won’t tell me what’s happening! Nobody will! I don’t know why Onee-chan looks so sad all of the time, why we have to stay here, why Honoka-san won’t look at me. I-I don’t know where our parents are or why Nozomi-san isn’t here anymore…”  
  
Umi frowned at Arisa. She didn’t know how she was supposed to answer all of those questions. “Sometimes keeping secrets is for the best, Arisa.”  
  
“Why would you keep secrets from the people you love? It’s not fair! It just ends up hurting them, doesn’t it?” Arisa was pleading for Umi to understand what she was saying. “Onee-chan never tells me the truth, she thinks I’m just a little kid. I don’t know why she brought me with her when she left. She doesn’t care enough to stay with me, she just…”  
  
“Hey!” Umi’s voice was firm this time as she stepped forward. “Eli loves you more than anything. Everything she’s doing is so she can protect you, Arisa. The secrets she’s keeping from you, she’s keeping to protect your innocence. She just doesn’t want to hurt you.”  
  
“But she is hurting me!” Arisa argued, moisture gathering in her eyes. “She just doesn’t pay enough attention to know that. She never asks me how my day is anymore, she just wants to know whether I’ve been ‘safe’. I want my family back, I-I want Onee-chan…”  
  
“I know.” Umi swallowed thickly against the lump in her throat. It didn’t seem like Eli was in any fit state to take care of Arisa emotionally at the moment. “I’m sorry, Arisa. It’s too complicated to even begin…”  
  
“That’s what Onee-chan keeps saying!” Arisa’s shoulders slumped in defeat. She wouldn’t be getting any answers from Umi, it seemed.   
  
Umi sighed heavily. It wasn’t that she didn’t want to help, she just couldn’t. If she revealed more than she was meant to Eli would be furious. “Look…do you want to do something? We could hang out. Um…we could watch something.”  
  
“I want to go outside.”  
  
“What? Come on, you know you can’t do that.” Umi felt bad for Arisa but she couldn’t go against Eli’s wishes.   
  
Arisa huffed under her breath. It wasn’t fair that Eli demanded that she come straight back after school. She was never allowed out anymore. “Sonoda-san will be with me.”  
  
“Arisa…” Umi glanced undecidedly toward the stairs. She didn’t know if she could risk being that far from Honoka. “F-Fine, but just for a few minutes. Yukiho will be worried about you, you know.”  
  
Arisa smiled brightly at the answer and grabbed Umi’s hand. “Let’s go then, Sonoda-san.”  
  
Umi felt calmed by the grip on her hand. She could do this. Honoka wouldn’t be all that far from her. “Umi. Just call me Umi.”  
  
“U-Umi-san then.” Arisa said, her cheeks reddening. She didn’t say anything else as she tugged Umi out toward the entrance.   
  
—-  
  
Maki took a shuddering breath as she listened to Kotori dissolve into quiet sobs. She had heard everything Kotori had said to Umi and could only imagine what Umi had said back. She clenched her jaw, her grip on the grocery bags in her arms tightening as she continued to listening. After barely a minute she couldn’t take it anymore and carefully unlocked the door, letting herself into the apartment.   
  
Kotori didn’t even seem to notice her presence. She was still clutching the phone tightly to her ear. Maki placed the bags down on the floor and moved toward the older girl, carefully taking the phone from her. There was nobody on the other line.   
  
“She’s gone.” Maki slipped past Kotori and sat down on the couch next to her, taking her hand. She couldn’t have been more surprised when Kotori flung herself forward, embracing her desperately. This was certainly new. Kotori never hugged her out of the blue. She always asked for permission first, she was always tentative and conserved. “K-Koto-nee?”  
  
Kotori only continued to sob into Maki’s chest, unable to explain herself.   
  
Maki was still for a long moment before she snapped out of her shock and wrapped her arms around Kotori in return. She soothingly rubbed her back, trying to calm her down.

“ _UMI-CHAN IS AN IDIOT! A STUBBORN IDIOT!_ ” Maki flinched as Kotori’s words reached her but they weren’t said out loud, they were communicated telepathically. “I thought Honoka-chan was stubborn but Umi-chan…”  
  
Maki didn’t respond, neither verbally or mentally but she did embrace Kotori tighter, struggling to calm her. She knew there was nothing she could say or do to help though. It was frustrating. She brushed her fingers through Kotori’s hair, vaguely feeling tears soak into the beige dress she was wearing.   
  
“I-I have to tell Honoka-chan…”  
  
Kotori’s words were spoken outright this time and Maki tensed as the suggestion. “What? No, you can’t do that! Koto-nee, if you tell Honoka, Umi would never forgive you. She doesn’t want her to know.”  
  
Kotori emphatically shook her head. “If I don’t tell Honoka Umi will never have a chance to forgive me because she won’t  _be_  Umi-chan anymore!”  
  
“Wait, what?!” Maki exclaimed in confused panic. “I thought it was just her childhood memories she was losing. Koto-nee, tell me exactly what Umi told you!”  
  
“S-She’s not just losing her childhood memories, Maki. She’s losing all of her memories.” Kotori’s tears returned and she pressed her face into Maki’s chest again. She couldn’t keep this a secret any longer. If she couldn’t help her, maybe it would be better just to tell Honoka. Maybe she could get through to her.   
  
Maki was silent as she took in the information. She could only imagine the kind of power it would take to gradually take someone’s memories.   
  
“Umi-chan said she’d become a shell of herself…” Kotori’s fingers grasped the back of Maki’s dress tightly. “I don’t know what to do, Maki-chan. She’s so scared and I don’t know how to help her!”  
  
Maki felt her own eyes sting with moisture. “She needs to stop being so stubborn and let me help her. There’s no other way.”   
  
“She won’t.” Kotori looked up at Maki. “She won’t let anyone into her mind after what happened. Unless…maybe if Honoka-chan spoke to her…”  
  
“I could at least try to talk to her again.” Maki pointed out. “Even if Honoka gets through to her there’s nothing she can do to help. Only I can help with this, you know that.”  
  
“You heard what Umi-chan said though. She doesn’t feel like herself. I-I don’t want you to get hurt, Maki-chan. Umi-chan will only listen to Honoka-chan…” Kotori lay her head on Maki’s chest, listening to the gentle beat of her heart. “I don’t want to lose either of them. Or you.”  
  
“You won’t.” Maki promised softly, situating herself back on the couch. She felt Kotori adjust her position to stay close to her too. “You won’t lose any of us if I can help it…”  
  
Kotori hummed gently in response and closed her eyes, focusing on the feeling of Maki running her fingers through her hair, of her toying with the ribbon that held a portion of her hair up. Suddenly it loosened and she felt Maki tense beneath her.  
  
“I-I’m sorry, I pulled your ribbon out.”  
  
Kotori looked up to find Maki holding the ribbon in her hand. Her vision was obscured suddenly as her hair fell into her face. Before she could brush it back, Maki’s fingers were pushing it behind her ears.   
  
“You used to wear your hair like this when we were younger.” Maki said softly, remembering the simpler time. She had been happier back then, when it had just been her and Kotori. She loved all of her friends but everything was so much more complicated now.   
  
“Yeah…I remember.” Kotori lay back down, a gentle sigh passing her lips. Everything had been a lot easier back then.

—–  
  
Honoka gently rubbed Eli’s back, her gaze fixed on the far wall. Eli had long since quietened down but she was still breathing heavily against her shoulder, an effect of her tears from a few minutes ago. Honoka had asked a couple of times what had happened but she had been ignored each time. Eli clearly didn’t want to talk about it.   
  
A few more minutes of silence passed until Honoka realized something. “Umi-chan didn’t come back with the tea!”  
  
“What?” Eli looked up at Honoka, her brow furrowed slightly in confusion. She hadn’t even noticed that Umi hadn’t come back. “Tea?”  
  
“Umi-chan said she would be coming back with some tea.” Honoka said anxiously, her gaze fixed on the door to her room. Umi didn’t walk through it like Honoka hoped she would. She couldn’t help but worry. It seemed the two were hardly ever apart anymore. After the incident with Umi’s mother, Umi tended to get nervous when she was alone for long periods of time. Honoka figured she was afraid after the attack. “She should have been back by now.”  
  
Eli frowned at Honoka’s evident distraction. “Honoka.” She gently tugged the front of Honoka’s shirt to get her attention back. “She’s probably just doing something else.”  
  
“I don’t like being away from Umi-chan…” Honoka muttered worriedly, her eyes still fixed to the door. It wasn’t just Umi who was afraid of being alone. Honoka was terrified something else would happen to her girlfriend. The image of Umi’s limp and bleeding body was something that would haunt her for a long time. “Maybe I should go and see where she is…”  
  
Eli gripped the front of Honoka’s shirt harder. “You’re going to leave?” She asked fearfully. “Please don’t go. I don’t want to be alone, Honoka…”  
  
She was alone. Truly alone now that Nozomi was gone, maybe for good. The two of them had always been together, ever since Nozomi had helped her to open up. She couldn’t imagine going back to the way things had been before.   
  
The tremor in Eli’s voice caught Honoka’s attention and she finally drew her attention away from the door to focus on the blonde. For a moment she felt torn between her worry for Umi and her desire to help Eli the way the older girl had helped her so many times in the past. “F-Fine.” She hurriedly drew her phone from her pocket, typing out a quick text to Umi. When she was done she wrapped her arms around Eli and pulled her firmly close. It was unnerving to see the blonde so shaken. “I’m not going anywhere.”  
  
Eli breathed a sigh of relief and rested her head against Honoka’s shoulder. With Nozomi gone it felt like Honoka was the only person she really had left. The only person she could think of herself as being close enough to be able to go to with something like this.   
  
She almost felt jealous of her future self. The bond Future Eli had shared with Future Honoka was obviously a strong one. Stronger than Eli could comprehend, it seemed, from the reverent way Honoka talked about her version of her. Eli wondered if she would ever be that close to her Honoka. She hoped so though she didn’t want the trigger for their close friendship to be the death of her sister. She wouldn’t allow it this time.  
  
Honoka’s phone vibrated and the second year quickly picked it up, opening the text she’d received. She couldn’t help but smile at the text she’d received from Umi - ‘I went out with Arisa for a bit. Don’t tell Eli’.   
  
Eli sniffled softly as she looked up at Honoka’s face. “What are you smiling about?”  
  
“Noth…” Honoka trailed off as she received another incoming text.   
  
‘ _I love you_ ’, coupled with a blushing emoji.   
  
Honoka felt her chest tighten pleasantly at the sentiment and her cheeks hurt from the smile on her face but she couldn’t stop.   
  
“Honoka!” Eli snatched the phone from Honoka and looked down reading the text. As Honoka tried to grab the phone back, she used one arm to stop her.   
  
Eli chuckled under her breath despite the fact that tears were still drying on her cheeks. “You two are so cheesy. Wait until I see Umi, this is great teasing material…”  
  
“Eli-senpai!” Honoke finally managed to snatch the phone back but only because Eli let her. She yelped as her sudden movement threw her off balance and she fell forward on Eli, knocking her back onto the bed. Her forehead collided with Eli’s and she grumbled under her breath. “Ow…ah, I-I’m sorry, Eli-senpai!”  
  
Eli couldn’t help but think of her encounter with Future Honoka again. It seemed whenever she was close to Honoka she seemed to think about that. Thinking about what happened that night made her feel nothing but guilty. She supposed it wasn’t because she was with Nozomi - she hadn’t been at the time, of course, and she still wasn’t - but because she had taken advantage of Honoka’s broken future self. She should have been a better friend. By taking advantage of Future Honoka she had let Honoka down. She held her breath for a moment before noticing Honoka was typing out a reply to Umi, apparently too distracted by that to even move off her.   
  
“You really love her, don’t you?” Eli asked, both amused and saddened at the same time. She used to have someone she loved just as much. She still felt that way, even if she shouldn’t. She couldn’t help but feel jealous. “You’re on top of another girl and you still can’t do anything but think about Umi.”  
  
“Ah! S-Sorry, I’m not very good at comforting people. I get so distracted…” Honoka said apologetically, looking down at Eli.   
  
“You really are hopeless, Honoka.” Eli sighed and pulled Honoka back down, embracing her tightly. Somehow Honoka’s warmth next to her made her feel just a little bit less alone than she really was.   
  
Honoka laughed softly as Eli’s arms went around her waist. “Eli-senpai can be so childish sometimes…”  
  
The teasing tone reminded Eli of Nozomi, of how her girlfriend used to tease her when she acted especially ‘spoiled’ as Nozomi always said. Her eyes prickled but she stubbornly blinked, keeping the moisture that threatened to fill them at bay.   
  
“Eli-senpai?” Honoka pulled back slightly to look at Eli when she didn’t get an answer. “I’m…sorry about Nozomi-chan.”  
  
Eli wasn’t sure what she was meant to say to that so she merely gave a nod in response. She wished she could stop thinking about Nozomi but she couldn’t. The only time she’d been able to was when she’d been with Future Honoka. Even then Nozomi had hardly left her mind.   
  
Her gaze dropped to Honoka’s shimmering lips and her stomach churned with guilt as she remembered what she had done. She found herself wondering whether her Honoka would be the same as Future Honoka. Probably not. She imagined her Honoka was a lot more uncertain and careful.   
  
As guilty as it made her feel she couldn’t help but wonder about her Honoka. Aside from Nozomi, Future Honoka was the only other person she had slept with. It only made sense for her to wonder about her Honoka.   
  
“Eli-senpai?” Honoka asked in concern, shifting her position. She ended up pressing closer to Eli, drawing a blush to her cheeks. “Are you okay? You seem…distracted.”  
  
“Ah…” Eli looked away quickly, embarrassed and wracked with guilt. She shouldn’t be thinking about Honoka like that. She knew it was just because of Future Honoka and how she made her feel. She was lonely, and she wanted to believe that Honoka could love her just as much as Future Honoka loved her Eli, that was all. She just wanted to feel wanted. “I’m sorry…”  
  
“What for?” Honoka asked obliviously, tilting her head to the side. The way she did caused her bangs to fall into her face and Eli felt her breath catch. For a moment Honoka had looked like her future self. “You didn’t…” Honoka was cut off by her phone ringing and quickly grabbed for it. “Umi-chan!” She scooted off Eli quickly, focusing on the call. “Are you coming back? Why are you…”  
  
Eli watched as Honoka’s cheeks reddened and the girl seemed to beam at nothing in particular.   
  
“I-I’m glad you did. I wanted to hear your voice too….”

Eli let out an annoyed growl and grabbed a pillow, hitting Honoka in the head with it. “You two are lovesick idiots. Get a room!”  
  
—-  
  
Future Honoka stared at the lighter in her hand, passing her thumb back and forth through the flame. It reminded her of her Maki, of how many times she’d had to confiscate lighters from her in the future to keep her from smoking. The burn of the flame on the pad of her thumb when she passed it through was strangely comforting too. It was almost like her Eli was there with her.   
  
“Interesting place to meet up.” Nozomi’s voice echoed across the area, causing Honoka to look up abruptly. “You really have a thing about the school roof, huh?”  
  
“It’s quiet. There’s nobody around to hear us because there’s no school today.” Honoka flicked the lighter closed as she eyed Nozomi. “You went to her, didn’t you?”  
  
Nozomi sighed at the question and crossed her arms in front of her chest. “Of course I did. You said we might die, what else was I meant to do? I couldn’t leave things unsaid.”  
  
“You’ll only worry her.” Honoka pointed up, slowly getting to her feet. She stretched, sore from having been sitting on the ground for the past hour or so. “I hope you weren’t too obvious about what you were doing.”  
  
Nozomi gave a shrug of her shoulders as she stepped closer to the edge of the roof. She had been as subtle as she could be but it seemed that Eli knew that something was wrong. “I told her I was leaving so if…if anything happens to me you can just pretend I left. It’s not like anyone will notice I’m gone anyway.”  
  
“Don’t be an idiot. I’m not going to let anything happen to you.” Future Honoka said with a roll of her eyes. “Don’t think like that, alright? We’re going to fix this and you’re going to get Eli back. You’ll get everyone back.”  
  
Nozomi crossed her arms in front of her chest. It unnerved her that she couldn’t be sure of that. “Are you sure?”  
  
Honoka smiled sadly at the uncertain question. “I’m sure, Nozomi. I’ll get them back for you. I promise.” She stepped closer to Nozomi, her arm going around the girl’s waist. “We can do this. We’re partners, right?”  
  
“Partners…yeah.” Nozomi whispered, glancing up at Future Honoka’s face. “Senpai, I…”  
  
“I knew someone was following me the other day.” A new voice interrupted Nozomi, causing the two to spin around quickly.   
  
Anju grinned as she managed to get their attention. “Sorry to interrupt your date. I figured that you’re so intent on following me, I may as well come right to you.”  
  


Erena, who was standing in the shadows, rolled her eyes. It was so like Anju to make such a show of everything.   
  
Honoka froze for a moment at the sight of the two, the memory of them cutting down her friends one by one inevitably overwhelming her. Feeling Nozomi inch closer to her spurred her into action and she moved in front of the younger girl, drawing the gun she’d brought from her belt.   
  
“Stay behind me.” She ordered Nozomi, pointing the gun at Anju who’d hurriedly gone for her own gun. Her own hands trembled and she struggled to keep the gun steady.   
  
Erena sighed and lifted her hand, using her power to expand the shadows around her. The light around her disappeared, creating a dark void.   
  
Nozomi inhaled sharply at the force of Honoka’s fear. It was unlike anything she had ever felt before. There was no doubt that Honoka was terrified of the two people in front of them. She gripped the back of Honoka’s shirt, both for Honoka’s comfort and her own. “Senpai…”  
  
Honoka’s heart thudded urgently against her chest, her breathing ragged as she stared Anju down. She adjusted her grip on the gun, feeling her hands growing clammy. She flinched as Anju shifted her weight. “S-Stay where you fucking are or I swear to god I’ll shoot you!”  
  
Anju smirked at Honoka’s threat and shifted her weight again, seemingly unfazed. “Erena, you handle the future breach. I’ll take care of the empath.” She closed her eyes, focusing her power.  
  
Honoka gasped as Anju’s features distorted in front of her eyes. She didn’t dare blink as she watched the A-rise member change form until an all too familiar blonde was standing in front of her, pointing the gun at her.   
  
“Elichi…” Nozomi murmured, leaning forward slightly as if to walk past Honoka.   
  
 _Honoka couldn’t describe the helplessness she felt as she watched ‘Eli’ approach Nozomi who was focused on keeping Erena down. On making her suffer as much as she could.  
_ _  
“Nozomi, stop.” Anju whispered, her voice coming out as Eli’s. It was eerie, how much she looked and sounded like Eli. Honoka wasn’t sure even she would know the difference._ _  
_

_  
Nozomi seemed to freeze at the sound of the familiar voice, her attention straying from Erena. “E-Elichi?” She turned her attention to ‘Eli’, gasping at the sight of her. Fresh tears surfaced and she threw herself into her, embracing her tightly. “I thought…I thought…”  
  
_ Honoka growled angrily and pushed Nozomi back. “How dare you!” She hissed furiously, trembling with both anger and fear now. She closed her hand around the cross hanging around her neck. “How fucking dare you use that face!”  
  
Honoka’s anger only seemed to amuse Anju and she chuckled under her breath, lowering her gun slightly. “Did I hit a nerve, Ho-no-ka? What’s wrong? You’re angry I’m using your best friend’s face against you? Or…I guess your dead best friend’s face, right?” 

  
Honoka felt her face flush with anger and she threw her gun recklessly to the side as she rushed toward Anju. Her fist clenched and she threw a punch, only for Anju to duck to the side, avoiding it. She staggered because of the weight she’d put behind the punch she’d thrown and felt Anju’s elbow collide with her back, sending her sprawling to the ground.   
  
She flipped onto her back, her breath catching in her throat when she found herself staring down the barrel of a gun.   
  
“Looks like the end of the line.” Anju smirked, her finger tightening on the trigger.   
  
Honoka closed her eyes, preparing herself for whatever would follow. She didn’t know whether it would hurt or not but she couldn’t really bring herself to care. All that mattered was that she would be with the others again. Finally. She couldn’t help but think of Nozomi though, and what would come of her if she left her.   
  
“HONOKA!” Nozomi’s voice echoed across the roof as she dashed forward only to find herself stopped by dark shadow like binds going around her. She looked down, noticing that the binds were actually shadows, coming up from the ground. “No…NO!”  
  
Anju looked up at the disturbance, vaguely amused upon finding the distressed look on Nozomi’s face. The moment of distraction gave Honoka the opportunity to kick her hand, forcing the gun to the side. It went off, the shot hitting right next to Honoka’s head.   
  
“HONOKA!!”  
  
The terrified scream from Nozomi was enough to force Future Honoka to leap to her feet and throw herself toward Anju, tackling her to the ground.   
  
“I’ll kill you, I’ll fucking  _kill_  you!” Honoka growled angrily, swinging her fist toward Anju’s face. She tried not to look at her too much, unable to stomach the idea of hitting Eli.   
  
Nozomi breathed a sigh of relief as Honoka got up from the floor. At least she hadn’t been shot like she feared. She was still worried though. She could feel how much it hurt Honoka to be fighting against Eli, even if it wasn’t really her. She would have felt the same, she was sure. She struggled against the shadows that seemed to bind her. It didn’t make sense, that Erena could use the shadows physically.   
  
“Let me go, damn it!” Nozomi kept her eyes on Honoka who seemed to be determined to hinder herself as much as possible. She didn’t even have her eyes open now. “HONOKA?!”  
  
Erena huffed out a sigh as she moved closer to Nozomi. “Shut up! Are you trying to get yourself killed? If you go over there Anju will kill you!”  
  
“I don’t CARE!” Nozomi struggled relentlessly against her binds. “Just get OFF of me! I’d rather die than let that bitch hurt Honoka.”  
  
Erena raised an eyebrow in response. Nozomi seemed nothing short of hysterical. She heard a thud and glanced over her shoulder, finding that Future Honoka had managed to blindly punch Anju in the face. “Insane. You’re both crazy!”  
  
Nozomi focused as hard as she could, narrowing her eyes at Erena and focusing on the ache that had resided in her chest for the past few weeks. She gathered Honoka’s pain too and visualised transferring it to Erena.   
  
Erena’s eyes went wide as the pain hit her and she screamed out in agony, grabbing at her chest. She fell to her knees, losing the control she was holding over her power.   
  
Anju cursed as she glanced at Erena. “Damn it, Erena! Of course you would fuck this up!” She bent down quickly, grabbing the gun she’d dropped a few minutes ago. When she stood she found Honoka staring at her, a stunned expression on her face.   
  
“Honoka.” She forced her voice to soften as she stared imploringly at Honoka. She’d always prided herself on being good at acting. She focused intently, forcing her eyes to dampen. “I-I don’t want to die. Please, don’t…”  
  
Honoka’s hands shook at her sides as she stared at Anju’s - no,  _Eli’s_  - face. Her lower lip trembled, her eyes burning with oncoming tears. “I would never hurt Eli-senpai…” She knew that it wasn’t really Eli but it looked like her.   
  
“Senpai!” Nozomi called, still struggling slightly with the bonds weakly holding onto her. “Don’t listen to her! That’s not really Elichi.”  
  
Anju forced a gentle smile to her face and stepped forward, the fingers of her left hand finding Honoka’s cheek. The other hand, holding the gun lifted, but Honoka wasn’t paying attention to it. Her tear dampened eyes were focused intently on Eli’s.   
  
“Don’t cry, Honoka.” Anju soothed gently, catching a falling tear with her thumb. It was laughable, how easily Honoka was falling for her lies. “It’s okay, I’m right here. I told you I’m never going to leave you, didn’t I? What did I always tell you?”  
  
Honoka choked back a sob. “You and me against everyone else…no matter what. Eli-senpai…”  
  
“LEAVE HER THE HELL ALONE!” Nozomi yelled, finally managing to break free from one of the binds. She could hardly believe that Honoka was falling for Anju’s lies but it seemed they were both blind when it came to Eli.   
  
“That’s right.” Anju pointed the barrel of the gun at Honoka’s chest, right over her heart. She did her best to keep her expression neutral but it was almost impossible not to laugh. Just from speaking to Honoka she was learning so much from her. Like that it was true that Honoka was weak when it came to a certain third year. She supposed that next time she would have to use one of Honoka’s fellow second years against her. Much like she was with Eli it seemed Honoka also had a weakness when it came to Kotori. Using that against her would be fun.   
  
Nozomi focused on pushing every last bit of pain into Erena, finally managing to force her to stop using her power. “HONOKA!” As fast as she could, she took off across the roof, pushing Anju away from Honoka and forcing herself between the two.   
  
A loud bang sounded and Nozomi’s ears rung painfully. She wasn’t aware of any pain at first, only that her chest was suddenly wet and her knees felt weak. She glanced down, finding blood spreading across her chest. It was only then that the pain really kicked in, an intense burning pain that had her grasping her chest and crumbling to her knees.   
  
“NOZOMI-CHAN!” Honoka rushed toward Nozomi, snapped out of the stupor she’d been in a moment ago. She fell to her knees next to the third year, drawing her securely to her. There was so much blood she didn’t even know where to start. “Oh god…” She whispered, slipping off her jacket quickly. Her shirt quickly followed. She adjusted her grip on Nozomi and lifted the girl’s shirt right above her breasts. She choked at the sight of blood and the puncture upon Nozomi’s chest. There was too much blood. She hastily balled up her shirt and pressed it against the wound. “N-Nozomi-chan, s-stay with me. I’ve got you.”  
  
“Damn it, Erena!” Anju pouted as she stomped her foot. “Get UP! Can’t you do anything right? All you had to do was hold her back!”  
  
Nozomi grabbed Honoka’s hand where it rested upon her chest. “H-Honoka…” She choked on blood rising in her throat. “I…I…’m c-cold…”

_“Honoka-ch…” Kotori couldn’t finish what she was saying as she choked on the blood in her throat. “H-H…”_  
  
“No, no, no…” Honoka shook her head, refusing to believe that she was about to lose someone else she was close to. Her vision blurred with tears. “Nozomi, don’t you dare leave me, do you hear me?!”  
  
Nozomi opened and closed her mouth a couple of times but it was getting hard to focus on anything let alone put words together. Against her will, her eyes slid shut, her breathing growing shallow. She couldn’t remember ever feeling so cold and weak, even during the long days of winter.   
  
“Nozomi?” Honoka felt Nozomi’s body go limp in her arms, her head lolling back against her chest. “No! NOZOMI!”  
  
Anju smirked as she watched Honoka dissolve into gut wrenching sobs. It wasn’t what she had been aiming for, but this was good too. “One down, eight to go.”


	17. Chapter 17

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning(s): Violence (some scenes of torture), kind of self-injury because of Nico’s ability, swearing etc…general angst?

Erena shifted uncomfortably as she watched Honoka dissolve into sobs, holding Nozomi close to her. She knew that they had a job to do but this wasn’t what she had signed up for. The gleeful look on Anju’s face turned her stomach. It was clear that the other girl took pleasure in making other people miserable. In killing people even.   
  
“Well if she’s going to make it so easy for me…” Anju lifted her gun and stepped closer to Honoka, preparing to pull the trigger. Honoka didn’t even look up from Nozomi’s body, she just continued to sob into the third year’s chest.   
  
“ _Anju_!” Erena glared at the other girl fiercely. “This isn’t what we agreed on. Tsubasa hasn’t said we should kill  _anyone_ , has she?!”  
  
Anju gritted her teeth together. “I’m sick of taking orders. Sonoda-san wants rid of them, doesn’t she? That’s all I’m doing right now. There’s no better way to get them out of the way then killing them. Plus it’s so much fun.”  
  
“Damn it, I said NO!” Erena raised her voice, frustrated with the situation. Seeing Anju’s finger flex on the trigger, she threw her arm out, sending a shadow toward her. It wrapped around her wrist, yanking her arm behind her back. 

Anju cried out in pain as her arm was twisted, another shadow grabbing at her other arm. “Erena, what the FUCK?!” 

Erena cringed at the angered tone of Anju’s voice. There would be consequences for what she had done later, both from Anju and Tsubasa. To go against her partner was a serious offence. But she couldn’t just stand there and let Anju kill someone else. She looked to Honoka, frowning at the fact that she hadn’t stopped crying yet. She moved over, preparing to tell Honoka to get out of there while she still had the chance when she saw Nozomi’s hand twitch slightly.   
  
“Kousaka!” She moved over, shoving at Honoka’s shoulder. It took a moment but teary blue eyes finally met her own. “She’s still alive! You can still save her but you need to get the hell out of here right now! Do you hear me? GO!”  
  
“ERENA!” Anju yelled furiously as she struggled against Erena’s power. “IDIOT! WHAT THE FUCK ARE YOU DOING HELPING THEM?! I SWEAR TO GOD WHEN I GET OUT OF HERE I’LL KILL YOU INSTEAD!”  
  
Erena did her best not to listen to Anju. She knew the other girl wouldn’t think twice about following through with that promise. Her only hope was that Tsubasa wouldn’t allow it. “Come on, go!”  
  
Honoka blinked up at Erena for a couple of seconds. How could this be the same girl who had so violently killed Rin, Hanayo and Eli? Who had taken so much pleasure in doing so. She quickly shook herself out of her stupor and gathered Nozomi into her arms, teleporting herself out of there.   
  
The next few minutes passed in a blur as she teleported to the entrance of the emergency room and hurried inside. She could hear her own voice, loud and desperate, pleading with someone to help her. When a doctor tried to take Nozomi from her she clung on automatically, her yelling growing more desperate. The doctor was insistent though and soon Nozomi was being taken away on a stretcher.   
  
“NO!” Honoka cried out, starting after the other girl. She felt hands grab onto her and a moment later, a sharp prick to her arm. Her vision swam and with a sinking feeling she realized what had happened. It was something that had happened all too often when she was held in the camp. “No…” She struggled to stay conscious but her body felt weak and her eyes closed of their own accord. It didn’t take long to lose consciousness altogether.   
  
—-  
  
Honoka woke later to a pounding headache and a sense of dread. She shot up in bed, her eyes shifting quickly around the room. She found Nozomi right away but it did nothing to settle her. Nozomi seemed to be hooked up to some kind of ventilator, not to mention the machines that surrounded her, beeping steadily.   
  
Honoka looked down at herself, finding she wasn’t exactly free of tubes either. She quickly reached down, yanking the IV out of her arm. She grunted at the pain and slapped her hand over her arm to stem the bleeding as she stumbled out of bed. She managed to get to Nozomi’s bedside, grasping the other girl’s hand tightly.   
  
Nozomi’s chest was heavily bandaged. She could see them expanding up from beneath her hospital gown. She looked pale too, as if she had lost a lot of blood or something.   
  
“Nozomi.” Honoka’s voice broke as she stared down at her friend. At the person who’d somehow become her confidant over the past few weeks. Just from looking at her she could tell she wasn’t in a good condition. She obviously couldn’t even breathe on her own. “You’re going to be okay, alright? I promised before that I wouldn’t let anything happen to you and I-I couldn’t keep that promise. But this time I will.”   
  
She leaned down, gently brushing Nozomi’s bangs from her forehead and pressed a gentle kiss there. She was struck by the memory of Nozomi doing the same thing to her in the future. Usually after a nightmare when Honoka had needed to crawl into bed with her and Eli. It was always Eli she sought out but Nozomi was understanding and patient. If it seemed like the two needed to be alone so Honoka could really talk she would quietly excuse herself. More often than not Honoka would silently request she stay by grasping her hand and refusing to let go. She’d always felt safer with both of them near her.   
  
She pressed her forehead to Nozomi’s, her tears sliding from her cheeks onto the other girl’s. She didn’t know what to do. If only Nico was there. Her eyes sprung open at the thought. That was the answer. She just needed Nico’s help.

—-

Nico alternated between the pot of steaming udon and the miso soup she was cooking, slightly bothered by the silence. She cast another glance into the living room, rolling her eyes at the sight of the other two girls. Maki was sitting on the couch, a book held in one hand. Kotori was lying prone on the couch, her head resting in Maki’s lap. A content smile tugged at her lips as Maki’s fingers gently brushed through her hair.   
  
Finally, Nico couldn’t keep quiet any longer. “So are you two screwing or what?”  
  
“E-Eh?!” Kotori’s eyes flew open at the question and she propped herself up on her elbows to stare wide-eyed at Nico.   
  
Nico gave a shrug of her shoulders. It was a fair enough question. “I’d have thought you would have ended up with someone else, Kotori. Like Honoka probably.”  
  
Maki, who had almost dropped her book in her surprise, had only been able to gape at Nico in disbelief for the past few minutes but those last words seemed to snap her out of it. “Nico-chan, what the hell are you thinking?!”  
  
“I’m just saying! You two have been awfully close lately and you never usually touch anyone like that, Maki.” Nico nodded distractedly toward the two before she turned her attention back to cooking. “It’s only right that I’d think something is going on between the two of you.”  
  
Maki’s cheeks flamed with embarrassment and she gritted her teeth together in annoyance. “Shut up, Nico!”  
  
Nico glanced over, smirking darkly at the blush on Maki’s cheeks. “Did I hit a nerve? Oh, I’m sorry. Have you not confessed to her yet? I’ll keep my mouth shut then.”  
  
Maki growled under her breath.   
  
Kotori gave a sigh and shook her head at Nico. A blush coloring her own cheeks, she looked up at Maki. “J-Just ignore her, Maki-chan.” She inched closer again, laying her head in Maki’s lap. “She’s just trying to provoke you.”  
  
Nico frowned at the comment. What reason would she have to provoke Maki? It’s not as though it bothered her that Maki was sitting with another girl’s head in her lap. It didn’t bother her at all.   
  
“Right. Sorry, Koto-nee.”  
  
Nico burst into impromptu laughter. “Are you kidding me right now? God, you’re so whipped, Maki. And you call her Koto-nee? How childish…”  
  
Maki’s stomach plummeted and she felt her face heat up all over again.   
  
“Nico-chan, please shut up.” Kotori requested without lifting her head from Maki’s lap. “I won’t let you mock Maki-chan in…in our own apartment.” She stumbled over her own words but the fact that she’d said it had her own face and Maki’s heating up again. She focused her attention on Maki this time, lowering her voice slightly. “Don’t pay her any mind, Maki-chan. I like it when you call me Koto-nee.”  
  
“R-Right…” Maki managed to say.   
  
Nico sneered at the answer, finding it to be unsatisfactory, especially when Maki went right back to running her fingers through Kotori’s hair, the ashen haired girl sighing delightedly in response. “Seriously, what’s with the sexual tension between you two? Maki, you look like you want to jump her.”  
  
“Shut up, Nico-chan!” Maki and Kotori’s voices blended together, their tones irritated.   
  
“ _I’m sorry, Koto-nee_.” Maki communicated telepathically, her troubled eyes locked with Kotori’s. “ _I don’t know what she’s talking about._ ”  
  
“ _I know._ ” Kotori smiled gently up at Maki. “I _t’s not your fault. Nico-chan is just being Nico-chan_.” She lifted her hand, brushing her fingers against Maki’s warm cheek. “ _Thank you, Maki-chan_.”

“ _W-what for?_ ” Maki’s gaze shifted briefly to Nico, long enough to see that the girl was still shooting odd glares at them. She quickly looked back to Kotori after.   
  
“ _Just for being you._ ” Kotori’s smile widened slightly as Maki’s eyes widened. “ _You do more for me than you know. I-I don’t know how anyone could be afraid of you. You’re…one of the two people I feel safest with._ ”  
  
Maki’s book dropped to the floor with a soft thump. “ _E-Ehhh?_ ”

Nico heaved a long suffering sigh. She wondered if the two knew how obvious it was that they were communicating telepathically. It was downright irritating if she was honest. She turned to point that out when Honoka appeared in the middle of the room.   
  
“Honoka?!” Maki exclaimed in surprise, causing Kotori to bolt upright. She had to do a double take at the sight of Honoka. The girl’s face was bruised as were her arms. Her nose was bleeding too, though Maki quickly figured out that might be a result of her teleporting. “What…”  
  
Honoka’s gaze shifted between Kotori and Maki and she frowned at the latter, confused by their position. “Where’s Nico?” She asked darkly.   
  
“What? Wait, what the hell happened to you?” Maki tried to get up but Kotori wouldn’t let her. She glanced at the older girl in confusion.   
  
Kotori shook her head. She knew that Honoka would never do anything to hurt her but she wasn’t sure if she would hurt anyone else. This Honoka was completely different from her own Honoka even if she did trust her with her life.   
  
Nico walked out of the kitchen, drying her hands on a towel. “What do you want with me, Honoka?” She asked apprehensively. She wasn’t sure about this version of the second year. She was too unlike their Honoka, too broken. It unnerved her enough that she often avoided Future Honoka completely.   
  
Honoka turned, relieved to find Nico standing there. “I need you to come with me. Come on.” She stepped forward and reached out to grab Nico’s arm only for the shorter girl to back away. “Nico, seriously. We need to go.”

“I’m not going anywhere until you tell me what’s going on.” Nico said coldly, irritated that Honoka was trying to order her around. “What do you want with me?”

Honoka let out an irritated growl and rubbed at her temples. “Damn it, Nico! I just need your help with something, okay? Stop being so fucking stubborn!”  
  
Kotori flinched at the sudden volume of Honoka’s voice and Maki held onto her tightly.   
  
“Honoka, just sit down for a minute. Your nose is bleeding, you need to rest…” Maki began in concern. She had seen Honoka’s nose bleed before and remembered the explanation that had accompanied it.   
  
“NO!” Honoka swayed unsteadily on her feet and reached out, grasping the wall for support. “Nico, just come with me. Please. I need your help.”  
  
Nico couldn’t deny that the emotional tone of Honoka’s voice affected her but she remained firm. “Tell me what you want and I’ll think about it.”  
  
“Nozomi is hurt. I need your blood.” Honoka said simply, looking up at Nico. Had she been paying attention she would have realized it was strange to look at Nico from this angle. Usually she was taller than the third year but as it was she couldn’t keep herself upright and was practically doubled over at the waist. “You’re going to give me it.”  
  
Kotori inhaled sharply at the answer and felt Maki grip her closer. She didn’t know why Honoka would want to help Nozomi after what she had done, or why she was even talking to her.   
  
Nico looked worried but only for a split second before she schooled her features back into indifference. “Who says I am? You’re not going to be getting any blood from me after what she did to Kotori and Eli. She can just suffer for all I care.”  
  
“That wasn’t Nozomi!” Honoka snapped, forcing herself to stand up straight with some trouble. “It was a CORPS agent. Yuuki Anju. She’s part of A-Rise and she can shapeshift to look…”  
  
“Bullshit! I’m not listening to this.” Nico rolled her eyes at the attempted excuse. “If you want to make excuses for her go ahead but I’m not…” She trailed off as Honoka started toward her, her expression stony. She didn’t have time to think about running before she was hauled from the ground by Honoka’s grip on her collar. She was slammed harshly against the wall, her head hitting it. She didn’t feel it, thankfully.   
  
“Listen here, Nico. I didn’t ask your permission, did I?” Honoka snarled furiously. Nico had the presence of mind to notice that the blood from Honoka’s nose had streamed down over her lips to her chin. “I’ve told you it wasn’t Nozomi. She would never hurt any of you. She loves all of you even if you are ungrateful fucking IDIOTS so you’re going to come and help her right now or I’ll take your blood by force. Understand?!”  
  
She pulled Nico away from the wall only to slam her back against it, her eyes wide with fury.   
  
“Honoka, stop it!” Maki was on her feet though she hadn’t moved from the couch. “You’re going to hurt her!”  
  
“Hurt her? She can’t be fucking hurt, remember?!” Honoka asked scornfully. “She doesn’t care about any of this do you, Nico? You don’t feel a thing.” Her eyes burned with tears. She didn’t like what she was saying. Not when she thought of her Nico in the future. “Not like Nozomi. Nozomi feels everything. You really think she could hurt anyone? She would never touch Kotori. But you…do you even feel anything for anyone? If you were going to die and Nozomi could help you there’s nothing she wouldn’t do!”  
  
“HONOKA!” Maki yelled, anger filtering into her own voice.   
  
“Are you kidding me?” Nico glared daggers at Honoka. “You have no idea what I feel! If you want my blood so much, here!” She slid her knife from her belt and brought it to her arm. “I’ll give it to you!”  
  
“Koto-nee, close your eyes!” Maki spoke in a panic, grabbing Kotori’s wrist. She had seen before what Nico was capable of doing to herself. She didn’t want Kotori to see the same thing. “Nico-chan, don’t…” She trailed off with a wince as Nico slashed at her arm without care. “Nico-chan!”  
  
She was so shaken by the sight of Nico bleeding that she didn’t have time to react when Kotori shrugged her off and walked forward. “Koto-nee?!” She felt her heart leap to her throat. Kotori was only going to get herself hurt. She tried to reach out but Kotori was already too far from her.   
  
“Honoka-chan, let Nico-chan down.” Kotori lay a hand on Honoka’s arm. “Come on. You know this isn’t going to help. Just put her down.” She waited patiently until teary blue eyes sought out her own. “It’s okay.”  
  
Finally, Honoka released her grip on Nico and tore away from the two, wiping her eyes roughly.   
  
Maki went to Nico, reaching out for her arm only for Nico to push her away.   
  
“It’s fine, leave it alone.” Nico said coldly. Her arm was already regenerating itself anyway. She didn’t need any help.   
  
“Nico-chan?” Surprisingly it was Kotori who spoke, her voice steady. “Could you…could you please help Nozomi-chan?”  
  
Nico paused at the request. “What? After what she did to you…”  
  
“I believe Honoka-chan. And…I don’t want Nozomi-chan to die.” Kotori looked away, clearly struggling with herself. “Please. Honoka-chan is right, Nozomi-chan has always…been here for us.”  
  
“Please.” Honoka pleaded, staring imploringly at Nico. “I’m sorry, Nico. I…I just can’t lose any of you. Not again.”  
  
“Fine!” Nico exclaimed defeatedly. “But I’m not doing it because I want to and I’d better not find out she’s lying!”  
  
Maki sighed disappointedly at Nico’s comment. “Nico-chan, come on…” She stepped forward, reaching for Nico’s arm. “Let me look at your arm.”  
  
“What’s the point? I’m only going to have to bleed again soon.” Nico backed away quickly, refusing to let Maki touch her. “It’s fine. Besides, shouldn’t you be worrying about your girlfriend? She’s getting awfully close to future girl over there.”  
  
“What?” Maki turned toward Kotori and frowned when she noticed her using her sleeve to gently wipe away the blood on Honoka’s face. “Koto-nee, you could have used something else…”  
  
Something about Kotori being around Future Honoka made her nervous. It wasn’t that she didn’t trust Future Honoka, it was just that she thought their Honoka would be better for Kotori.   
  
“Let’s go.” Honoka said to Nico as she pulled away from Kotori’s touch. She waited until Nico placed a hand on her arm before quickly teleporting away.

  
Maki had been staring at the place where Honoka and Nico had disappeared from so she didn’t notice Kotori move until the second year was in front of her. She inhaled sharply as arms went around her shoulders but quickly relaxed, her arms wrapping around Kotori in turn.   
  
Kotori buried her face into the warmth of Maki’s shoulder. “Maki-chan…”  
  
Maki noticed for the first time that Kotori was trembling. She wondered how long for. Probably since Honoka had started yelling. She felt a wave of anger toward the future version of their friend. “I know.” She gently led Kotori back to the couch without letting go of her. She sank down onto it and Kotori moved with her.

—-  
  
The fist coming toward her face was expected. Erena was surprised that Anju had managed to hold herself back for as long as she had. She had managed to control herself the entire journey back to the base, seething silently as they walked. Erena didn’t do anything to protect herself from the blow, she just let it happen. Anju hit her solidly in the jaw, sending her sprawling to the ground.   
  
Erena spat blood out onto the ground as she pushed herself to her hands and knees. She vaguely wondered if she had bitten her tongue or her lip or whether the force of the punch had been enough to knock a tooth loose. She didn’t have time to think about it before something impacted solidly with her ribs, flipping her onto her back. Pain shot through her side and she cried out, grasping her ribs. Looking up, her eyes widened in surprise when she watched Anju morph her features into Tsubasa’s. It was typical of her. She always did like to emotionally torture people.   
  
“What the fuck was THAT?!” Anju kicked Erena again, unfazed by the second cry of pain. “We almost HAD them and you…YOU FUCKING LET THEM GET AWAY!” She delivered another kick, to the stomach this time. “YOU’RE PATHETIC!”  
  
“Anju!” Tsubasa’s sharp voice had Anju pause before she could deliver the next kick. She turned quickly to find their leader walking into the room. “That’s enough! Get out of here and hit the gym.”  
  
“But Tsubasa, this fucking idiot used her powers on me to help…”  
  
“I heard. Now get out of my sight. I don’t want to see you again until tonight. And stop using my face, how many times do I have to tell you? It’s creepy.” Tsubasa’s gaze never left Erena even as she spoke to Anju. She heard rather than saw Anju walk toward the door. “Oh and Anju? If I see you doing this again I will take your power away from you. You know I can and you know it’ll hurt far more than Erena’s hurting now. Understood?”  
  
“Yes.” Anju mumbled miserably before she left the room.   
  
Erena listened to the sound of retreating footsteps, not daring to look up from the ground. Feeling hands gently grabbing her arms to tug her into a sitting position, she reluctantly glanced toward Tsubasa. The other girl’s expression was impassive. “Feels a bit nostalgic, huh?”  
  
“Just shut up, Erena.” Tsubasa said quietly. Despite her words, her voice was devoid of anger. She got up and made her way into the bathroom, emerging with a damp towel and a first aid kit. She knelt down in front of Erena, gently wiping away blood from her mouth. “Why did you do it?”  
  
“I-I don’t know.” Erena said hoarsely. She didn’t really. She had never gone against Anju like that before. “I guess I felt sorry for them. Kousaka looked…broken.”  
  
“That’s not a good enough reason. There’s no room for us to pity them, we have a mission, Erena. One way or another we will end up hurting them.” Tsubasa narrowed her eyes at Erena. “Lift your shirt. I need to see your wounds.”  
  
Erena took a painful breath and lifted her shirt, allowing Tsubasa to look over her bruised ribs. “It really does bring back memories. You used to look after me like this all of the time, back in the orphanage.”  
  
“Because you were such a troublemaker and you always pissed off the matron.” Tsubasa said dryly as she ducked her head to see the damage Anju had caused. It didn’t look too bad, but it looked painful.   
  
“That’s only because I couldn’t control my ability. You make it sound like I tried to cause trouble.” Erena muttered, glancing away from Tsubasa. It had never been her intention. “I was never as good at control as you are.”  
  
“Lean forward so I can wrap your ribs.” Tsubasa took some ace bandages from the first aid kit and shuffled forward on her knees. She chose to ignore Erena’s previous statement. She wasn’t good at control at all. Even now the hunger for more knowledge and power often overwhelmed her. She waited until Erena had leaned forward away from the wall before carefully wrapping the girl’s ribs. She paused for a second, feeling Erena’s forehead come to rest on her shoulder. “Erena, we have to be careful. The other agents already think I favour you. I can’t let them think I have a weakness.”  
  
“Just for a minute.” Erena said weakly. Staying up all night had left her exhausted. She just needed to rest for a moment and she hardly ever managed to bask in a moment with her.   
  
Tsubasa sighed but she didn’t argue. When she was finished with the bandage, she gently brushed her hand over Erena’s head. “It’s not our place to be good people, Erena. That’s not what we’re here for, you know that. We do this to survive. If you can’t handle the things we have to do…”  
  
“Stop it.” Erena gripped the back of Tsubasa’s shirt, effectively silencing her. “Please, just stop. I don’t want to talk about this anymore. I-I miss talking to you about normal things. Can we just…”  
  
Tsubasa briefly closed her eyes. She couldn’t. “You know what you did is serious. I can’t just let that go unpunished.” She felt Erena flinch and against her better judgement, held her closer. “Either I do it or someone else does. Either way Anju will have to be there.”  
  
Erena swallowed thickly. It was an easy choice if she had to make it. She trusted Tsubasa with her life. “You. I want you to do it.”  
  
Tsubasa nodded and rested her head against Erena’s in a rare show of weakness. She hated seeing her friend hurting. “I really wish we could be free, Erena.”  
  
Erena squeezed her eyes shut. It was her fault Tsubasa was even there. Her lack of control had exposed her powers and not wanting her friend to be taken away, Tsubasa had intentionally exposed her own. So they could stay together. “When all of this is over?”  
  
“When all of this is over.” Tsubasa confirmed softly though she didn’t really believe it. Even after Muse were killed or locked up there would be more for them to do. More reasons to stay where they were.  
  
—–

The moment Nico felt solid ground beneath her feet again, she quickly let go of Honoka. She felt a bit bad for doing so as the future version of her friend stumbled forward a bit, her nose bleeding again.

Future Honoka wiped the blood away with the sleeve, not paying it much attention. Nico watched skeptically as the young woman detached Nozomi’s IV bag and cast it aside, replacing it with a new, empty bag. It didn’t take her more than a couple of minutes before she was turning toward Nico. “Give me your arm.”  
  
“Do you even know what you’re doing?” Nico asked warily as she moved closer to Honoka, lifting her arm.   
  
“Maki-chan showed me how to do this.” Honoka answered, proceeding to slide the IV needle into Nico’s arm. “Because Eli-senpai always ended up hurt when we went on missions together.”  
  
Nico’s gaze strayed to Nozomi, noting the heavy bandaging on her chest. The sight pained her more than she wanted it to. “What the hell happened to her?”  
  
“We went after Anju, to sort this mess out. She took a bullet for me.” Honoka watched as the IV bag started to fill with blood. It trickled slowly into the other IV tube, connected to Nozomi’s arm. “Open and close your hand so this goes faster. We have to get out of here. The Nishikinos own most of the hospitals here, I can’t risk them finding her…”  
  
“You don’t know if this will work, do you?” Nico asked, raising an eyebrow. Obediently, she began to clench and unclench her fist to get her blood pumping faster. “You could just be killing her faster.”  
  
Honoka stayed silent. Truthfully, she didn’t know if it would work but she had to try. She couldn’t just stand by and do nothing while Nozomi died. She stepped closer to Nozomi’s bed, brushing her fingers against her friend’s pale cheek. It had to work. She lingered there for a moment, giving Nico’s blood a chance to reach Nozomi before she reached up, carefully removing the breathing tube.   
  
“What are you doing?!” Nico’s voice sounded slightly higher than usual in alarm. “I’m no fucking doctor but I know she needs that!”  
  
“If this works she’s going to wake up in a few minutes and I don’t want her to wake up with a tube down her throat!” Honoka said sharply, glancing toward Nico. “I’ve told you, I know what I’m doing!”  
  
“Fine!” Nico turned away, frowning at being berated.   
  
The next few minutes passed in silence as Honoka perched on the edge of the bed, her hand going to Nozomi’s shoulder. She rubbed absentmindedly, more to soothe herself than to soothe Nozomi.   
  
“S-Senpai?” Nozomi’s eyes were open just a little bit, fixed on Honoka. “W-What…”  
  
Nico inhaled sharply and moved closer to the bed, her free hand finding it’s way to Nozomi’s. She hadn’t expected her blood to actually work.   
  
Curious turquoise eyes turned to her and Nico held her breath.   
  
“N-Nicocchi…” A small smile graced Nozomi’s lips for just a moment before she grimaced in pain. “H-Hurts…”  
  
“Alright, let’s go.” Honoka leaned down, carefully sliding her arms beneath Nozomi. She picked her up, looking to Nico. “Grab hold. We can’t stay here.”  
  
Nico grabbed hold of Honoka and closed her eyes, feeling the familiar sensation of teleporting. This time she predicted Honoka stumbling and reached out to steady her, not wanting her to drop Nozomi. Thankfully, Honoka had had the presence of mind to make sure they ended up near the bed. Quickly, she placed Nozomi down.   
  
She clutched her head after, whimpering slightly in pain. Teleporting so many times wasn’t good for her. Without another word, she stumbled around to the other side of the bed and lay down on the edge. She wouldn’t be able to keep going for much longer. She knew that. “Watch Nozomi-chan, Nico-chan…”  
  
“Honoka, you’re going to bleed all over the…” Nico trailed off. Honoka was already asleep. She looked down at the IV that connected herself and Nozomi and wondered if she could remove it yet. It wasn’t like Honoka was conscious so she couldn’t ask her. “Fucking hell…”  
  
“N-Nicocchi…” Nozomi’s voice drew Nico’s attention back to her. She was surprised to find tears in her fellow third year’s eyes. “I-I didn’t…Kotori-chan…I’m…”  
  
“Shhh, stop trying to talk.” Nico sat on the edge of the bed, her hand finding it’s way to Nozomi’s. “I know. I know now. Just relax, alright?” She moved her free hand to Nozomi’s head, gently stroking her hair in the same way she would with her siblings when they had nightmares.   
  
Nozomi’s features twisted in pain. “E-Elichi. I-I want Elichi…”  
  
“She’ll come when she finds out.” Nico assured her quietly. “Just try to sleep, alright? You need some rest.” She breathed a sigh of relief when Nozomi finally closed her eyes. Thankfully it didn’t take long for Nozomi to fall asleep, her breathing evening out.   
  


Nico retracted her hands quickly, taking the IV out of her own arm and with much more care, Nozomi’s too. When she was done, she sighed heavily. “The hell am I going to explain this to Eli…”  
  
—-

Eli paused apprehensively outside of Honoka’s hotel room. She hadn’t been back there since she had slept with her. She hadn’t planned to go back either but Nico had called her, telling her she needed to meet her there. She didn’t have time to knock on the door before Nico opened it and grabbed her hand, yanking her inside.   
  
“Ouch! Nico, what the…” Eli trailed off as she found Honoka standing in front of her, her arms crossed in front of her chest. “Oh um…w-what did you want? Did you want something from me? I mean…need something? I…” She looked away, her cheeks flushed crimson.   
  
Future Honoka couldn’t seem to look at Eli either. “We needed to talk to you about something. It’s important.”  
  
Eli frowned at the answer. “What is it? I should be with Arisa, Umi and my Honoka right now so what do you want?”  
  
Nico raised an eyebrow. “Your Honoka?” She knew what Eli meant but the way she had said it had sounded possessive. She watched as Eli turned red and looked toward Honoka who suddenly looked guilty. “I feel like I’m standing in the middle of the aftermath of drunken sex like in the movies…” Both Eli and Honoka visibly flinched. “Wha…?! Did you…? OH MY GOD, WHAT IS WRONG WITH YOU TWO?!” She quickly turned to Honoka. “Does Nozomi know?!”  
  
Future Honoka gave a hesitant nod of her head.   
  
“Wait!” Eli’s eyes widened at Honoka’s words. She hadn’t told Nozomi anything about that. “What…?”  
  
“Elichi…” Nozomi’s pained voice sounded from the bed, drawing a startled gasp from Eli. She had been so preoccupied with seeing Honoka that she hadn’t noticed Nozomi’s presence. Quickly, she pushed past Honoka and Nico, who had been blocking her view and hurried to Nozomi’s side. Looking down at her, she was shocked to find Nozomi’s chest bandaged. “W-What happened?”  
  
Honoka took a deep breath. “She was shot trying to save me. I…”  
  
Nico rolled her eyes. “Long story short, Nozomi didn’t really attack Kotori or say all of those horrible things to you. That was Anju from A-Rise. She can shapeshift and she was messing with us. Honoka and Nozomi went to confront her and Nozomi ended up shot. There. That’s it.”  
  
Eli stared at Nico for a moment, struggling to take in what she was saying. “What…” She looked down at Nozomi, realization sinking in. It wasn’t Nozomi who’d betrayed her, it was the other way around.   
  
“E-Elichi…” Nozomi reached for Eli’s hand only for the blonde to shrink away, tears in her eyes. Confused and in pain, Nozomi’s features crumbled in grief. “Please. Elichi, I-I’m sorry, I’m so…” She tried to push herself into a sitting position, wincing in pain.  
  
Eli shook her head. Nozomi had nothing to be sorry for, it seemed. She was the one who should be sorry.   
  
Honoka moved past Eli to Nozomi, sitting down on the bed next to her. “Hey, take it easy. You can’t move yet.” She sighed, noticing the tears that glimmered in Nozomi’s eyes. “You’re going to be okay, I promise.”  
  
Nozomi felt Honoka pull her gently into her arms but her eyes remained fixed to Eli. The blonde couldn’t have looked more uncomfortable. She watched as Eli shook her head one more time before she turned and hurried from the room.   
  
Nico huffed out a sigh. “Why is everyone suddenly screwing around? You and Eli, Umi and Honoka can’t keep themselves under control, Kotori and Maki…it just screws everything up.”  
  
“Kotori and Maki?!” Honoka’s gaze shifted to Nico as Nozomi buried her face into her chest, trying to stem her tears. “What do you mean?”  
  
“Maki can’t keep her damn hands off her. She strokes her hair and lets her lie on her lap like they’re freaking married or something. It really pisses me off!” Nico snapped irritably. It wasn’t because she wanted to be in Kotori’s place or anything like that. She just didn’t like that Maki wasn’t acting like herself, that was all.   
  
“Maki-chan doesn’t act like that in the future…” Honoka mused thoughtfully though she quickly forgot about it when Nozomi lifted her head.   
  
“Senpai, Elichi…”  
  
“She’ll come around.” Honoka smiled gently and brushed the tears from Nozomi’s cheeks. “Just give her some time to process all of this, okay?”  
  
Nozomi nodded and sank into Honoka’s embrace again though she was far from comforted by her words.   
  
—-  
  
Erena walked numbly down the hallway with no idea where she was going. She was blindfolded so she couldn’t keep track of where she was being taken. She had tried to but it had been impossible. She supposed that was the point though. To confuse her. She didn’t know who was leading her either. Just another faceless agent.   
  
She heard a door being opened, followed by a woman’s voice. A familiar voice.   
  
“I’ll take her from here.” Tsubasa told the agent, her tone of voice leaving no room for argument.   
  
Erena felt the hand on her arm move away, replaced a few seconds later with a much gentler touch. She silently allowed herself to be led into the room. She heard Anju’s voice too but she couldn’t make out what she was saying. The door closed behind them, drowning Anju out and Erena felt herself being moved across the room. She heard the clinking of chains and automatically tried to shrink away. She hated being bound and trapped.   
  
“I know.” Tsubasa’s grip on Erena’s arm tightened and she pulled her forward again. “Don’t fight it. It’ll be over soon. You can do this. We’ve been through worse.”  
  
“What are you going to do to me?” Erena whispered shakily, her hands trembling. She didn’t put up a fight when Tsubasa began to chain her up.   
  
“What’s your biggest weakness, Erena?” Tsubasa asked, her voice level despite the fact that her heart ached with sympathy for her friend. She reached up, her fingers finding the ties of Erena’s blindfold. “I’m going to take this off before I leave but I want you to keep your eyes closed during this, alright?”  
  
“Leave? W-Where are you going?” Erena’s voice rose slightly and Tsubasa gently shushed her as she removed the blindfold. “I’m scared, Tsubasa…”  
  
Tsubasa clenched her jaw. “I know. It won’t last long, I promise.” She could speak freely at least. Anju couldn’t hear her from where she was watching in the other room. “I’ll be waiting for you when it’s over. We can talk. If you want to.” She reached down, touching the chains around Erena’s wrist. “I left the chains loose so you can lean away from the light if you have to. Just don’t make it too obvious.” She felt Erena grab her hand, gripping it tightly in fear. “I’ll be here when you get out. Just remember, don’t give her the satisfaction of seeing you cry, okay? You’re stronger than that.”  
  
She forced herself to pull away though her gaze lingered on Erena for a moment before she turned and left the room.   
  
Erena waited with baited breath after the door closed. It didn’t take more than a couple of minutes for the bright lights around the room to turn on. Even though she was clenching her eyes shut, the lights were so bright that it was like she was looking right at them. Her eyes and skin burned with the ferocity of the lights and she clenched her fists at her sides. It hurt, more than she could comprehend.   
  
There was a reason she always opted to go out when the sun was down or it was just coming up. Even being out in the daylight was too much for her. She clenched her jaw against the pain. She couldn’t cry. She wouldn’t. But it hurt too much. She needed the shadows, the darkness she liked to envelop herself in.   
Behind the one way glass at the far end of the room, Tsubasa watched intently as Erena began to struggle against the chains that bound her.   
  
Anju snickered again, for what had to be the tenth time in as many minutes. “Look at her struggling. She’ll think twice next time before she disobeys me. Idiot thinks she can do what she wants…” A loud laugh passed her lips as Erena seemed to give up struggling. “She’s pathetic…”  
  
Tsubasa chose not to answer, continuing to watch Erena instead. She could see her chest heaving as she struggled to push through the pain. It was painful for her to watch and she wished she could put a stop to it. She knew she had to wait a few more minutes though. Her heart seized in her chest when Erena seemed to go limp, her head falling to her chest.   
  
“Oh, maybe it actually killed her. It would serve her…” Anju was cut off as a hand grabbed her throat and she found herself slammed back against the wall.   
  
“If you ever hurt her again, I swear I won’t hesitate to take your ability, Anju!” Tsubasa snarled furiously. She had been holding herself back for too long to stay composed. “And you know I’ll do it the more painful way. Nobody lays a hand on her, do you understand? I don’t care if she’s trying to kill you, you leave her the hell alone!”  
  
Anju nodded shakily, no sign of mirth on her face now.   
  
“Now if you’ll excuse me I’m going to get her out of there. Don’t even think about disturbing us.” Tsubasa let go of Anju’s throat and left the room quickly. She turned the lights off in the other room and quickly made her way to Erena, unchaining her.   
  
Erena was conscious, but barely so, and Tsubasa had to support her out of the room and down the hallway to her room. She didn’t bother to take Erena to her own room, wanting to keep her close instead. She helped the other girl onto the bed and sat down on the floor next to it, taking her hand.   
  
Anju and Erena had failed at taking Muse down. She would have to do it herself, there was no other choice. Anju had the right idea though, going after the people closest to the girls. She had just chosen the wrong person. They needed someone weaker. Someone who hadn’t grown into their powers yet, like the younger siblings. That would be the best way to get to Honoka and Eli.   
  
“T-Tsubasa…”  
  
Tsubasa looked up, finding Erena’s half-lidded eyes on her. They were watering slightly, either from tears or because they were still burning. “I’m here. I’m right here. Just rest, it’s over now.”  
  
Her mind shifted back to her plan as Erena closed her eyes again. They had to be ruthless if they wanted to succeed in their mission. She moved her hand to Erena’s cheek, gently brushing her fingers over skin that felt too hot. A sad smile tugged at her lips. “We’re really not cut out to be good people, huh?”

TBC


	18. Chapter 18

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning(s): Sexual scenes, violence, general angst.

“Your hands are shaking.” Maki said softly as she walked down the corridor of the hotel. She could tell that much, simply because Kotori hadn’t let go of her hand in the past thirty minutes. “Are you sure you want to do this? You don’t have to.”  
  
Kotori shook her head, her lips set into a thin line. “I do have to. You know I do.” She paused in front of the hotel room door, taking a deep, soothing breath. She could do this, especially now that she knew the truth.  
  
She didn’t have time to lift her hand to knock before the door was pulled open and she found herself face to face with a strangely happy looking Future Honoka.   
  
“Kotori-chan, Maki-chan!” Honoka opened the door further to allow them to enter the room. “What are you doing here?”  
  
Kotori gave Honoka a small, nervous smile though she was still clutching Maki’s hand as tightly as she possibly could. “I-I came to see Nozomi-chan if…” Her gaze shifted toward Nozomi who was sitting up in the bed. She looked healthy at least, Kotori noticed, even if she did seem frozen. “Is it okay?”

Nozomi nodded hurriedly, seemingly getting over her shock at seeing Kotori there. “O-Of course! If it’s okay with you, Kotori-chan. You don’t have to!”

“I want to.” Kotori took a breath and slowly loosened her grip on Maki’s hand until she finally dropped it. Without the reassuring grip she somehow felt much more vulnerable.   
  
Nozomi held her breath as Kotori inched closer to the bed. “Kotori-chan, please don’t force yourself.” She would never want that, even if she was desperate to know that Kotori wasn’t afraid of her. That trust would have to be built back up with time.   
  
Maki shifted uncomfortably, the urge to follow Kotori to the bed almost overwhelming her. Next to her, Honoka shot her a wary look, recalling Nico’s words.   
  
“I-I’m sorry I thought you hurt me, Nozomi-chan…” Kotori apologized quietly as she neared the side of the bed. “The whole time…it hurt so much to think that Nozomi-chan would…it just felt so wrong.”  
  
Nozomi bit down on the inside of her cheek as she watched Kotori shudder. She swallowed thickly. She hadn’t seen what had been done to Kotori but it was clear it must have been bad. “I would never hurt you, Kotori-chan.”  
  
Despite knowing that Nozomi hadn’t laid a hand on Kotori, Maki felt herself tense as Kotori daringly stepped a bit closer to the bed. “Koto-nee…” The name was whispered under her breath, unheard by Nozomi and Kotori. Honoka heard it though and as Maki looked up she was met with an angry glare. She flinched and quickly turned her attention back to Kotori.   
  
“Does it hurt very much?” Kotori’s gaze focused on Nozomi’s chest, where she’d been informed that Nozomi had been shot.   
  
“Not too much. It was worth it.” Nozomi shot a meaningful look toward Honoka before she returned her attention to Kotori. “I’m fine. Thank you, Kotori-chan.” She shifted slightly, growing uncomfortable in her position but froze when the sudden movement caused Kotori to flinch. “Oh, I-I’m sorry…”  
  
Maki took a step forward only to be stopped by Honoka gripping her shoulder. She looked at her, receiving a shake of the head in response.   
  
“No, it’s fine. I’m fine, I’m sorry.” Kotori wasn’t very convincing. She looked like she could burst into tears at any second. “I-I don’t want to be afraid of you, Nozomi-chan.”  
  
Nozomi blinked profusely against her own tears. Kotori was afraid of her, that much was clear. “I don’t want you to either but…” She inhaled sharply when Kotori suddenly reached for her hand on the bed. She didn’t dare move as Kotori took it though. She held her breath as Kotori seemed to grip her hand as tightly as possible. “K-Kotori-chan?”  
  
Kotori nodded to herself and looked up, determination on her features despite her hands shaking. “N-Nozomi-chan is just Nozomi-chan. I shouldn’t be afraid.”  
  
“Maki-chan, you’re one of my best friends but I hope what Nico said isn’t true.” Honoka squeezed Maki’s shoulder, her gaze on Kotori and Nozomi. “Kotori-chan isn’t available.”  
  
“W-What? It’s not like that!” Maki squeaked, her cheeks flushing in embarrassment. “Why would you think that?!”  
  
Honoka made a sound of disbelief before she let go of Maki’s shoulder. She walked over to Kotori just as the girl let go of Nozomi’s hand.   
  
“Honoka?” Nozomi beckoned Honoka to her. When the young woman bent to her level, she leaned close to her ear and lowered her voice to a whisper. “She’s lonely, you know…”  
  
Kotori watched with curiosity and shot Maki a questioning look. The redhead couldn’t even seem to look at her. A moment later she felt arms go around her from behind and she inhaled quickly, surprised by the action.   
  
“I’m proud of you, Kotori-chan.” Future Honoka said honestly as she felt Kotori relax against her. She had seen firsthand how much Anju’s attack had damaged Kotori. “You’re the bravest person I know.” She pressed her lips to Kotori’s cheek and held her closer still.   
  
Kotori felt her face heat up at the gentle kiss. “Honoka-chan…” She mumbled embarrassedly though she did nothing to pull away from the embrace. If anything she relished in it. She missed her Honoka more than ever but there was nothing she could do about that.   
  
Maki shook her head at the two of them as she made her way over to the bed. It baffled her how Kotori could wonder if their Honoka loved her, considering how Future Honoka acted with her. She took a seat on the edge of the bed, drawing Nozomi’s attention toward her. “I’m sorry too. About how I treated you, all of the names I called you…I shouldn’t have.”  
  
Nozomi’s brow furrowed slightly. “You called me names?”  
  
“Well not while you were there.” Maki said with an apologetic shrug of her shoulders. Whenever Kotori had been suffering from nightmares she had vehemently cursed the girl next to her. “I should have believed you but I saw you hurt Koto-nee and…”  
  
“Koto-nee?” Nozomi smirked at the slip. “So Maki-chan does have a cute side, hmm?”  
  
Maki groaned in frustration. “It’s just a habit I’ve gotten back into. I can’t stop calling her that now.” Her gaze shifted to Kotori who seemed to be perfectly content in Honoka’s embrace. “Besides, it makes her happy.”  
  
“I’m proud of you for protecting her, Maki-chan. Even against me.” Nozomi said, her voice suddenly solemn. It changed back to amused within seconds. “But I can see why Senpai is jealous now.”  
  
Maki raised an eyebrow, trying not to focus too much on the idea of a jealous Future Honoka. “Senpai?”  
  
Nozomi laughed softly. “We both have our habits.”   
  
Maki relaxed, relieved that Nozomi didn’t seem to be angry with her. She still felt guilty though. She should have listened to her. She glanced past Nozomi at Kotori and Future Honoka, just in time to see Honoka reluctantly let Kotori go.   
  
Kotori looked a little bit less saddened than she’d appeared over the past couple of weeks at least. Maki was glad of that. She’d quickly grown to find that she still hated seeing Kotori upset, just as she had when they were younger.   
  
—-  
  
Umi peered closely at Honoka, noticing the distant look in her eyes. She had been that way ever since she’d found out that Nozomi was innocent. She seemed to be spacing out even more than she usually did. What really bothered Umi was the guilt that seemed to seep into her expression whenever she started to allow her thoughts to stray.   
  
“Honoka.” Umi called quietly to the girl on the bed. Honoka didn’t even seem to hear her. “Honoka.” When there was still no answer Umi grew slightly concerned and closed the notebook she’d been scrawling in. She had taken to writing things down lately, trying to grasp any memories she could before they slipped away completely. It was desperate and she knew that but it was all she could do. With every day that passed she could feel herself losing more of her memories. “Honoka…”  
  
She crawled onto the bed, moving up toward Honoka. She leaned close to her, so close that their noses brushed. “Hey.”  
  
“Umi-chan!” Honoka seemed to snap herself out of her thoughts, a soft smile tugging at her lips. “What is it?”  
  
“I was calling for you. Didn’t you hear me?” Umi adjusted herself so that she was on her knees next to Honoka. “I don’t like seeing that look on your face.”  
  
“What look? I don’t know what you mean.” Honoka’s smile turned a bit forced as she wrapped her arms around Umi’s neck. “I didn’t have a look on my face.”  
  
“You were protecting the rest of Muse. You were protecting Kotori and Eli.” Umi reminded Honoka gently. “You don’t have to feel guilty for that. Nozomi will understand why you…”  
  
“Kicked her out of Muse? I’m not sure she will.” Honoka’s lips turned downward as she thought back to Nozomi’s reaction to being forced to leave the group. “I’ll talk to her. Don’t worry, Umi-chan.”  
  
Umi sighed and lay down on the bed, her head resting in Honoka’s lap. She smiled contentedly when Honoka’s fingers brushed gently through her hair. “Is…Eli coming over today?”  
  
Honoka paused for a second, surprised by the question. “I don’t think so. Unless she comes by without saying anything. Why?”  
  
“No reason.” Umi mumbled, refusing to look at Honoka. She couldn’t help but feel jealous of Honoka’s growing closeness with Eli. It seemed that the blonde had been taking up more and more of Honoka’s time over the past week. “I just…miss it just being the two of us. Like it used to be.”  
  
“Don’t you mean the three of us?” Honoka asked, frowning at Umi’s words. “You, me and Kotori-chan?” It hadn’t escaped her notice that Umi had been forgetting about Kotori a lot recently. She hardly mentioned her and when Honoka did Umi didn’t seem all that interested. “Umi-chan…you do miss Kotori-chan, don’t you?”  
  
Umi wasn’t sure how to answer that. She knew that she was supposed to miss her friend but she didn’t. Not really. “I don’t know.” She answered honestly. “I…don’t think so.” She felt herself jolt with panic when Honoka leaned away from her. Honoka looked as if Umi had just greatly hurt her with her words.   
  
“H-How can you say that?” Honoka asked, at a loss. “Even if the two of you got into a fight you would still miss Kotori-chan. Kotori-chan is our best friend, remember? We love her!” She watched as Umi averted her eyes. “Umi-chan?” She gripped Umi’s shoulders, giving her a gentle but urgent shake. “You do, don’t you? Tell me you love Kotori-chan, I want to hear you say it!”  
  
Umi blinked at Honoka, startled by the tears she could see in her girlfriend’s eyes. “I…I love  _you_.”  
  
Honoka whimpered at the answer, the sound sending an ache through Umi’s chest. “That’s not what I asked…”  
  
Umi couldn’t stand seeing Honoka hurting so she settled for lying. She was getting good at that. “Of course I love Kotori. I’m sorry I worried you.”  
  
Honoka’s grip on Umi’s arms loosened. “Don’t scare me like again, Umi-chan. It’s supposed to be the three of us. We can’t lose Kotori-chan.” She leaned in, feeling Umi’s arms go around her and tucked her face into Umi’s neck. “I don’t want to lose either of you. We promised the three of us would be friends forever, remember?”  
  
Umi’s brow furrowed. She didn’t remember making any kind of promise like that. Maybe it had been when they were younger. She thought of Kotori, trying as hard as she could to remember what she had once felt for her. She knew that Kotori was her other best friend and had been for a long time but she struggled to find an emotional response to her. She certainly couldn’t recall many memories of her. It didn’t make sense, considering the girl was her best friend but she didn’t feel any kind of attachment when she thought of her.   
  
She leaned away from Honoka and reached for her notebook, in such a hurry that she almost toppled off the bed. She would have had Honoka not grabbed her around the waist to steady her.   
  
“Careful, Umi-chan…” Honoka mumbled, releasing Umi when the girl leaned back onto the bed.   
  
Umi made a sound of acknowledgement but she was too busy scrawling the promise Honoka had mentioned down to really pay much attention. She had promised not to leave Honoka and Kotori. Not just Honoka. She had to have some kind of bond with the girl. She knew she did but she couldn’t feel it.   
  
Honoka frowned as she watched Umi’s brow furrow. “Are you okay, Umi-chan?” She brushed her fingers lightly over Umi’s brow. “You looked like you were in pain. Is it another headache?”  
  
Headaches. That’s what she had started calling the times when she felt her memories slipping away. It usually happened when she was apart from Honoka but whenever Honoka would walk in on her clutching her head in agony, tears slipping their way down her cheeks, Umi would say she had a headache. Honoka was always beside herself with worry when she found Umi like that so she tried to stay with her whenever possible.   
  
“I’m fine, Honoka.” Umi reached for Honoka’s hand, drawing it to her lips. She kissed her knuckles gently before pressing the hand to her chest, a soft sigh escaping her. During moments like this she could almost pretend that everything was fine. That everything she’d ever known wasn’t slipping away from her. “As long as you’re here, I’m fine.”  
  
Honoka flashed her that adoring smile she seemed to reserve only for her and Umi’s chest tightened. She blinked hurriedly, worried that the prickling she felt at the corners of her eyes would turn into tears. She didn’t know how long it would take but soon Honoka would fade from her memory too. She pushed the notebook in front of her to the side. “Honoka?”  
  
“Hmm?” Honoka hummed questioningly.   
  
“Kiss me.” Umi leaned in, silently pleading with Honoka to give her what she needed. She didn’t fail to notice the flash of concern on Honoka’s face. Even her oblivious best friend was noticing that something was wrong. She was supposed to be hiding it. “Please…”  
  
Honoka leaned close, pressing her forehead against Umi’s. Gently, she brought their lips together in a brief, chaste kiss. She was surprised when Umi wrapped her arms around her neck to keep her close. She didn’t exactly mind it and she quickly relaxed, allowing Umi to lead the kiss. Her lips merely countered the movement of her friend’s.   
  
She pulled away from the kiss at the sound of a knock at the door. She didn’t have time to call out for the person to wait where they were before the door opened and Kotori walked into the room.   
  
Kotori paused at the sight of her best friends. She felt Maki bump into her back. “Sorry, are we…interrupting something?”  
  
“Kotori-chan!” Honoka exclaimed happily, pushing Umi off her slightly. “What are you doing here? I didn’t know you were coming over today.”  
  
Maki rolled her eyes. “I’m here too, you know.” She commented dryly though she was glad that Honoka seemed so happy to see Kotori. Kotori had been worrying that Honoka might not feel anything for her. To Maki it was clear that wasn’t true even if Honoka was so wrapped up in Umi that she didn’t realize it yet.   
  
“Of course I noticed you, Maki-chan.” Honoka beamed over at Maki though her gaze quickly returned to Kotori. “Did you come over to hang out? Umi and I were going to watch a movie. You and Maki-chan could stay if you want. I’ll call Eli-senpai too maybe…”  
  
“Uh…no, we didn’t come to watch a movie.” Kotori answered quietly. “I need to talk to you, Honoka. In private.”  
  
Umi sat up slightly when Kotori’s gaze slid over to her. Her memories of the girl were blurred at best but she remembered that Kotori knew what was happening with her memories. “No.” She reached out, gripping Honoka’s wrist to keep her from standing up. “You can’t.”  
  
“What?” Honoka frowned over at Umi who didn’t even look at her. “What do you mean? I won’t be long, Umi-chan. Maki-chan will stay with you while I talk to Kotori-chan, right Maki-chan?”  
  
“No!” Umi’s voice grew louder, her gaze still fixed on a surprised looking Kotori. “Get out, Kotori. Whatever you have to say to Honoka can wait.”  
  
Maki bristled at Umi’s tone. “Hey! Don’t speak to Koto-nee like that!”  
  
“Get OUT!” Umi’s voice grew progressively louder, causing Kotori to flinch slightly.   
  
“Umi-chan!” Honoka’s voice rang out over even Umi’s. She wrenched her hand away from her girlfriend’s tight grip, almost toppling herself off the bed with the force she pulled away. The way Umi had been treating Kotori over the past week was going too far. “What are you saying? Kotori-chan is staying where she is! If you don’t want to be here you can leave! I won’t let you talk to her like that!”  
  
Umi cringed at Honoka’s angry words. Honoka hardly ever got angry with her and never took anyone’s side over hers. Maybe she really was losing her too. Tears pricked at her eyes once more. “I-I’m sorry, I…” she quickly got up from the bed and fled the room, shoving past Maki to get to the door.   
  
Honoka seemed to realize what she had done immediately, her face paling. “Wait…”   
  
“I’ll go. Stay here, Honoka.” Maki shot Honoka a warning look before she turned and hurried after Umi. She rushed down the stairs, only catching up with Umi as they stepped out of the shop. “Hey! What the hell do you think you’re doing?”  
  
Umi angrily brushed the tears from her eyes. “Leave me, alone, M…” Her mind went blank for a moment and she found herself struggling with her words. “M…”  
  
“Maki.” Maki provided, her tone softening just a little bit as she watched Umi struggle with herself. Kotori’s warning that Umi was losing both her memories and herself came to mind. “Umi, you need to let me help you. Please, just let me take a look. I’m not going to hurt you, I swear.” She lifted her hands and stepped forward, following Umi as she backed up slowly. “Umi, come on. It’s just me.”  
  
Umi’s back finally hit the wall and Maki got close enough that her fingers grazed Umi’s temples. She barely had time to feel relieved that she was going to be able to help before her shoulder was grabbed and she found herself being spun around, her own back hitting the wall.   
  
“I said NO!” Umi fumbled at her belt, drawing out the knife she carried around. It was for protection. After what had happened with her mother she felt like she needed it, to protect both herself and Honoka.   
  
Maki held her breath as Umi pressed the blade against her throat. “U-Umi…this isn’t you. The Umi we know wouldn’t do this. You would never speak to Kotori like you just…” She trailed off as the knife was pushed closer. The grip on her shoulder tightened to the point of pain too but she didn’t dare try to shrink away.   
  
“Why don’t you understand?!” Umi growled, tears glistening in her eyes. “I don’t know you or her!”  
  
Maki could feel herself trembling despite her efforts to stay calm. She had never seen that look in Umi’s eyes before. She looked desperate, like she wanted to escape. “H-How can you say that? You love Kotori, she’s your best friend…”  
  
“I don’t feel anything for her!” Umi’s voice rose and she pressed the knife close to Maki’s skin, accidentally cutting her. “I don’t love  _anyone_  apart from Honoka!”  
  
“Umi!” Maki reflexively reached up and grabbed Umi’s arm, trying to keep the knife away from her throat. She didn’t recognize her friend. It was like she was a completely different person. She watched as Umi gritted her teeth. It didn’t seem like Umi would even hesitate to kill her. “Please, I-I just want to help you.”  
  
“You’re not helping me, you’ll just make it WORSE!” Umi exclaimed, her grip on Maki’s shoulder tightening even more. “That’s what you want to do, y-you’re just the same as all mental ability users. You’re all monsters!”  
  
Maki’s eyes widened in shock at the accusation. It hurt much more than the blade to her throat did. Her loosened grip on Umi’s arm caused her to push the knife harder against her throat and Maki wheezed for breath. “U-Umi, please…”  
  
Her vision darkened. The knife was so tight against her throat that it was blocking her windpipe. She wondered if Kotori would find her, dead outside the shop or whether it would be someone else. She wondered how Future Honoka would react. She was already so damaged after watching all of her friends die. She couldn’t experience it again. Finally, Maki wondered if Umi would be able to live with herself if someone managed to help her get her memories back.   
  
Suddenly the knife was wrenched away from her throat and without the hand to pin her against the wall, she collapsed to the ground, coughing violently. She looked up at Umi through watery eyes, not failing to miss the horrified expression on her face.  
  
“What…” Umi looked down at the knife in her hand, her chest tightening. “I-I didn’t…” She hadn’t meant to do it. She would never hurt her friends. “M-Maki, I’m so sorry. I don’t know why I…I have to go, I-I’m sorry!”  
  
“Umi…” Maki rasped, pushing herself to her knees. She reached for the girl but Umi had already turned and hurried away from her. “UMI!”

—-  
  
Kotori watched as Maki left the room, torn between running after her and staying with Honoka. She settled on the latter and inched toward her best friend whose guilt filled eyes were settled upon the door. “I’m sorry, Honoka-chan…”  
  
Honoka shook her head and pasted a smile to her lips. “It’s fine, Kotori-chan. What did you want to talk to me about? You seemed nervous.” Her gaze strayed back to the door so she didn’t notice Kotori anxiously wringing her hands. “Do you know why Umi-chan acted like that? Did you two get into a…fight?”  
  
The idea didn’t sit well with her. Usually she and Umi were the ones arguing. It was never Kotori and Umi. They never fought. But Umi had been acting so strangely whenever Kotori’s name was brought up.   
  
Kotori gave a silent shake of her head and sank down next to Honoka on the bed. What just happened was just a taste of what would happen if she told Honoka what was going on. Umi would definitely hate her then. “I’m worried about Umi-chan too.” She glanced up at Honoka, noticing her best friend wasn’t even looking at her. “And I’ve missed you.”  
  
It hurt, how easily Honoka seemed to dismiss her when there was something wrong with Umi. For the past week or so it had seemed like Honoka had completely forgotten about her. “Honoka?”  
  
Honoka’s brow was furrowed as she stared at the door. “Umi-chan is never usually gone for this long…”  
  
Kotori felt a wave of frustration wash over her. Honoka wasn’t even hearing what she was saying. It was like she didn’t miss her at all. She didn’t see her, just like she’d told Maki. “I went to see Nozomi-chan today.”  
  
Honoka stopped staring at the door upon hearing Kotori’s words. She turned toward Kotori quickly. She’d been worried about Kotori ever since what had happened with Nozomi. She hadn’t been there for her though, not like Maki had been. Honoka gripped Kotori’s hand with both of her own and squeezed gently. “What happened?” She asked softly.   
  
Kotori took a moment to think before she shrugged. “Nozomi-chan was alright, still in bed and in pain. I’m okay too…”

Honoka looked down at their hands, her teeth clenched. “Kotori-chan, I wish I’d been with you, I-I’m so sorry that I wasn’t with you. I missed you so much. Everything seems to be so wrong lately. With what happened with you and Nozomi-chan and now with Umi-chan. I-I just feel so useless. It’s better that you’re with Maki-chan.“  
  
Maki was much more useful to Kotori than she was. She could actually take care of her, unlike Honoka herself.  

Tears welled up in Honoka’s eyes and she bowed her head slightly “I’m never going to be like her you know, I’m never going to be the leader all of you deserve…especially you and Umi-chan.  You two are my best friends and I’m so scared of losing either of you. But…”  
  
She was losing them. She was losing both of them in a way. Umi was still with her but something was wrong with her. Honoka could feel it.  

Kotori felt her own hand shake between Honoka’s. Honoka had been holding a lot in since the night within the Sonoda Estate. She’d know that, yet both herself and Umi were too wrapped up in their own issues to even notice the dimness within their precious friend’s eyes.  She inhaled sharply when Honoka looked up at her. Tears spilled freely down her best friend’s cheeks, her blue eyes even brighter with the tears clinging to her lashes.

“Honoka-chan…”

“I’m tired of all this. I just want it all to end, to stop hurting us. Is that so bad Kotori-chan?” Honoka gritted her teeth, her eyes going back toward the door with worry. “Something is wrong. You know…you both know…” Kotori’s breath hitched and she tried to turn away but Honoka quickly grabbed her chin and turned her to face her.

“You two always do this. What happened Kotori-chan? Please tell me. I want to help both of you so much…”

Kotori shook her head, trying to fight her own tears as she stared at Honoka. It was the first time in a long time that Honoka had been so vulnerable with her. She couldn’t help but wonder if this was what Umi saw when they were alone. Or maybe Honoka kept her usual walls up, even around Umi.

Honoka continued to look into her eyes, slowly losing hope that Kotori would tell her anything. She slipped her free arm around Kotori’s waist and dropped her forehead to Kotori’s shoulder. “Please…”  
  
Kotori swallowed thickly against the lump in her throat. She wanted to tell Honoka the truth but she couldn’t. “I can’t, Honoka-chan.” She felt Honoka take a shuddering breath and squeezed her eyes shut. “It’s just…”  
  
Thankfully, the door opened just as she was about to speak and she glanced over in time to see Maki trudge her way into the room. The redhead’s hand was covering her throat, her eyes on the ground. “Maki-chan?” She quickly let go of Honoka and got to her feet.   
  
“Can we go, Koto-nee?” Maki asked softly, her gaze only briefly fleeting up to Kotori’s. “I want to go home.”  
  
Something about the way Maki sounded so young had Kotori’s chest tightening further, if that was even possible. “Y-Yeah, of course…”  
  
Honoka reached out and gripped Kotori’s hand. “Wait, Kotori-chan…” she blinked up at Kotori, silently pleading with her to stay.   
  
Kotori was torn for a moment but she couldn’t ignore the feeling that something was wrong with Maki. With a silent shake of her head she drew her hand away from Honoka’s and made her way back to Maki. “I’ll call you later, Honoka-chan.”  
  
Maki kept one hand on her neck, taking Kotori’s hand with the other. She entwined their fingers gently and tugged Kotori toward the door, wanting to leave as quickly as possible.   
  
Honoka couldn’t do anything but watch as Kotori left with Maki. The room was suddenly too quiet, free of Umi’s reassuring presence. As the door closed behind Kotori, she barely managed to choke back a sob. She really was losing them both, it seemed, no matter how much she tried to cling to them.

—–

Honoka stared at the ceiling, the tears on her cheeks having long since dried. Now her face just felt uncomfortably sticky, though she didn’t care enough to wipe it. Umi had been gone for five hours in total and it was getting dark outside. She had thought about going out to find her but she had worried that Umi might not want to speak to her. She wouldn’t blame her after what she had said to her earlier.   
  
The seconds seemed to tick by achingly slowly and Honoka had to resist the urge to ring Umi again. She wouldn’t answer, she knew that. But she couldn’t just lie there and do nothing. She had just about convinced herself to get up and go looking for Umi herself when the door creaked open and someone shuffled into the room.   
  
She bolted upright, her breathing seeming to pause as Umi moved toward the bed, her eyes downcast. In the darkness of the room, Honoka couldn’t quite see her face but Umi’s posture reminded Honoka somewhat of a frightened animal who’d been berated. “Umi-chan…”  
  
A sharp whimper sounded from Umi and she seemed to crumble within a few seconds, moving hurriedly toward Honoka and throwing her arms around her neck. It didn’t take long for Honoka’s arms to go around her in turn, holding her as close to her as possible.   
  
“I-I don’t know what’s happening to me, Honoka.” Umi spoke tearfully, her voice muffled by Honoka’s shoulder. “I’m scared. I’m so…” She trailed off, sobbing softly into the fabric of Honoka’s t-shirt.   
  
Honoka had to fight the urge to give into her own emotions. She was just as scared as Umi, the only difference was that she was scared for her girlfriend. She was scared because she didn’t know what was going on or how to make it better. She stayed silent, gently stroking Umi’s hair until she quietened, her sobs turning to soft sniffles and the occasional whimper.   
  
Umi sat where she was for a while, taking shuddering breaths. Honoka’s scent helped to soothe her and she found herself desperately seeking it out. She was losing her memories so quickly and so often that she felt the only way to keep them was to cling to Honoka like she was.   
  
“Honoka…” Umi slowly lifted her head, blinking tearfully at Honoka. She wasn’t surprised to find her girlfriend’s eyes were just as watery. “Will you…will you tell me about our first kiss?”  
  
A flash of hurt crossed Honoka’s face. “You don’t remember?”  
  
“I-It’s not that.” Umi lied. She didn’t remember. Not at all. “I just want you to tell me.”  
  
Honoka stared at Umi pensively for a moment. She didn’t know what was wrong with her but clearly something was. She lay back on the bed and gently tugged Umi on top of her. “I’d stumbled and you’d tried to catch me.” Her breath hitched as Umi’s weight settled atop her. “We ended up like this on the bed. I complained because it wasn’t fair and you smiled at me. I remember thinking about your future self…that Umi-chan couldn’t be any prettier than she already was. Then you were kissing me and I thought I should maybe push you away but I couldn’t.”  
  
Umi’s cheeks flooded with warmth at the compliment. “Like…this?” She leaned down, pressing her lips tentatively to Honoka’s. It was sweet and innocent but she lingered for a few seconds before pulling back.   
  
“Like that.” Honoka whispered, her eyes half-lidded. Her hand went to the back of Umi’s head and she drew her down into a deeper kiss. Their noses bumped awkwardly because of the movement, their teeth clashing a bit but neither of them paid any attention to that. Umi settled for kissing Honoka as deeply as she could, her fingers slipping into her hair.   
  
Honoka felt herself trembling as Umi’s fingers slipped from her hair, down her neck over her shoulders and her chest. It was like Umi’s fingers were mapping her out, trying to memorize every patch of skin and every curve. It wasn’t long before those hands slipped beneath her shirt and she had to pull away from the kiss, gasping softly for air.   
  
Umi didn’t want to stop kissing Honoka for a second. She wanted to lose herself in her, to drown in her girlfriend’s warmth, scent and taste. She kissed her way down Honoka’s jaw to her neck and nipped lightly at her skin.   
  
Honoka found herself struggling to breath as she felt Umi’s tongue flick out against her skin. Her eyes turned downward as Umi kissed a path down her torso, atop her shirt. Even with the clothing in the way, it felt too good. Soon enough, Umi was at the hem of her shirt, pushing it up as she scattered light kisses over Honoka’s stomach. “U-Umi-chan…”  
  
“You’re so perfect, Honoka.” Umi’s voice was slightly choked somehow as she spoke though her eyes were free of tears now as she looked up at Honoka. She wished she could commit the image of Honoka’s flushed cheeks and darkened eyes to memory but she knew that would slip away given time too. “You’re so…” She shook her head, at a loss and settle for continuing with what she was doing.   
  
Honoka gave into Umi’s attentions, breathy gasps and moans escaping her as Umi kissed her way over her breasts and chest, the t-shirt she was wearing being pushed higher.   
  
“Take this off.” Umi requested, leaning back just a little bit to allow Honoka to sit up long enough to remove the t-shirt. She was relieved when Honoka did so without further permission. She didn’t hesitate to remove her own shirt and cast it aside. She wanted to commit the feeling of Honoka pressed against her to memory for as long as possible. She couldn’t afford to allow being shy to get in the way. Not when she had so little time.   
  
Honoka was surprised when Umi daringly slipped off her bra too, having reached back to unclasp it. As the fabric was removed from Umi’s chest, her gaze dipped and she found herself staring, her mouth slightly agape.   
  
“Honoka.” Umi’s voice drew Honoka’s gaze back up and she found a familiar smile on her girlfriend’s lips. It was tinged with sadness though, not like it had been when they’d shared their first kiss. “Staring is embarrassing…”  
  
“I-I can’t help it.” Honoka stuttered nervously. “U-Umi-chan is so pretty…” She lifted her hand slowly, her fingers tracing the globe of Umi’s breast. “And soft…”  
  
“Honoka.” Umi’s voice was huskier than usual and Honoka felt herself shudder at the tone. “I want…I want to see yours too. If…can I?”  
  
Honoka’s stomach flipped with anticipation. Being so bare with someone wasn’t something she was used to but it was Umi. She would be okay with Umi. She supposed she felt the same way with Kotori too though she didn’t dwell on that thought. She nodded shakily and reached back just as Umi did. She was embarrassed that she fumbled quite a bit. Her fingers trembled with nerves. Finally she slid the bra off and watched as Umi’s gaze dipped just as hers had, curious eyes taking in every dip and curve. Honoka had to fight the urge to cover up.   
  
Umi let out a slow breath, trying to ignore the way her body seemed to have heated up. “You’re the pretty one, Honoka…” She leaned down, kissing at Honoka’s chest again.   
  
Honoka dropped back onto the bed again, closing her eyes as she allowed herself to focus on Umi’s actions. Fingers and lips traced over her throat, shoulders and breasts, repeatedly. Seemingly in no hurry. Every touch seemed to warm her body further, sending a rush of pleasure south. “U-Umi-chan, what are you doing…?”  
  
“Memorizing you.” Umi answered honestly, glancing up at Honoka through her eyelashes. “I don’t want to forget anything about this. About you.”  
  
Honoka didn’t know what Umi meant by that. She was always saying things like that, always acting as if things had slipped her mind. Like their first kiss. Parts of their childhood. Kotori. Honoka’s chest ached at the thought of their childhood friend. She hoped it wasn’t true that Umi suddenly didn’t love Kotori anymore. It couldn’t be true. They both loved Kotori. Honoka couldn’t imagine not loving her. She felt the hem of her shorts being pushed down and her hips arched slightly, a gentle moan passing her lips. She’d only felt the ache she felt on a couple of occasions. The first had been when Umi had kissed her neck, right after she’d hurt her lower back. The second when they’d been fooling around on that very bed and Umi had inadvertently stopped holding herself back enough to climax right on top of her.   
  
Her eyes snapped open as she felt her shorts being pushed down her legs. “U-Umi-chan, wait!” She pushed herself up on her elbows, staring at Umi with wide eyes. “I-I don’t know if…”  
  
Umi looked up at Honoka, her eyes alight with an emotion Honoka couldn’t place. “I love you, Honoka.” She took Honoka’s hand and brought it to her lips, kissing her palm. “I-I know I’m not always the best at showing it or even telling you but…I love you more than anything. I want this for both of us, I want…I want to make this memory together.”  
  
She wanted to hold onto it too, but if she couldn’t do that she wanted Honoka to have the memory. If there ever came a time when she wouldn’t be in Honoka’s life, she wanted her to remember her.   
  
Honoka hadn’t imagined that her first time would be like this. She had always picture her first time being with someone like Kotori. Kotori specifically if she was honest. That had just been a silly fantasy she’d found herself mulling over, usually on days her best friend looked especially nice. “O-Okay, Umi-chan…”  
  
Umi smiled and leaned in, pressing her lips gently to Honoka’s. She pressed their foreheads together after, vaguely noticing that Honoka was trembling. She was too, she was sure. “I won’t hurt you. I would never.”  
  
Honoka took a shuddering breath. “I trust you, Umi-chan.” She kissed Umi one more time before she lay back down, silently giving herself over to the other girl.   
  
Umi took her time with sliding Honoka’s shorts and underwear down her legs, pressing a kiss here and there over soft skin. When Honoka was completely bare in front of her, she knelt on the bed for a moment, staring at her.   
  
“U-Umi-chan, don’t look at me for so long.” Honoka really did try to cover herself up this time, her cheeks aflame with embarrassment.   
  
“S-Sorry.” Umi whispered back, her eyes flitting back up to Honoka’s. “I’ve just never seen this much of you. I-It’s nice. You’re really…wow.”  
  
“Umi-chaaaan.” Honoka whined. Somehow Umi’s heated stare only made her want her more. “I-If you’re going to keep looking at me, the…the least you could do is touch me too.”  
  
Umi’s eyes widened in surprise at the daring comment. She waited as Honoka slowly took her hands away, revealing herself once more. “Oh…”  
  
“Oh?” Honoka covered her eyes with her hands, not wanting to watch what Umi did. It was too embarrassing. She wondered if Umi was teasing her, in her own way. It was a different way to how Kotori would tease her. She supposed if Kotori was there she would make a comment about how cute Honoka was, purposefully pointing out that Honoka was cute everywhere while pointedly staring…there.   
  
She felt herself flush further. She didn’t know what she was thinking, picturing Kotori like that. Kotori was her best friend and she loved her. She had recently come to the conclusion that while she didn’t love one of her friends more than the other, it was different. But maybe it wasn’t.   
  
She was distracted from her thoughts by hands carefully pushing her knees apart. She felt cold for just a few seconds before Umi’s hand was there, clumsy fingers rubbing at her. “U-Umi-chan!”  
  
Umi felt herself shiver at Honoka’s voice calling her name. She moved up to the girl, wanting to listen intently to every sound that escaped her. She listened carefully, paying attention to the gasps and moans that escaped Honoka until she figured out where to focus her attention. She settled into a rhythm after a few seconds, growing more confident in what she was doing.   
  
“You’re so warm, Honoka…” Umi nibbled gently at Honoka’s earlobe. “And wet too…”  
  
Honoka didn’t feel embarrassed this time. If anything Umi’s words only turned her on more. “Umi-chan, take off your pants too…” She gasped, her hands moving down Umi’s back.   
  
Umi shook her head. “I don’t want to move…”  
  
“But it’s not fa-aaair…” Honoka’s eyes widened as Umi’s fingers pressed against something especially pleasant. “I-If you get to see me but I don’t get to see y-yo…ah! U-Umi-chan, l-let me finish!”   
  
Umi couldn’t help but grin at the noises she was managing to draw from Honoka. She almost felt proud of herself for managing it. “Honoka…I want to…” She didn’t quite know how to find the words. “Is it okay if I um…c-can I try to put my fingers…”  
  
“Yes.” Honoka said quickly. She didn’t think she could take letting Umi finish that sentence. It was too embarrassing and it made her feel even stranger. “Please.”  
  
She wondered if Kotori would do it the same way, whether she would decide to use her hand or whether she’d use a different method. Unwittingly, the mental image of Kotori down there filled her mind and she gasped sharply as Umi’s fingers pressed slowly into her. “Oh…!”  
  
She couldn’t help it. She allowed herself to entertain the idea of Kotori joining them, of her kissing her and touching her while Umi did the same. She pushed her hips forward, causing Umi’s fingers to slip further inside. “S-So good, Umi-chan…” She pulled Umi to her, kissing her deeply and desperately. She wanted to lose herself in her girlfriend’s warmth, to hold onto her and never let go. Fingers tangled into Umi’s hair, her teeth pulling at Umi’s lower lip. The answering moan she got from Umi sent a surprising jolt of pleasure through her.

It felt too good and she could feel her control slipping away as she ground her hips toward Umi’s hand, trying to make her go faster and deeper. “I love you.” she moaned loudly, holding Umi close to her. “Umi-chan, U-Umi-chan!”  
  
She was completely focused on Umi though when she finally climaxed, her body stiffening as an unfamiliar pleasure washed over her, it wasn’t just Umi she pictured. It was Kotori too. She heard herself cry out but to her it sounded far away. Breathing heavily, she held Umi close as she tried to calm herself. She was confused. She didn’t know why she had pictured both of them. She loved Umi, she knew that she did. But she loved Kotori too. It was so confusing.   
  
Umi gently stroked Honoka’s hair, watching her face intently. It didn’t seem like Honoka was capable of moving. After a few seconds it became apparent that Honoka had drifted off to sleep though Umi couldn’t say that she minded. She moved just enough to pull the blankets over the two of them. Engrossed in watching Honoka, it took her a long time to fall asleep herself. She couldn’t imagine forgetting her but she knew it was possible. She had forgotten Kotori already. It wouldn’t be long before Honoka slipped away from her too.   
  
—  
  
Future Honoka was lounging on the bed next to Nozomi, grouchily flicking through the channels on the small TV in the corner of the hotel room when there was a knock at the door.   
  
Nozomi, who had been dozing with her head on Honoka’s shoulder, sat up sharply. “Huh?!”  
  
“Don’t worry, I’ll see who it is.” Honoka gently patted Nozomi’s arm. The younger girl had been quite jumpy lately. She got up from the bed and went to the door, opening it. “Oh. Eli-s…” She shook her head quickly. “Eli. Come in.”  
  
Nozomi sat up a bit straighter on the bed, staring at the door. Her chest ached as Eli moved awkwardly into the room, something clutched in her arms. “Elichi…”  
  
Eli glanced briefly toward the bed but she couldn’t look at Nozomi for too long. “I um…brought you both some food.” She shoved the grocery bag in her arms toward Honoka. “I didn’t cook. It’s just…things you might need to cook for yourselves. Or…maybe you should get Nico to do it. If you’re anything like my Honoka…”  
  
Honoka raised an eyebrow at the comment. Eli’s use of ‘my Honoka’ was getting a bit too possessive lately. “Thanks.”  
  
Eli nodded and turned toward Nozomi though she wouldn’t meet her eyes. She couldn’t after what she’d done. “How are you feeling?”  
  
It hurt, to see Eli acting so distant. It hadn’t been that way for them in a long while. “I’m alright. It doesn’t hurt as much now as it did before so…I guess that’s good.”  
  
“Thanks to me.” Honoka pointed out teasingly as she rifled through the groceries Eli had brought with her. “I never thought I’d see the day Nozomi-chan acted like such a spoiled kid. Seriously Eli, you should see the way she’s been treating me. Like I’m her maid or…”  
  
“Senpai!” Nozomi exclaimed in embarrassment, earning herself a laugh from Honoka.   
  
“What?” Honoka asked in a faux innocent voice. “I’m just saying.”  
  
Even Eli managed to crack a smile at their antics. She was glad that Nozomi had somebody. More than anything she wanted to be the person who was there for Nozomi but after what had happened she couldn’t be. She didn’t deserve to be the person at Nozomi’s side.   
  
“Elichi?” Nozomi’s voice was suddenly small again, her eyes on Eli. “Will you stay for dinner? Or just for a little while? I’ve missed you…”  
  
“I-I can’t.” Eli said quietly, shaking her head. “I-I need to check on Arisa. I need to give you something before I go though…”  
  
Nozomi felt a flicker of hope and sat up straighter. “What is it?”  
  
Future Honoka turned away, trying to give the two a bit of privacy even if she was still listening to every word.   
  
“Um…the key. For your apartment.” Eli stepped a bit closer to the bed and reached into her pocket, taking out the key Nozomi had given her some time ago. “I moved all of my stuff out and tidied the place up a bit so when you go back you won’t have to do it.”  
  
Nozomi stared blankly at the key. “It’s your key, Elichi. Not mine. I don’t want it.”  
  
“I don’t know what else to do with it.” Eli admitted, at a loss. “Please, Nozomi. Just take it.” She reached for Nozomi’s hand, something she managed to take quite easily and pressed the key into it.  “Give it to someone else.”  
  
Nozomi shook her head and held onto Eli’s hand tightly. She didn’t know what Eli had meant by that. “There is nobody else.”  
  
“Don’t say that.” Eli eyes were suddenly clouded with tears, her voice thick with emotion. “I don’t deserve you…not after what I did. I should have believed you, I should have always put you first like you put me first and then…” Her gaze shifted to Honoka who had turned slightly to look at her. “I took advantage…of your grief and your feelings for my future self. I knew you would give in to me if I told you to picture me as Kotori or your Eli-senpai. I needed to feel like somebody loved me and I used you.”  
  
Honoka grimly shook her head. “We took advantage of each other, you shouldn’t just blame your…”  
  
“Bullshit!” Eli exclaimed loudly, her grip on Nozomi’s hand reflexively tightening. “You said her name!”   
  
Honoka swallowed thickly at the memory of it. “I just miss her, Eli. I’m sorry if I hurt you by saying her name but when I told you I love you I wasn’t lying.”  
  
Eli shook her head. “It’s not the point. I knew you didn’t want it really and I persuaded you to go through with it anyway.” She turned back to Nozomi. “And you…I knew you’d be able to feel it. You did, didn’t you?”  
  
Nozomi nodded slowly, her own eyes prickling with moisture. She couldn’t lose Eli. It was out of the question. “But it’s fine…”  
  
“It’s not fine!” Eli finally succeeded in pulling her hand away. “Stop doing that, Nozomi. You just let people do what they want to you and you  _forgive_  them. Some of us don’t deserve forgiveness. I don’t. And I don’t want it either. Neither of you should forgive me!”  
  
Honoka frowned and took a step forward. “Eli, come on…”  
  
“You need someone better, Nozomi. Someone who’s just as good and selfless as you are. That’s not me.” Eli wiped at her tears. “I have to go…Arisa will be waiting for me. I’m sorry.”  
  
“Wait, Elichi!” Nozomi tried to reach out for Eli but the blonde was already hurrying off to the door. Within seconds she was gone. Nozomi stared at the door for a minute, tears slipping from her eyes. In a fit of frustration, she drew her arm back and threw the key in her hand at the wall.   
  
“Hey!” Honoka moved forward and wrapped her arms lightly around Nozomi. “Stop it, you’re going to hurt yourself!”  
  
Nozomi buried her face in Honoka’s chest. “Why is she such an idiot?! I just want her back, why doesn’t she get that?!”  
  
Honoka rested her chin atop Nozomi’s head. “She’s just afraid, Nozomi. Just give her some time. It isn’t supposed to be like this. My Eli-senpai and Nozomi-chan would never break up for good.”  
  
Nozomi sniffled softly and shook her head. “Maybe this is just how it is now…”


	19. Chapter 19

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Another double chapter post! Again, feel free to let me know if the updates get a bit too much. I know they're kind of long and I do update twice per day technically (because 2 chapters) so feel free to let me know if I need to slow down. 
> 
> Chapter warning(s): Angst, violence.

“Maki-chan, take your hand away from your neck.” Maki and Kotori had barely taken two steps into the apartment before Kotori grabbed Maki’s elbow, pulling her to a stop.   
  
She used her free hand to push the door shut behind them. It hadn’t failed to escape her attention that Maki hadn’t moved her hand from her neck since they had left Honoka. Even on the way back she had kept it there, obviously hiding something.   
  
Maki whimpered at the touch and Kotori quickly let go, her eyes wide. “Maki-chan?”  
  
Maki lowered her gaze to the ground for a moment, trying to push past the pain in her shoulder. Umi hadn’t been gentle when she’d pushed her against the wall. Slowly, she looked up at Kotori and lowered her hand from her neck. It had stopped bleeding by now but the palm of her hand was coated in blood as was the area around the cut.   
  
Kotori gasped at the sight of blood and moved closer to Maki to inspect the cut. “What happened?”  
  
“I-I tried to convince Umi to let me help her and she…” Maki trailed off uncomfortably. It felt odd to say that Umi had turned on her but that was exactly what had happened. “She pushed me against the wall and she put a knife to my throat.”

Kotori stared at Maki, barely able to comprehend what she was saying. “Umi-chan wouldn’t hurt any of us.”

“I wouldn’t lie about this!” Maki exclaimed, recoiling at Kotori’s response. She didn’t have any reason to accuse Umi of things she wasn’t guilty of.   
  
“I-I know, I’m sorry!” Kotori reached for Maki again, gently grasping her hands. “I’m not saying that. I believe you, Maki-chan. It’s just…hard to understand why Umi-chan would do that.”  
  
“She’s not Umi anymore.” Maki said defeatedly, her shoulders slumping. “She couldn’t even remember my name, Koto-nee. I thought…I thought she was going to kill me. She looked like she wanted to a-and I couldn’t get away, I…”  
  
“Okay.” Kotori moved forward and hugged Maki gently, feeling the girl trembling in her arms. She gently rubbed her back, trying to soothe her. “It’s okay, Maki-chan. You’re safe now.”  
  
Maki nodded against Kotori’s shoulder, a shuddering breath escaping her and Kotori slowly eased away.   
  
“Sit down and let me look at the cut, okay?” Kotori whispered, gently rubbing Maki’s upper arms. The girl was clearly shaken by what had happened with Umi. She waited until Maki hesitantly met her gaze and nodded her head. “I’ll be back in a minute.”  
  
She left Maki where she was and walked to the kitchen. She turned on the faucet to wet a clean cloth and took a deep breath while she waited for the water to warm up. She didn’t know what she was going to do. Umi was slipping away from her with every passing day and so was Honoka. She was losing both of them and there wasn’t anything she could do about it. She could only stand by and watch.   
  
She angrily hit the palm of her hand against the counter, the corners of her eyes stinging with tears. It wasn’t meant to be like this.   
  
“Koto-nee?” Maki called anxiously from the other room, obviously having heard the thud.   
  
Kotori quickly wiped at her eyes before she soaked the cloth in her hand and grabbed the first aid kit. She switched off the faucet and walked into the living room, finding Maki sitting nervously on the couch. “Sorry, I just…dropped something.”  
  
She moved to Maki’s side, perching on the edge of the couch next to her and set the first aid kit on her lap.   
  
“I’m just going to clean it.” She waited for a nod from Maki before she moved the do just that, gently rubbing the blood from Maki’s neck with the cloth. The closer she got to the cut, the more difficult it got and she quickly switched to dabbing at it instead.   
  
Maki tried not to wince too much as the cut was touched. Turning her gaze to Kotori, she couldn’t help but smile at the intense look of concentration on her face. “You’re so focused.”  
  
“I don’t want to hurt Maki-chan.” Kotori answered honestly as she rubbed away the last of the blood. She stared at the cut, narrowing her eyes in thought.   
  
“It’s fine, it doesn’t need stitches or anything.” Maki said quietly, looking back down at her lap. “Just put a bandage on to make sure it doesn’t get infected.”  
  
“Right.” Kotori answered, slightly embarrassed by her lack of knowledge. Maki was much better at this kind of thing than she was. She took out a bandage from the first aid kit and with as much care as she’d shown before, slowly bandaged Maki’s neck. She leaned back to assess her work, finding it to be satisfactory. Her gaze flicked to Maki’s face and she paused, noticing how dazed and out of it she looked. “Maki-chan?”  
  
Maki blinked, drawn from her thoughts. “What? Sorry, I was just thinking.”  
  
“I know.” Kotori said softly. She placed her hand carefully on Maki’s arm. “I just didn’t want you to get lost in what you were thinking about. I know how you can be sometimes, Maki-chan.” She leaned in, resting her forehead gently against Maki’s shoulder. “I don’t want to lose you either…”  
  
Maki reached up, gently stroking Kotori’s hair. “Koto-nee, I think you should try to tell Honoka the truth again. She deserves to know and Umi told me that…” She paused, wary of how much her next words would hurt her childhood friend. “She told me that Honoka is the only person she loves. If that’s true nobody else can get through to her. I’ll come with you if you want me to, to make sure she doesn’t do anything to you.”  
  
Kotori shook her head. “Thank you for trying to help Umi-chan. You’re a good person, Maki-chan. Even if you don’t think so.” She looked up to meet Maki’s surprised stare. “I mean it.”  
  
Maki managed a small smile in response. It was sweet of Kotori to say so even if she didn’t believe her.   
  
Kotori brushed her fingers gently over the bandage on Maki’s neck, causing her to shiver slightly. “Does it still hurt?” She was met with a hesitant nod. “Do you remember when we were playing on the swings when we were younger and that boy came over and told you to get off because he wanted a turn?”  
  
It didn’t take much thinking to realize what Kotori was talking about. Maki blushed at the thought. “I knew you were watching me so I decided I wasn’t going to do what he said. I wanted to impress you…”  
  
“And the boy pushed you off the swing anyway.” Kotori said, the memory somehow soothing the ache in her chest. “You hit your elbow and you…”  
  
“Cried like a baby.” Maki remembered that part quite vividly. “God, I was such a crybaby back then. You got off the swing and stomped on the kid’s foot and called him a ‘big meanie’ and he ran off to his mom. Then you knelt down next to me and you looked so worried that I wanted to just stop crying but it only made me cry more.”  
  
“I think I must have been worried that you were going to make yourself sick or something.” Kotori said reminiscently. “Do you remember what I did after that?”  
  
“You told me it would be okay and you kissed it better.” Maki lowered her gaze to her lap, feeling her cheeks get warmer. She almost flinched at the sudden coolness of a hand touching her face. She allowed her head to be lifted slightly and found herself staring into Kotori’s eyes. “Koto-nee, what…?”  
  
Kotori leaned up and pressed a gentle kiss to Maki’s forehead. “All better.”  
  
“That’s not even where I was hurt, Koto-nee.” Maki said with a fond roll of her eyes.   
  
Kotori raised an eyebrow at the comment. “Well we’re just friends, Maki-chan…” There was a teasing lilt to her tone and Maki couldn’t help but smile.  
  
There was a moment of silence and Maki watched as the small smile on Kotori’s face slipped away to be replaced with a look of worry.   
  
“I can’t imagine losing Umi-chan.” Kotori said softly, voicing the thought that had been niggling at her for some time now. “She’s been my best friend just as long as Honoka-chan. And Honoka-chan loves her…I’m afraid of what’s going to happen to both of them. I should have done something before now. I should have told Honoka-chan the truth.”  
  
Maki gave a grim shake of her head. “I’m glad you didn’t. Umi isn’t herself right now. I wouldn’t want her to hurt you.”  
  
It took every ounce of willpower Kotori had not to tell Maki that Umi would never hurt her. Umi had almost taken care of her and Honoka. “I’ll talk to Honoka-chan tomorrow.”  
  
“I’ll go with you.” Maki offered quickly though she couldn’t say she was in a hurry to see Umi again after what had happened.   
  
Kotori shook her head. “I’ll call Eli-chan later. You need to rest.” She pressed her hand to Maki’s shoulder, gently encouraging her to lie down on the couch. “Don’t worry, I’ll stay with you. Like you did for me.”  
  
Maki breathed a sigh of relief. She wouldn’t have asked but she did want Kotori to stay by her side. She shuffled closer to the back of the couch, allowing Kotori to lie down in front of her. Her shoulder twinged in pain but she ignored it. When Kotori’s back pressed against her front she wrapped an arm around her stomach.   
  
“It’ll be okay. I promise.” She whispered. She didn’t know if it would be but it was what Kotori needed to hear from her. She felt a barely there nod but Kotori didn’t answer verbally. Sighing softly, Maki closed her eyes and tried to sleep.   
  
It was in that position Nico found them a couple of hours later as she walked into the apartment with an armful of shopping bags. She ambled into the kitchen, setting the bags of groceries on the counter before she moved back to them. Planting her hands on her hips, she scoffed as she stared down at them.   
  
“They really do act married or something.” She scoffed before she turned and disappeared into the other room. She returned a couple of minutes later with a blanket she tossed onto them. Her brow furrowed as she noticed the bandage around Maki’s neck. Carefully, she leaned down to brushing her fingers over it.   
  
“What have you been doing now, Maki…?” She whispered, her fingers briefly straying to Maki’s cheek. In her sleep, Maki turned her face toward the touch but she didn’t seem to wake.   
  
Nico hurriedly pulled her hand away and pressed it to her chest.  
  
“Nico-chan…” Maki mumbled in her sleep, even as she tightened her hold on Kotori.   
  
Nico blushed in response to the uttered words and quickly shook her head. It was probably for the best that Maki was with someone like Kotori. Kotori would be good for her, she would treat her like she deserved to be treated. All Nico could promise was pain for the both of them.   
  
“Still pisses me off though…” Nico muttered under her breath. She heaved a sigh before she turned and walked into the kitchen. “Doesn’t look like anyone else is going to put these groceries away…”  
  
—-  
  
Yukiho watched in amusement as Arisa began to nod off at the table, the cereal that had been halfway to her mouth threatening to fall off the spoon.   
  
“Hey, wake up.” She prodded Arisa in the shoulder, causing her to jerk in surprise. The cereal from the spoon hit her in the face and Yukiho couldn’t help but erupt in laughter.   
  
“Yukiho-chan…” Arisa reached for a napkin and quickly wiped off her face with it. “Why did you do that?”  
  
“Because you’re falling asleep at the table. It’s considered bad manners practically everywhere you know.” Yukiho answered, leaning back in her seat. She watched as Arisa stifled a yawn. “Am I boring you that much?”  
  
She wasn’t used to seeing the usually energetic blonde so tired. Realizing her breakfast would be getting soggy she grabbed her own spoon and began to eat it quickly.   
  
“No.” Arisa shook her head in response. “I couldn’t get to sleep last night. Honoka-san was so loud last night…”  
  
Yukiho choked on her breakfast, her eyes widening.   
  
“She kept saying Umi-san’s name over and over and I couldn’t get any sleep. Didn’t you hear them, Yukiho-chan?” Oblivious to the fact that Yukiho was hitting herself on the chest to keep from choking further, she pushed her bowl away and folded her arms atop the table. With a tired groan, she lowered her head to her folded arms. “I’m just taking a nap.” She was silent for a moment before she sat up with an indignant little growl. “Why did they have to stay up so late?!”  
  
“Arisa-chan, please just shut up.” Yukiho, finally finished with choking, responded. The last thing she needed was the mental image of Honoka and Umi doing that.   
  
Arisa pouted at Yukiho’s response. “Why? I just want to know what they were doing!”  
  
Yukiho buried her head in her hands. “You really are useless. You’re lucky you’re so cute.”  
  
“What?”  
  
“You know what…ask your sister what they were doing.” Yukiho answered, finally looking up. “I’m sure she knows about things like that.”  
  
“About things like what?” Eli herself walked into the room, Kotori right behind her.   
  
“A-Ah, nothing! I wasn’t saying anything!” Yukiho exclaimed quickly, the faucet bursting into life across the room. She knew how protective Eli could be of Arisa and didn’t want her thinking she was corrupting her. “S-Sorry!”  
  
Eli tensed at the sight of the water coming on. Being around Yukiho tended to set her on edge, for obvious reasons.   
  
“Yukiho-chan, it’s alright.” Arisa reached for Yukiho’s hand, giving it a gentle squeeze. Slowly, the faucet turned off. “There, that’s better.” She turned to Eli and Kotori, noticing the serious expressions on their faces. “Onee-chan? What’s wrong?”  
  
Eli forced a smile to her lips and shook her head. “Nothing you need to worry about, Arisa.” She placed her hand briefly on Arisa’s shoulder before looking to Yukiho. “Where’s Honoka?”  
  
“Uh…she’s upstairs in her room.” Yukiho answered warily. “If you go up there you might want to knock. I’m sure she’s um…you know, not decent.”  
  
“What?” Kotori’s brow furrowed in confusion.   
  
“You know…” Yukiho suggestively widened her eyes. “I’m saying she was kind of um…busy last night? Umi-chan is up there too.”  
  
“Oh!” Kotori exclaimed, her eyes widening in realization. “You mean…” She trailed off, a sickening feeling of jealousy forming. “Oh…”  
  
Eli crossed her arms in front of her chest and clenched her jaw.   
  
“Uh…” Yukiho glanced between Kotori and Eli, struggling to figure out what they were thinking. “You can wait down here if you want. We have cereal.” She shook the box of cereal sitting next to her. “Kotori-chan?”  
  
“I’m fine.” Kotori answered, moving to sit down in the seat next to Yukiho. “I’ll just wait.”  
  
Eli let out a breath and sat down next to Arisa. “Me too. The last thing I need is to walk in on those two again.” She remembered that last time Honoka hadn’t been happy with her at all.   
  
“Again?!” Kotori blurted out, her eyes widening. “What did you…” She leaned in slightly closer to Eli, her voice lowering. “What were they…?” She blushed as Eli raised an eyebrow. “N-Nevermind!”  
  
Yukiho too looked slightly bemused. “I didn’t know you could be perverted, Kotori-chan…”  
  
“B-Be quiet, you’re too young to say things like that!” Kotori answered, sliding down a bit in her seat. As much as she tried not to she couldn’t help but wonder though. She pressed her relatively cool hands against her much warmer cheeks. “Don’t tell Honoka-chan I asked.”  
  
She eyed Eli, curious as to how much she had seen when she walked in on the two. She couldn’t ask though, especially with Yukiho and Arisa sitting right there.   
  
Eli gave a short laugh at Kotori’s embarrassment. “Too young? I’m only seventeen and I’d say I’m fairly experienced…”  
  
“And full of yourself.” Kotori frowned at Eli’s smug tone. “Yukiho-chan is much younger than you. And I can’t let you corrupt her innocent mind. How would you feel if I said your sister is old enough to know about those things?”  
  
“Know what things?” Arisa asked, perking up when she was mentioned.   
  
“Nothing!” Eli exclaimed quickly. “Fine, I see your point. You don’t corrupt my sister and I’ll be careful about what I say too.”  
  
“Innocent mind?” Yukiho echoed Kotori with a roll of her eyes. “You know you don’t have to fill in the role of older sister for me, right? Honoka does it fine most of the time.” She focused back on Eli, intrigued. “So you were saying you’re experienced? How…?”  
  
“Yukiho-chan!” Kotori exclaimed shrilly, earning herself a laugh from Yukiho.   
  
“I know, I know. I’m just kidding.”  
  
—–  
  
Honoka wasn’t sure why she’d woken up at first. All she could really process at first was that she still felt like it was far too early and she just wanted to go back to sleep. She turned onto her other side to do just that only to feel a strange breeze. Despite the breeze she felt strangely sweaty, like she’d been running or something.   
  
“Hmm?” She glanced down at herself, her eyes widening in surprise when she realized that she was naked. Memories if the previous night came rushing back to her and she automatically sought out Umi. She wasn’t next to her, that much was obvious. She sat up quickly, worried that Umi might have left her alone in bed.   
  
She felt a flash of relief when she found that the girl was still in the room with her but that relief quickly changed to worry when she noticed the position Umi was in. She was sitting with her back against the wall, her knees pulled securely to her chest. “Umi-chan?” She couldn’t see Umi’s face as her forehead was resting against her knees but it was obvious there was something wrong. Umi was muttering under her breath, clearly trembling.   
  
Honoka scrambled out of bed, grabbing a sheet to wrap around herself before she quickly approached Umi. “Umi-chan?” She stooped down, placing a hand on Umi’s shoulder. “What’s wrong? What happened?”  
  
She knew that Umi tended to get embarrassed easily and she wouldn’t have been all that surprised if she had woken up and panicked after she remembered what had happened but that didn’t seem to be the case.   
  
Umi slapped Honoka’s hand away, causing her to recoil in surprise.   
  
Honoka got to her feet just after Umi, finding herself confronted by a knife. “U-Umi-chan, what are you doing…?” She reached out but Umi slashed at the air. It was obviously a threat, not meant to harm her but it was enough to have Honoka flinching back.   
  
“Stay away from me!” Umi’s eyes were wide with panic as she slashed at the air again. There were drying tears on her cheeks, Honoka noticed, feeling a familiar twinge in her chest. She hated seeing her friends suffering.   
  
Bracing herself, she focused on her ability and teleported over to where Umi was, grabbing her wrist and the knife in her hand.   
  
“What are you doing, Umi-chan? It’s just m-” She yelled out in pain as Umi’s fist came in contact with the side of her face. The blow sent her stumbling into her nearby dresser. She hit the ground hard, her vision blurring for a moment. Her jaw and head throbbed with pain and she lifted her hand automatically to her cheek. “U-Umi-chan…”  
  
The haze that had filled her mind previous seemed to lift suddenly and Umi stared down at Honoka, the realization of what she’d done slowly sinking in. “Oh god, Honoka…” She moved to Honoka, kneeling down next to her. Her hands hovered near Honoka’s arms but she didn’t dare touch her. Her eyes blurred with tears in response to the moisture she could see filling Honoka’s own eyes. “I-I didn’t mean to, I…”  
  
Honoka sniffled softly. Already she could hear footsteps coming down the hall. “I-It’s okay. It was…”  
  
“It’s NOT OKAY!” Umi yelled tearfully. The sight of Honoka flinching back in response was almost too much.   
  
“Honoka-chan?!” Kotori’s voice sounded from right outside the door. “Umi-chan?!”  
  
“HONOKA!” That was Eli, her voice much louder than Kotori’s had been though they both sounded equally panicked.   
  
Yukiho’s voice caught their attention next. “Eli-san, please calm down! You’ll burn the house down!”  
  
“I-I’m so sorry, Honoka…” Umi got to her feet and rushed toward the window, ignoring Honoka’s tearful protests. She threw the window open and disappeared through it.   
  
“HONOKA-CHAN!” Kotori was louder this time, her words coupled with banging on the door. “I-I’M COMING IN!”  
  
The door was thrown open a second later and Kotori stumbled through it, her gaze flitting around the room. When she found Honoka on the floor, she gasped and hurried toward her. “What happened?!”  
  
“U-Umi-chan…” Honoka whimpered, her gaze fixed to the window.   
  
“Umi?!” Eli’s fingertips had been alight but at the stammered explanation her fists and arms were engulfed in flames. “She did this to you?!” She turned angrily on Kotori. “Is this what you meant when you asked me to come with you ‘just in case Umi did something’? Did you know she might hurt Honoka?!”  
  
“I-I…” Kotori couldn’t deny that she had known it would be a possibility. She turned back to Honoka, gently lowering the girl’s hand from her bruised and already swelling cheek. “We need to put some ice on this…”  
  
Honoka shook her head even though it hurt to do so. “Someone has to go after Umi-chan. She was upset a-and…”  
  
Eli growled low in her throat. “She’ll be more than upset when I get my damn hands on her…”  
  
“Eli-chan!” Kotori glared up at Eli. “Maybe you should think about what happened the last time you jumped to conclusions about what was going on. You have no idea what you’re talking about!”  
  
“Then somebody tell me what the hell is going on!” Eli countered, the blue flames around her arms only gaining intensity.   
  
“When we went to the Sonoda estate to get Umi-chan you saw that her mother was doing something to her mind, right?” Kotori, still holding onto Honoka began anxiously. “She took away her childhood memories. Of me, of Honoka-chan…everything except training. A-After that Umi-chan kept losing her memories until she could barely remember any of us at all, e-even Honoka-chan. I wanted so much to say something but…”  
  
“But you DIDN’T!” Honoka wrenched herself out of Kotori’s arms and pushed herself to her feet. She stumbled, dizzy from the blow to her head and both Yukiho and Eli scrambled to catch her, the latter’s flames putting themselves out when her hands came into contact with Honoka. “I knew the two of you were keeping something from me! I asked you so many times to tell me what was wrong but neither of  you would tell me! You just kept saying it was nothing and Umi-chan was so scared and hurt all of the time a-and I didn’t even…” She trailed off with a choked sob and turned into Eli’s arms.   
  
Eli held Honoka close to her and glared down at Kotori. “Call Maki and tell her to look for Umi. Tell her to take Nico and Rin for backup if she can. If anyone can help Umi, Maki can.”  
  
“But Umi-chan always tells Maki-chan to leave her alone.” Kotori got to her feet, trying not to cringe under Eli’s sharp gaze. She hadn’t seen that look since before Eli had joined Muse. “Last time she attacked Maki. I can’t…”  
  
“Kotori! Are you losing your memories or something too?! Umi is your best friend!” Eli growled in disbelief, feeling Honoka begin to sob harder against her.  
  
“You don’t think I know that? I love Umi-chan!” Kotori retorted, her voice just as loud. “But the last time Maki-chan tried to help her she almost slit her throat!”  
  
“Which is why I told you to tell her to take Rin and Nico with her!” Eli insisted, doing her best not to go up in flames again. She couldn’t, not when she was holding Honoka. “If Umi has a weapon Rin can use her speed to take it from her and if Maki needs her to, Nico can be her shield! Between the three of them they can bring Umi back! Don’t question me, Kotori. I know exactly what I’m doing. Now call Maki.”  
  
Kotori hesitated uncertainly but the look Eli was giving her left little room for argument. She pulled her phone from her pocket to call Maki, trying not to pay attention to how close Eli was holding Honoka. It hadn’t escaped her notice for a second that Honoka had only been wrapped in a sheet and now even that had fallen away.   
  
Eli, noticing Kotori’s naturally straying gaze, narrowed her eyes. She shucked off her own jacket, draping it over Honoka’s shoulders to cover her back before she pulled her close again. It was hardly the time though she could understand Kotori’s reaction. She could barely focus herself, with Honoka’s front pressed against her.   
  
Yukiho, who had been busy covering Arisa’s eyes and averting her own, finally spoke up. “Arisa-chan and I will be in my room if you need us.” She cast a concerned look at her sister before she led Arisa from the room. There was obviously very little she could do to help.   
  
Kotori spoke to Maki quietly though her gaze remained fixed to Honoka and Eli. Even with the current situation she couldn’t help but notice that the way Eli was holding Honoka was a bit odd. She watched as Honoka pressed herself closer, in search of comfort. She gritted her teeth. She should have been the one to comfort Honoka.   
  
“Okay, Maki-chan. Be careful. Don’t worry, Nico-chan would never let anything happen to you, Just stay with her.” She waited for the grumbled response before she ended the call. Tentatively, she stepped closer to Honoka and Eli. “Honoka-chan, I’m sorry I didn’t tell you. I’m so sorry. C-Can you just come with me so I can take a look at your wounds…please?”  
  
Eli glared at Kotori, well aware of what she was trying to do. “Now is so not the time for this. Go and get her some ice. Bring it to me.” She couldn’t help but feel annoyed with Kotori for lying to them all. She waited until Kotori had left the room to do as she was told before she stooped and slipped her arms under Honoka’s legs. She picked her up with some difficulty and carried her back to the bed. She placed her down, pulling the blanket up over her. She couldn’t help but blush as she did so. It didn’t take a genius to work out what Honoka and Umi had been doing the night before.   
  
She made to stand up to get Honoka some clothes but she was stopped by hands grasping desperately at her own. “Stay, Eli-senpai…I don’t want to be alone.” Honoka’s eyes were still awash with tears as she stared up at Eli. The blonde couldn’t say no.   
  
Kotori returned a couple of minutes later and Eli silently held her hand out for the ice.   
  
“But Eli-chan, you’ll…”  
  
“I don’t care, just give it to me.” Eli braced herself for the feeling of the ice meeting her hand, wincing when it did so. It was usually easy for her to keep herself warm but when she was faced with something cold directly touching her, it still hurt. A lot. But she could bear with it. She lifted the ice pack, pressing it gently to Honoka’s inured jaw. Already it was bruised, an odd purple color.   
  
Honoka flinched at the cold feeling of the ice meeting her cheek but Eli was insistent, reaching up with her other hand to rest it on Honoka’s cheek to keep her still.   
  
“It’s okay.” Eli soothed gently as Honoka’s teary eyes met her own. “You’ll be fine.”  
  
Kotori seethed silently with jealousy as she watched Eli brush a finger against Honoka’s cheek to wipe a stray tear. She was well aware of how close those two were in the future. From the way Future Honoka had spoken about her Eli it seemed that Kotori’s position as best friend had been taken. She supposed she shouldn’t be angry about it, given that Honoka was more than just her friend in the future but it still irked her. She wondered if her future self ever felt jealous of Eli’s closeness with Honoka.   
  
Kotori gritted her teeth. Honoka wasn’t looking at her. She was staring right at Eli instead. Eli’s hands were still on Honoka’s face, one holding the ice pack while the other was just resting on her cheek. Kotori glared at that hand, bothered by the fact that Honoka’s hand was wrapped loosely around Eli’s wrist, as if she was just holding the hand there.  
  
“Will Umi-chan be alright, Eli-senpai?” Honoka whispered meekly. “Rin-chan, Maki-chan and Nico-chan will bring her back, won’t they?”  
  
“Of course they will.” Eli answered, confident that her idea would work. If anyone could bring Umi back it was those three. She watched as Honoka’s lower lip trembled. “Hey, what’s wrong?”  
  
“I don’t care if Umi-chan has lied to me, I can’t lose her…” Honoka whimpered, tears stinging at the corners of her eyes. “I love her, Eli-senpai. I love her so much, I…” She hiccuped on a sob, squeezing her eyes shut.   
  
“I know. I know.” Eli knew how Honoka felt. She’d felt the same way when ‘Nozomi’ had broken up with her. She leaned down, pressing her lips to Honoka’s forehead. “We’ll find her, Honoka. We will.”  
  
Kotori felt a lump form in her throat as she watched the two of them. With Honoka angry at her there wasn’t much she could do in the way of offering her comfort. She moved to get off the bed, deciding that she could at least be useful by getting Honoka’s clothes for her. She paused when a hand grabbed hers, keeping her from going anywhere. She was surprised to find the hand belonged to Honoka but the girl was pointedly not looking at her.   
  
She knew Honoka, better than anyone, she liked to believe but the action had her confused for a moment. It wasn’t often that Honoka got angry, especially with her. She stared at the hand gripping her own and realization slowly sank in. Angry or not, she was Honoka’s best friend. Honoka needed her there.   
  
She sank back down onto the bed, clasping Honoka’s hand between her own. She wished she could offer her words of comfort but she knew Honoka would ignore her. For now holding her hand was the only comfort she could offer.   
  
—-  
  
Umi stared up at the gates that led to the Sonoda estate. Her estate, in a few years. Or at least it should have been. She supposed it may still be if she turned into what her mother obviously wanted her to turn into. She didn’t know how long she’d been standing outside but she hadn’t done anything but stare. She remembered her training vividly but there was little else, just some recent memories of Honoka left behind.   
  
“Well?” A voice sounded from behind her, the person’s tone familiar and yet not at the same time. “Are you going in there or what?”  
  
Umi spun around, finding Future Honoka standing a few feet away from her. She was leaning casually against a tree trunk but her features were deadly serious. “How did you know where to find me?”  
  
“Maki told me what was happening. I figured it must have been serious. She never chooses to use her telepathy from that far away.” Honoka looked Umi over, noticing that her fists were clenched at her sides. “It was obvious where you would be.”  
  
“What do you want?” Umi growled, desperately searching for a weapon she could use. She’d dropped her knife back at Honoka’s house.   
  
“Maki told me you hit my past self.” Honoka noticed the surprise on Umi’s face and rolled her eyes. “You should learn that nothing gets past her. She knows everything. So? Did it feel good?”  
  
Umi shook her head insistently. Nothing about hitting Honoka had felt good. “Of course not. Why would I want to hurt her? I LOVE HER!”  
  
“Yeah, I know.” Future Honoka took a step forward, ignoring the way Umi flinched back. “Relax, I wouldn’t hurt you. Not anymore at least.” She looked closely at Umi’s face, noting the despair in her eyes. “I believe you when you say you love my past self. Her memories are my memories, remember?”  
  
“You remember that?” Umi sniffled softly, her posture slowly relaxing. “I guess you must be mad at me for taking away your precious first time with Kotori, huh?”  
  
Honoka smiled, not unkindly. “I still have my own memories somehow. Just not…the one you took before. I guess I screwed with the timeline too much, huh?” She stepped forward again, getting closer to Umi. “So you hit her and now you’re going to run back to your mother? It’s not worth it. You may as well go back to her.”  
  
“But I hit her…”  
  
“It’s not going to be the last time if you go back to your mother. If you do what my Umi-chan did…” Honoka’s voice hitched. “She did everything she did voluntarily though. Unlike you.” Her features clouded with pain. “Sometimes I wonder if my Umi-chan loves me as much as you love your Honoka. If she ever looked at me the way you look at her.”  
  
Umi swallowed convulsively. “She must have.” She couldn’t imagine ever not loving Honoka but there would come a time soon when she wouldn’t even remember her. “Honoka? What did I do to you? Please tell me.”  
  
“You really want to know?” Honoka asked, raising an eyebrow. She relented when Umi nodded. “Fine.” She unzipped her hoodie and lifted her shirt to show Umi the area beneath her breasts. “This is the only scar you’ve given me directly.”  
  
Umi inched closer to examine the scar. It stretched diagonally from just below Honoka’s left breast to the bottom of her ribs on her right side. “A-A sword?”  
  
“Your katana.” Honoka said with a nod of her head as she let go of the hem of her shirt. It fell neatly back into place. “You did it to show your loyalty to your mother and the government…I think.” At the time she had thought Umi was doing what she had because she’d hated her all along. “I don’t exactly understand…but you hurt me emotionally and physically. You may have lied or something but what you did to me the night I escaped from that fucking camp…it was unforgivable. My Umi gave me a slice of hope and then gave me this mark, plaguing me with horrible nightmares not only of the doctors but her betrayal. She may have been trying to protect me in the only way she could but it doesn’t matter. I didn’t know that and her words to me that night destroyed me. I don’t expect you to understand that.”  
  
“No matter what I do I’m going to hurt you, aren’t I?” Umi asked, her voice slightly higher than usual with emotion. “What if I just go in there and kill her?”  
  
Honoka was taken aback by the question. “Kill your own mother? I know you. You’ll hesitate and she’ll end up killing you or brainwashing you even more. It’ll never work.”  
  
“Then what do you suggest I do?!” Umi yelled frantically. “If I stay I’ll forget everything and hurt Honoka. If I leave I’ll forget everything and I might come back to hurt her. If I take out my mother my memories might come back!”  
  
Honoka shook her head, her lips set into a grim line. “No they won’t. If you kill her they’ll be gone forever. Not even another mind ability user will be able to get them back for you. You’re not thinking logically.”   
  
“Then I don’t have any choice now, do I?!” Umi stepped into Honoka’s personal space, her eyes alight with tears and panic. “Maybe you should just kill me and get it over with. It would be better for everyone in the end, wouldn’t it? And I’m not going to be myself soon anyway so what’s the point?!”  
  
“I can’t kill you.” Honoka said quietly. As much as she’d tried to hate her Umi there had always been a part of her that loved her. Even in the future she wasn’t sure she would have been able to kill her. “And that’s not the answer, Umi-chan.” She reached out only for Umi to angrily slap her hand away.   
  
“I have to get out of here.” Wiping her face with her sleeve, Umi turned and hurried away from Honoka and her old home.   
  
—-  
  
“Who taught her how to put a bandage on anyway? It’s not even on straight.” Nico grumbled as she stared at the bandage on Maki’s neck. The white was a stark contrast to the black clothing the first year was wearing. “She should have called me. You should have called me.”  
  
“Careful, Nico-chan. If you keep mothering me I might think you actually care.” Maki said with a roll of her eyes. “When is Rin meant to be coming? We’ve been standing here for ten minutes already. You’d think the girl with super speed would be punctual at…” A gust of wind had Maki lifting her hand to shield her face. When she lowered it she found Rin standing between herself and Nico.   
  
“You said something about Umi-chan needing our help?” Rin asked wearily, glancing between Nico and Maki. “Where are we going?”  
  
Nico gaped at Rin, noticing the black eye she was sporting immediately. “What the hell happened to you, Rin?!”  
  
“It’s nothing, I just got into a fight at school.” Rin lied with a wave of her hand. “I’ve had worse. Anyway, where is Umi-chan, nya?” She turned to Maki, accidentally brushing against her arm.   
  
Maki’s concentration faltered as her mind was filled with the image of a tall figure hitting Rin. He was obviously not a student, in fact he seemed like an older man. She shook herself out of it, focusing on Rin. “Rin, your face…”  
  
Rin gave a disgruntled sigh. “I already went over it with Nico-chan, nya. Where is Umi-chan?”  
  
“I can’t hear what she’s thinking. I’m trying but it’s like there’s something blocking me…” Maki closed her eyes, her brow furrowing with concentration but still she couldn’t hear anything. Her head just ached in response to her searching out Umi. “This isn’t working.”  
  
“Let’s split up.” Nico suggested, watching Maki with a hint of concern. “Rin, run around town and see if you can find Umi. I’ll go with Maki to look. If you find her don’t do anything, just come back to us, okay?”  
  
Rin nodded without her usual enthusiasm and raced off to find Umi. As soon as she was out of sight, Nico turned to Maki.   
  
“Are you going to tell me what that was about?”  
  
Maki hesitated briefly. Usually she didn’t like to give away people’s secrets but she had little choice if Rin was in danger. “I saw her being hit by a guy. Not a student, I don’t think. He looked too tall. I think he might have been older…for some reason I got the feeling it might not have been the first time.”  
  
Nico sighed and ran a hand over her face. “I’ll deal with it. Let’s just find Umi already.” She grabbed Maki’s hand and tugged her down the street. “Muse is such a mess. We’re going to have to fix this, you know?”  
  
Maki was glad Nico’s legs were shorter than hers or she would have had to jog to keep up. “Us?” She asked through gritted teeth, barely able to think past her headache.   
  
Nico nodded resolutely. “If not us then who else? This group is falling apart, Maki. I won’t let that happen.”


	20. Chapter 20

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Second part of the double chapter.

Umi had left three days ago, without a single word to Honoka about where she was going. The last time Umi had contacted her had been through a text message, simply saying ‘I’m sorry, I love you’. Honoka had replied to that text message repeatedly, pleading with Umi to come back home and let her help but she’d had no response since. She wasn’t even sure that Umi was reading the messages she was sending her. Or if she could.   
  
The news of what was really going on only made her worrying worse. The thought of Umi being out there, afraid and alone, losing the memory of everything she held dear to her was unbearable. Maki had said that the last time she had seen Umi she had pleaded with her to stay and let them help her but Umi had refused, just as she has every other time Maki had reached out to her.   
  
Honoka dragged the sleeve of the sweatshirt she was wearing roughly across her face to wipe away her tears. Her cheek ached in protest but she couldn’t bring herself to care about that. What Umi had done hardly mattered. She had forgiven her within seconds but it seemed that Umi hadn’t been able to forgive herself.   
  
She drew her knees closer to her chest, sniffling softly. It was hard to focus on anything besides where Umi was. She hoped her girlfriend was okay, at least physically. She couldn’t stand the idea of her being in pain. For all she knew Umi might be hurt and cold, wandering the streets without somewhere to sleep at night. It wasn’t right. Umi belonged at her side.   
  
The door across the room opened, causing Honoka’s gaze to flick up from her knees. She didn’t move from where she was though, watching instead as Eli entered the room.  
  
“Honoka?” Eli squinted into the darkness, barely able to make out Honoka’s huddled up form on the bed. The curtains were drawn, hardly letting any light into the room and the lights were switched off. It was as though Honoka was trying to retreat into her own world. She sighed and flicked the light on. “Honoka…”  
  
Honoka squinted against the sudden burst of light. “Turn the light off. I don’t want it on.”  
  
“No.” Eli, still clad in her school uniform, set her hands upon her hips. “You weren’t at school today. Kotori was worried about you.”  
  
Honoka was silent, her eyes fixed vacantly on something below Eli’s eyes.   
  
Eli’s brow furrowed in concern. It was like Honoka wasn’t even seeing her. “Honoka.” She walked over to the girl, moving onto the bed in front of her. “Hey, look at me.” She waited for a moment, breathing a sigh of relief when Honoka’s gaze refocused. “I know you’re upset about Umi but we’ll figure it out. You still need to go to school.”  
  
“What’s the point?” Honoka gave a shrug of her shoulders. “We’re all going to be dead in a few years anyway.”  
  
Eli visibly recoiled at Honoka’s words but quickly recovered. “Hey!” She grabbed Honoka’s shoulders, giving her a rough shake. “None of us are going to die, Honoka. I don’t want to hear that from you again, do you understand me?! I’m not going to let that happen. Neither will you, I know you won’t!”  
  
“I can’t protect anyone.” Honoka said, not even fazed by Eli’s actions. She didn’t care what she did. “I’ve told all of you, I’m never going to be like her. I’m not strong enough or smart enough. I’m just…”  
  
“You’re our leader, whether you like it or not!” Eli’s tone was clipped, her grip on Honoka’s arms tightening. “You might not understand why we all look up to you in some way but we do. Even if you don’t think you’re strong enough we would trust you with our lives. We would all follow you anywhere, Honoka. Don’t you get that?!”  
  
Honoka shook her head, her eyes watering again. It didn’t matter what Eli said, she didn’t believe her. “You should be the leader, Eli-senpai. You’re strong and smart and you know how to protect everyone. You can save them. All of us.” She stared imploringly up at Eli, pleading with her to understand. She couldn’t even protect Umi. She didn’t deserve the responsibility of protecting everyone. “I believe in you more than anyone. If…”  
  
“Honoka, stop it!” Eli exclaimed, not angrily but firmly. “I’m sorry. But you don’t know what you’re saying. You’ve already saved us all. You saved me. On that day so long ago when you reached out to me, you saved me. I was stuck back then, unable to do anything because I wasn’t good enough to do the one thing I wanted. I thought…if I couldn’t do that, there was no point. And then you came along, so stubbornly optimistic and striving to get to where you wanted and…your radiance amazed me. I thought that maybe you were right, maybe I could change to be the person I wanted to be.”   
  
Honoka watched as moisture filled Eli’s eyes, the tears soon leaking free from the corners.   
  
“You call me senpai like you look up to me or something but really I’m the one who looks up to you. I always have.” Eli continued, doing nothing to stem the tears. “You’re such an important person to me, Honoka.” She shuffled forward, her fingers brushing against the bruise on Honoka’s cheek.   
  
“What if I’m not good enough, Eli-senpai?” Honoka leaned into Eli, grasping her hand tightly between them. She didn’t notice Eli’s breath hitch as she rested their foreheads together. “I’m scared of what’s going to happen.”  
  
“We all are.” Eli’s voice shook, the confusing feelings she’d felt toward Honoka overwhelming her with the girl so close. “But I believe in you just as much as you believe in me. If anyone can save us all, it’s you.”  
  
Honoka wasn’t sure where Eli’s confidence in her came from. She’d done nothing to deserve such belief from her. “But I don’t know what to do. Everything is such a mess…”  
  
“We’ll figure it out.” Eli soothed gently, brushing her fingers once more over Honoka’s cheek. “We’ll figure it out together, Honoka.” Her fingers crept down a little bit more, accidentally brushing against slightly dampened lips.   
  
Eli felt her stomach grow taut with anticipation. She didn’t know what she was doing but the confusing feelings she had for the girl in front of her were overwhelming. Maybe it was just because of what had happened between her and Honoka’s future self but she couldn’t deny that she loved and respected the second year.   
  
Honoka’s lips parted slightly in surprise at the gentle touch. She wasn’t sure what Eli was thinking and it made her nervous. She recognized that look on her face though. It was the same look Umi had given her so many times in the past when they’d been together.   
  
Eli awkwardly leaned in, pausing for a second before she closed the remaining distance between them and pressed her lips gently to Honoka’s. She heard a sharp inhalation and expected Honoka to lean back but she didn’t.   
  
Honoka almost moved away but remembering Eli’s words from a moment ago, she stayed where she was. The last thing she wanted was to hurt Eli even more than she already had been. She gripped Eli’s shoulder and tentatively kissed back. It didn’t feel unpleasant. In fact it was nice, it was just different to kissing Umi. Eli was more confident with kissing her but she was still just as careful with her as Umi was. Umi had always made sure not to do anything to make Honoka feel uncomfortable or hurt her. It was something she was constantly worried about. A knot formed in Honoka’s chest at the thought and she pressed herself closer to Eli, trying to block it out.   
  
Eli felt warm tears on her cheeks and quickly pulled back, her eyes shooting open. “I-I’m so sorry. I-I shouldn’t have done that.”  
  
“No, no. It’s okay.” Honoka wiped her eyes with her sleeve. “It’s not you, Eli-senpai. I’m not crying because you kissed me, I’m just…” She trailed off, shaking her head. She didn’t know. “It makes me happy that you would, it’s just…I miss Umi-chan so much. I’ve only ever kissed Umi-chan and…” She bowed her head, trying to blink away her tears.   
  
“Oh god, I’m so sorry, Honoka.” Eli felt awful, her stomach twisting with guilt. “I’m sorry. I’m such an idiot, I should have had more control, I should have…” She trailed off, choking on the lump in her throat. It was almost as bad as what she had done to Future Honoka.   
  
“Eli-senpai.” Honoka leaned up suddenly, kissing Eli again. Her hand moved to the back of Eli’s head to keep her from pulling away and she lingered for a long moment before pulling back. “Stop talking like you’ve hurt me. You haven’t. The only people who have hurt me are Umi-chan and Kotori-chan. I’m so tired of them keeping secrets from me, treating me like a child…they don’t see me like you do.”  
  
“I did hurt you.” Eli cursed herself for being so stupid. She should never have kissed Honoka. Either of them. “I…Honoka, I slept with your future self. I know I shouldn’t have but I needed someone. Nozomi was gone and I thought she hated me and I needed to be with someone I knew loved me.”  
  
Honoka frowned in confusion. “We all love Eli-senpai. You could have come to me and Umi-chan.”  
  
Eli raised an eyebrow, not really sure Honoka was understanding what she was saying. “Honoka, I had sex with your future self. What was I supposed to say to you if I came over? ‘Oh, I know you two have never even had sex but I can show you how if you want me to’.”  
  
Honoka laughed at the remark but clapped her hand over her mouth, surprised by the sound. “I don’t think Umi-chan would like to share, Eli-senpai…”  
  
Eli felt a familiar fluttering in her chest and looked away. It was so annoying that she couldn’t help but feel something for Honoka. “Cute…” She mumbled under her breath, though not quietly enough for Honoka to miss. “W-Why are you being so nice to me? You should be angry with me. I’m telling you that I took advantage of your future self a-and now I’m just confused about you and…we were supposed to have such a strong friendship in the future. I wanted that.”  
  
“You told me the truth.” Honoka said with a small shrug of her shoulders. “Nobody else ever trusts me with the truth.” She took Eli’s hand in her own and held it tightly. “I want to be close with Eli-senpai too. We’ll be just like our future selves. No, we’ll be closer than them.”  
  
Eli remembered the heartbroken look on Future Honoka’s face when she spoke of her Eli. She obviously loved her more than Eli herself could comprehend. She didn’t point that out to Honoka though. “We will.” She squeezed the hand in her own. “I’m still sorry I kissed you.”  
  
“It’s okay.” Honoka offered Eli a small smile in response. “I’m sorry I can’t kiss you back with feelings. I-I’m still in love with Umi-chan. I don’t think I’ll ever stop even if…”  
  
The way Honoka’s voice caught broke Eli’s heart. She closed the distance between them, wrapping Honoka in her arms. “I’m going to help you get her back, I promise.”  
  
“Mmm.” Honoka mumbled against Eli’s shoulder, her eyes growing heavy. She lifted her hand, suppressing a yawn. She hadn’t been sleeping all that much lately. It was too odd without Umi by her side. “Will you stay with me?”  
  
“Of course.” Eli whispered, shifting to lie down on the bed. She felt Honoka move with her, fitting herself into her arms. The smell of fruity shampoo caught her attention and she inhaled deeply.   
  
“Eli-senpai?” Honoka’s voice was low and uncertain as she toyed with a button on Eli’s shirt. “You’ll be here when I wake up, won’t you?”  
  
“I will.” Eli said confidently. There was nowhere else she needed to go though she knew she needed to speak to Nozomi.   
  
“You won’t leave me, will you?” Honoka asked in a whisper, causing Eli to tighten her embrace. “I’m so tired of losing my friends, Eli-senpai…” She couldn’t imagine going through what her future self had. She was sure she wouldn’t have the strength to carry on.   
  
Eli blinked back tears, hurriedly. “I’m here. I’m not going anywhere.”  
  
—-  
  
“Hello, Yukiho-chan.” Kotori leaned against the doorway to the kitchen, having decided to greet Yukiho before she went to Honoka’s room. She noticed Arisa sitting at the table and offered her a small wave too. “Arisa-chan.”  
  
“Kotori-san.” Yukiho glanced up from what she was doing. She was relieved to see Kotori there. If anyone could get through to Honoka it was her. “I was just making a snack for me and Arisa-chan. Do you want anything?”  
  
“I’m fine, thanks.” Kotori said with a small smile. “Is Honoka-chan in her room?”  
  
Yukiho heaved a sigh. “Where else would she be? She hasn’t come out in three days. Since…you know.” She apprehensively bit her lip. “She’s not going to school, she’s not eating either. She keeps telling mom she’s sick but she’s not. Even Eli-san tried to help her but I don’t think she managed. Onee-chan can be stubborn when she wants to be.”  
  
Kotori nodded grimly in agreement. She was well aware of just how stubborn Honoka could be at times. “I’ll take care of her, Yukiho-chan. Don’t worry.” She turned on her heel and left the room, taking the familiar route to Honoka’s bedroom. Sliding the door open she slipped inside and paused at the sight of the two people in the bed. The room was dimly lit so for a brief moment she thought that Umi might have returned. When her eyes adjusted she recognized Eli as being the person Honoka was huddled against. Not just huddled against but clinging to.   
  
Kotori stared at the two for a moment, sick with jealousy. If anyone should be at Honoka’s side it should be her. She should be the one holding Honoka like Eli was. She crossed to the bed and sank down onto the edge of it, carefully taking Honoka’s hand in her own.   
  
“Honoka-chan…”  
  
“Don’t wake her. She needs to rest. You have no idea how long it took me to get her to go to sleep.”   
  
Kotori looked up at the sound of Eli’s voice, finding blue eyes staring back at her. “What are you even doing here, Eli-chan?”  
  
“The same thing you’re doing.” Eli answered with a raised eyebrow. “I’m here to make sure Honoka is okay. I’m one of her best friends. Why wouldn’t I be here?”  
  
Kotori narrowed her eyes, jealousy flaring up again. “Honoka-chan has two best friends. Me and Umi-chan. You’re not Future Eli and she’s not Future Honoka. Stop trying to force the friendship they have.”  
  
Eli narrowed her eyes. “Maybe I am trying to force it. But Honoka needs me right now. I won’t just abandon her. Besides, it’s not wrong to want what they have, is it? You know how I feel, don’t you? You want what Future Honoka and her Kotori have.”  
  
Kotori winced slightly. It was true, she did want that, more than she allowed herself to admit. “At least I’m not forcing it.”  
  
Eli rolled her eyes at Kotori’s remark but she wasn’t angry with her. Not really. “Neither am I. I just want to help her. She needs both of us, Kotori. She really loves Umi.”  
  
As if in response to the sound of Umi’s name, Honoka moved closed her Eli, her face pressing into the third year’s chest as she muttered something under her breath. She was still sleeping though it brought a blush to the blonde’s cheeks.   
  
Kotori huffed in annoyance but relented. She moved to lie on the bed, feeling Honoka’s hold on her hand tighten. The gesture made her feel a little bit better. Lately she had felt distant from Honoka, like she was watching her from afar while she became closer and closet to Umi.   
  
“How is she?” Kotori whispered, deciding to stop arguing with Eli for a few minutes.   
  
“Umi broke her heart, how do you think she is?” Eli’s voice was sharper than she intended and after a brief pause she continued. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to snap, I just hate seeing her like this. Usually she’s so upbeat.”  
  
“I know.” Kotori watched as Honoka’s brow furrowed slightly in her sleep. “Maki-chan and the others will get Umi-chan back. I’m sure of it.”  
  
Eli fell silent for a minute or two, considering Kotori’s words. “This is so messed up. You realize that, right? This isn’t right. Umi should be with us, not out there by herself.” She sighed as Kotori simply nodded. “Just get some rest. You look tired.”  


Kotori nodded in response and pressed close to Honoka’s back, her eyes sliding shut. She hadn’t slept in what felt like days though if she was honest she had managed to catch a few hours the night before. It wasn’t much but it was something. She wondered how much sleep Honoka had been getting.   
  
—-  
  
_Nozomi awoke abruptly to the sound of banging on the door. She barely had time to notice that the door handle was being jiggled quite roughly before Future Honoka was on her feet. She had clearly just woken up but she was on high alert, her hands raised in front of her. A thud, louder this time, sounded from the door.  
  
“Nozomi, get up and get behind me.” Honoka’s voice sounded far away but the words came through clearly.   
  
Nozomi felt herself move but it was as though he wasn’t controlling her own body, like she was just watching it from outside. She rushed to stand behind Honoka, her heart in her throat as she stared at the door. The wood splintered suddenly and she grabbed a handful of the back of Honoka’s shirt. “Senpai!”  
  
“I’m here.” Honoka answered though her voice audibly shook. “Don’t…” The door was torn off it’s hinges then and several agents filtered into the room.   
  
Nozomi didn’t have time to process what was happening before they opened fire, their sights set on Honoka. The force of the bullets sent Honoka back into Nozomi who quickly caught her. “S-Senpai?” The shooting stopped and Nozomi fell to her knees, Honoka limp in her arms. “SENPAI!”  
  
She looked up and through tear filled eyes, noticed one of the agents approaching her with rope and a pillowcase. She gripped Honoka tighter though she was vaguely aware that it was too late. She’d been shot too many times, most of them to her chest.   
  
“Why don’t we just kill the girl?!” A man in the back snarled, his hate filled gaze fixed on Nozomi.   
  
“Orders are orders.” The agent with the pillowcase and rope answered. “Corps wants them alive, remember?”  
  
“Come on! They’re corrupt, why should we not take them all out?”  
  
“Like I said, orders are orders.” The agent raised his gun and Nozomi cringed as he brought it down. She felt a sharp pain in her head before everything turned black. _  
  
Nozomi woke with a gasp, bolting upright from her position in Honoka’s arms. The action disturbed the young woman and she grumbled irritably. Nozomi glanced back at Honoka, a wave of relief washing over her when she found that she was alright. She figured it must be a dream. It wouldn’t have been the first nightmare she’d had about Future Honoka dying. But it had felt much too real to be a dream. Across the room, the door was jiggled aggressively.   
  
“Senpai!” Nozomi turned to Honoka who had sat bolt upright at the jiggling of the handle. As Honoka stood, Nozomi quickly followed suit. She moved in front of Honoka, urgently gripping her arms. “Senpai, you need to get us out of here!”  
  
“What?” Honoka was distracted by the banging at the door but not enough to let Nozomi take that position in front of her. She nudged her to the side. “Get behind me.”  
  
“NO! Listen to me!” Nozomi refused to take shelter behind Honoka again. “If you don’t teleport us out of here you’re going to die, Honoka! Please just trust me, we need to GO!”  
  
Honoka stopped what she was doing, taking note of the fear reflected in Nozomi’s eyes. Before she could answer the door flew off it’s hinges and agents flooded into the room.   
  
Honoka reacted within a couple of seconds, grabbing Nozomi and focusing on teleporting. She heard the sound of gunfire then complete silence for a moment. When they reappeared outside of the nearby shrine, her ears were still ringing.   
  
Breathless, Honoka looked up at the hotel, wondering how the agents could have found her. She had been careful when she was coming and going though she supposed Nozomi and the others hadn’t. “Shit…” She looked down at Nozomi. The girl was trembling in her arms. “Nozomi, how…”  
  
“W-Wait…” Nozomi closed her eyes, feeling something niggling at her mind. It almost felt the same as when Maki was trying to access her thoughts. Immediately, her vision was filled with a clear white light and a tall, older male stood in front of her. “W-Who…?”  
  
“Don’t be afraid.” The man rose from the ground, as if he was floating. “My name is Ayase Takashi. Please, just trust me. I’m here to help.”  
  
“Ayase…” Nozomi echoed, her thoughts going to Eli. This man in front of her had Eli’s eyes. Or rather she had his. Nozomi couldn’t help but instinctively trust him. “O-Okay.”  
  
The man smiled kindly, his blue eyes softening. “Go to the Minami household. You’ll both be safe there.”  
  
Before Nozomi could answer she was shaken from her vision by someone roughly shaking her shoulders. She opened her eyes, finding herself staring up at Honoka’s panicked face.   
  
“Nozomi?!” Honoka exclaimed, her voice shaking. She relaxed when Nozomi blinked up at her. “Shit! You scared the crap out of me! What’s happening?!”  
  
“Huh?” It was then that Nozomi realized she was no longer standing. Honoka’s arm was under her back, holding her but but her lower body was on the floor. “Uh…v-visions. We have to go to Kotori’s house. We’ll be safe there.”  
  
Honoka frowned as she slowly helped Nozomi back to her feet. “How do you know that?”  
  
“I really don’t know. I just need you to trust me right now, okay? Please, Honoka…” Nozomi pleaded with the young woman, gripping the front of her shirt. She needed to get them somewhere safe. She waited for a hesitant nod before she released a sigh of relief and rested her forehead briefly against Honoka’s shoulder. “Thank you…”  
—–  
  
“This is POINTLESS!” Nico exclaimed in frustration, throwing her hands up in the air. Rin had just returned after once again reporting back to them that Umi was nowhere to be found. “You can’t find her, Rin can’t find her…how do we even know she’s alive?!”  
  
“Don’t say things like that, nya!” Rin retorted, her eyes wide. Umi couldn’t be dead. She couldn’t imagine losing anyone in the group. Her lower lip trembled, tears welling in her eyes. “I want Kayo-chin…” She wrapped her arms around herself and bit down on her lower lip.   
  
Nico softened at seeing Rin’s tears. “Hey, relax. I was just saying. It’s probably something else. Even with your speed you couldn’t have looked everywhere for her, right?” She didn’t get an answer from the sniffling first year and reached out to touch her arm. “Look…”  
  
As soon as Nico’s hand met her arm, Rin slapped it away. “D-Don’t touch me!”  
  
Nico stepped away in surprise, backing right up to Maki who’d been standing behind her. She felt Maki’s hand go to her back reflexively. She stared closely at Rin, noticing her panicked look on her face. It was one she’d seen on a couple of occasions over the past few days, especially coupled with the bruises she’d spotted on occasion and the black eye Rin was sporting. “Rin?”  
  
Rin shook her head in response and took yet another step away from the two. “I hate this! I hate what’s happening to Umi-chan, she doesn’t deserve any of it! Why would her mom do that?! I-I don’t understand. If she loves her, why would…?” She trailed off, choking on her words.   
  
Maki left her hand on Nico’s back. “Rin.” She didn’t know what to say. Seeing Rin acting the way she was was completely new territory for her. For Nico too, she supposed.   
  
“I hate this.” Rin said again, hiccuping on her words. She wiped quickly at her tears. “I just want to see Kayo-chin…”  
  
Maki stared at Rin for a long moment before she stepped closer to her. “Here.” She brandished a protein bar from the pocket of her jacket and offered it to Rin. “Eat this. Now.”   
  
Nico raised an eyebrow, confused by Maki’s order. “I don’t think that’s the best comforting technique…”  
  
“I’m not trying to comfort her.” Maki glanced briefly over her shoulder at Nico before she turned back to Rin. “Come on. I know how fast your metabolism is. You need it.”  
  
Rin took the protein bar from Maki and though she felt nothing short of sick, she ate it quickly. It was gone within a minute.   
  
“Here.” Maki pressed another protein bar into Rin’s hand. “Now you can go. Go and spend some time with Hanayo then meet us tonight, okay? No more breaks after this until we find Umi, I mean it.”  
  
Rin nodded, her eyes still laced with tears. She sped off without a word and Maki covered her face against the sudden gust of wind.   
  
“Okay, I have two questions.” Nico said, stepping forward to stand at Maki’s side. “First of all, why did you let her go? Second of all…where the hell are you keeping all of those protein bars?!”  
  
A giggle burst free from Maki’s throat and she paused, just briefly, surprised by it. “You know how Rin is. When she’s running around like that she can’t go without eating something. Even if she tries to we can’t let her. She’ll waste away. I’m sure she’ll be fine after she eats something and sees Hanayo.”  
  
Nico wasn’t convinced by that but she didn’t say anything. Almost automatically, the two began walking together again, their hands brushing every now and then between them.   
  
“Do you ever want that kind of thing?” Nico finally asked, jabbing her thumb in the direction Rin had run off in. “Like…her and Hanayo?”  
  
“What?” Maki’s brow furrowed in confusion. “Why are you asking me that?”  
  
“I don’t know.” Nico gave a short laugh in response. “It’s just that everyone seems to have someone now, in a way. Nozomi has Future Honoka, our Honoka had Umi, Rin has Hanayo. It makes you think, doesn’t it?”  
  
Maki stared at Nico blankly as they left the alleyway. “Not…really?” She answered carefully. “Have you been thinking about it? About who your…person would be?”  
  
Nico scoffed, her cheeks reddening. It was embarrassing, for Maki not to have thought about it while she had. She could only think of one person she’d look to like that. “I don’t need a person like that. It’s just weakness. I was just thinking you seem to be awful close to Kotori lately. Maybe she’s your person.”  
  
Maki considered that for a moment. Kotori had been supporting her quite a bit lately and of all of the people she’d left back home, Kotori was the person she missed the most. She couldn’t help but worry about her. “Maybe she is.”  
  
Nico was taken aback by how much the words stung. Most of the time she found it difficult to feel anything. She clenched her hands subtly into fists. She wanted to be the person Maki thought of like that. It would never happen though. If she was honest she was glad of that in a way. At least she wouldn’t have the chance to hurt the redhead again.   
  
“So Kotori’s pretty hot, huh? Even better naked.” Nico grinned over at Maki though she had to force it to her face.   
  
Maki flushed at the mental imagine. “What are you talking about? I told you it’s not like that!” She pushed against Nico’s arm, sending her stumbling a bit. “And…wait, when did you see her naked?!”  
  
Nico merely shrugged and tapped the side of her nose as if she was telling Maki to mind her own business. “I guess you’ll see soon, won’t you? Trust me, Maki. It’s something to look forward to.”  
  
Maki’s step faltered slightly as she allowed herself to entertain what Nico was saying. Her face blushed a similar color to her hair. She quickly shook it off. “It’s not LIKE THAT!” She rushed to catch up with Nico, glaring irritably at the giggling girl. “Don’t let Kotori hear you say things like that. I don’t want her to be uncomfortable.”  
  
She wouldn’t admit it but she couldn’t help worrying that Kotori would see her for the kind of person she really was and would pull away. The closeness they’d shared when they were kids had been restored but it could easily be taken away again.   
  
“Come on, no need to get so serious.” Nico said though her voice had lost it’s teasing tone now. “I was just kidding. You’ll be the first one to see her naked, I promise.”   
  
Maki gritted her teeth, trying to resist the urge to turn and yell at Nico again. “Let’s just shut up about that and find Umi, okay?”  
  
“Alright, alright. I get it.” Nico wasn’t happy about it but she willingly fell silent as she walked along with Maki. “How are we meant to find her anyway? We don’t know our way around…wherever the hell we are and Rin isn’t with us. We can’t even look.”  
  
Maki huffed out a sigh. “Fine! Look, let’s just go back to the hotel. We’ll keep looking when Rin gets back and we’ll figure it out from there, okay?”  
  
Nico nodded in response, choosing not to say anything in response. Maki was just as stressed as everyone else, if not more so. She knew that. With Umi missing it was hardly the time for one of her usual arguments with the redhead.   
  
—  
  
When Honoka woke she was no longer in Eli’s arms but that wasn’t to say she was alone. Familiar ashen hair blocked her view and she smiled contentedly, inhaling the scent of Kotori’s shampoo. For a moment nothing seemed amiss. It was just like any other time she had woken up with Kotori at her side. Memories of everything that had happened, of Umi leaving her and of falling asleep with Eli quickly forced their way back into her mind and she felt her breath catch in her throat.   
  
She felt Kotori move in her arms and a moment later she found amber eyes staring back at her as Kotori turned over.   
  
“Hey.” Kotori whispered with a small smile as she pressed herself close to Honoka.  
  
Honoka swallowed thickly, the sight of Kotori’s familiar kind eyes sending an ache straight to her chest. She opened and closed her mouth a couple of times, unable to get her words out. She closed her eyes, feeling Kotori’s fingers tenderly stroke her hair.   
  
“I know.” Kotori soothed gently, disappointed that she couldn’t do anything to help Honoka. She missed Umi too though she couldn’t imagine the pain Honoka was going through. “I know, Honoka-chan…”  
  
Honoka took a shuddering breath, trying to steel herself before she opened her eyes again. “E-Eli-senpai left?”  
  
“Of course I didn’t.” Eli’s voice sounded from somewhere in the room and Honoka sat up slightly, finding the blonde sitting at the foot of the bed. “I told you I’d be here when you woke up, didn’t I?”  
  
Honoka rubbed her eyes, feeling silly for overreacting. Next to her, she felt Kotori push herself into a sitting position too. “Yeah, I guess.” She leaned into her best friend’s side, feeling Kotori’s arm go around her again. Still groggy, she allowed her eyes to slide closed. It had been too long since she’d been as close to Kotori as she was now. Somehow it felt like distance had formed between them over the past weeks. She cracked an eye open to look at Eli. “Why are you on the floor?”  
  
Eli shrugged her shoulders. Truthfully she had felt a little bit awkward, like she was intruding on something. Honoka hadn’t moved away from her until she had gotten out of the bed but somehow moving felt like the best thing to do. “I’ll be heading out soon. I-I think I should talk to Nozomi.”  
  
Honoka gave a small smile at the comment. She hated to see her friends fighting, especially Eli and Nozomi. It was obvious to anyone who knew them that they belonged together. “That’s a good idea, Eli-senpai. I’m sure Nozomi-chan would like to see you.”  
  
Eli wasn’t sure about that. She was nervous, both about seeing Nozomi and Future Honoka. “Thanks, Honoka. I…” She was cut off by the door slamming open, Arisa storming into the room with Yukiho hot on her heels.   
  
“Onee-chan!”  
  
“What?!” Eli got to her feet, expecting someone to follow the girls into the room. “What’s going on?!”  
  
Arisa looked both happy and nervous at the same time, her chest heaving with exertion for some reason. Before Eli had a chance to ask what she had been doing she spoke up quickly. “I know where So…I mean Umi-san is!”  
  
“Huh?!” Honoka eyes widened in surprise at the statement. “W-What do you mean, Arisa-chan? How do you know where Umi-chan is?” She moved away from Kotori, sliding off the bed. “Where is she?!”  
  
“Arisa…” Eli cautioned, icy fear running down her spine. She had done everything she could to keep Arisa away from this kind of thing and yet here her sister was throwing herself into it even though she’d been warned to stay out of it.   
  
“I just know that she’s in the Shinjuku Ward.” Arisa answered, turning her attention to Honoka. “I’m too far away to get a clear reading but if I go there I just know I can…”  
  
“ARISA!” Eli’s voice echoed around the room and the four other girls flinched in surprise.   
  
Arisa turned to look at Eli, crossing her arms defiantly. “I’m not a baby, Onee-chan. I want to help. I can do this, I just have to get close enough and I’ll find Umi-san!”  
  
“I told you to stay out of it! This is meant to be a secret. I told you not to tell anyone besides me and Nozomi!” Eli could hardly believe her sister had said what she had. “Go to your room, I’ll talk to you later!”  
  
Arisa grit her teeth. “I don’t HAVE a room anymore, remember? And you’re not my mom!”  
  
“FINE!” Eli’s temper flared for a moment. Usually Arisa would never speak to her in such a tone. “THEN GO TO YUKIHO’S ROOM!”  
  
Arisa flinched at the volume of Eli’s voice but she didn’t move, she merely stared at Eli, tears stinging at her eyes. “I just want to help Umi-san…”  
  
Eli softened at the pitiful tone of Arisa’s voice but before she could do anything Yukiho was at Arisa’s side, an arm going around her shoulders.   
  
“Let’s give them some time to talk.” Yukiho said softly, glancing over at Honoka and Kotori. They both looked shocked to say the least. “Come on.”  
  
Eli watched as Yukiho led Arisa out of the room, closing the door behind her.   
  
“What did she mean?” Kotori asked after a moment of silence. “She’s too far away to get a…reading? What’s a reading?”  
  
Eli sighed and rubbed the back of her neck. “It’s…her ability. She can find someone if she focuses hard enough on them. I don’t like her using it.”  
  
Honoka frowned at Eli’s words. “Arisa-chan had the power to find Umi-chan and you didn’t tell us about it? Even…” She trailed off, thinking of her state from earlier. “Eli-senpai…”  
  
“Don’t look at me like that, you know exactly why I didn’t say anything!” Eli’s tone was defensive but not angry. “I don’t want to get her wrapped up in this. You know what happens to her in the future. You heard what your future self said about it!”  
  
Kotori cleared her throat somewhat awkwardly. “It doesn’t mean it’s going to happen now. Her ability is part of who she is. I…”  
  
“Her ability is the reason she’s going to die!” Eli hissed, trying not to let Arisa overhear. “She’s my sister, I have to protect her! Do you have any idea how valuable she is? Her power might be passive but it’s one of the most dangerous we know for ability users. You know CORPS or criminals would kill to have her ability in their hands, exploiting her body with tests. Just so they can find people like us!”  
  
“But it would just be once and then…” Kotori’s pleas fell on deaf ears.   
  
“You say that but it wouldn’t really! I won’t let my sister be used. You don’t understand, Kotori. I can’t lose her!” Eli was getting less angry and more upset about the situation. “I can’t let her die. And I can’t let CORPS capture her and…perform those sick tests on her.” She remembered scars on Honoka’s back. They had tagged her like she was their property. “I’ve let it happen enough already. I didn’t protect her enough when I was younger, I…” She trailed off, her voice breaking with emotion.   
  
“It’s okay, Eli-senpai.” Honoka stepped toward Eli, placing a hand on the teary blonde’s arm. When Eli looked at her she offered a smile. “Tell Arisa-chan I said thank you for helping.”   
  
“Huh?” Eli watched as Honoka stepped away, crossing the room to her dresser. Rather unceremoniously, Honoka whipped off her shirt. Quickly, she turned away. “W-Wait, what are you doing?!”  
  
“What does it look like I’m doing?” Honoka asked as she began to change. “I’m going to find Umi-chan. What kind of girlfriend would I be if I left her out there alone?”  
  
“Uh…Honoka, she left you. She broke up with you?” Eli said carefully though she supposed that was besides the point.   
  
That gave Honoka pause for a moment but she quickly shrugged it off. “Maybe, but she didn’t mean it. You can keep Arisa-chan out of it but I’m going after Umi-chan. That’s what you do for the person you’re in love with, isn’t it? It doesn’t matter where they go or what they do, you go after them.”  
  
“She might hurt you again.” Kotori said anxiously as she watched Honoka tug on some clean pants. “It was bad enough last time.”

  
Honoka gave a short laugh. “If it’s to get my Umi-chan back, I don’t care how many hits I have to take.”  
  
“I do!” Kotori and Eli exclaimed in unison, causing them to glance at each other. They both nodded as if in agreement.   
  
“Scary.” Honoka mused, raising an eyebrow. She couldn’t help but feel upbeat now that she had an idea about where she could find Umi. “I’ll see you when I get back. I’ll call you.” She started toward the door only for a hand to reach out and grab the back of her collar to wrench her back. She spluttered, grasping at her throat. “Ooouch!”  
  
“There’s no way in hell I’m letting you go by yourself.” Eli said, releasing Honoka’s collar. “I’ll go with you. Kotori, will you stay here and take care of Arisa please? We shouldn’t be gone for more than a couple of days.”  
  
“Uh…what will I tell Honoka’s mom?” Kotori asked uncertainly. “She’ll notice Honoka’s gone, you know? And…it’s going to be weird if I’m staying here…”  
  
Eli was silent for a moment but when she couldn’t think of an answer she waved Kotori off. “You’ll think of something. You’re a smart girl.” She turned to Honoka, giving her a once over. “Come on, we’ll have t take the train. Good thing I have some money.”  
  
“Uh…I was thinking I could just teleport there?” Honoka said sheepishly. “It’ll be faster.”  
  
“No.” Eli answered with an insistent shake of her head. She noticed Honoka start to protest and quickly continued. “No, no, no. A thousand times no. You’ll hurt yourself. I’m going with you to stop that, remember? So we’re taking the train.”  
  
Honoka wanted to argue but she figured it wasn’t an argument she would win. She settled for nodding instead. “Fine…”  
  
TBC


	21. Chapter 21

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks again for all of the comments and likes guys. I appreciate the input! Next chapter here. Warnings for general angst, sexual situations and violence…I’d probably rate this…15? R/T?

“We’ll be there soon, won’t we Eli-senpai?” Honoka could barely sit still, looking past Eli out of the window. The trees passed in a blur of green. She could hardly wait to see Umi again, even if her girlfriend wouldn’t be very happy to see her at the moment.   
  
Eli simply shrugged in response and continued to stare out of the window.   
  
Honoka faltered at Eli’s answer. The blonde had been like this since they’d gotten on the train. She hadn’t said one word to her. “Eli-senpai.” She didn’t get an answer and she prodded Eli’s crossed arms. “Eli-senpai? Eli-sen…”  
  
“What?!” Eli snapped, turning to glare at Honoka. “I don’t know, okay Honoka?!”  
  
Honoka flinched at Eli’s tone. “Are you mad at me or something?”  
  
Eli sighed and looked down at her lap. “No. Of course not. I’m just…I wanted to say goodbye to Nozomi before we left. I’m not really mad at you, I suppose. It just would have been nice to see her.”

Honoka nervously nibbled on her lower lip. When Eli had mentioned that she wanted to go and see Nozomi first, she had complained that she didn’t want to wait any longer before she went to find Umi. That Umi couldn’t wait any longer and there was no telling what kind of trouble she could get herself into. “I’m sorry…”

“It’s fine.” Eli whispered though her voice was laced with disappointment.   
  
Honoka’s brow furrowed. She felt guilty for managing to upset Eli so much. She moved closer and nudged her way beneath Eli’s arm, resting her head on the taller girl’s shoulder. She watched as Eli’s lips turned up into a slight smile despite her best efforts.   
  
“I know that Nozomi-chan would have loved to see you, Eli-senpai.” She said, her voice quiet. “But I have a feeling…that if we don’t find Umi-chan quickly something bad might happen to her. We just can’t waste any time. I’m sorry…”  
  
Eli gave a simple nod in response. She was thinking with her heart, not her head. She could see Nozomi when she got back, she knew that. But she’d wanted to speak with her first. “You’re acting like a leader, Honoka.”  
  
Honoka’s eyes widened and she felt heat crawl up to her cheeks. “E-Eh?!”  
  
“I said you’re acting like a leader.” Eli knew that Honoka had heard what she’d said but she repeated herself anyway. She teasingly poked Honoka’s cheek. “You’re impressive.”  
  
“I-I…uh…” Honoka noticed the smug grin on Eli’s face. “Argh, Eli-senpai! You’re embarrassing me!” She buried her face in Eli’s shoulder, feeling the blonde shake with gentle laughter. She almost pulled away to complain put but she felt Eli’s hand cup the back of her head, a cheek pressing to the top of her head.   
  
Feeling no need to pull away from Eli’s side, Honoka closed her eyes and allowed herself to relax. She couldn’t nod off like she usually would though. Not when her mind was filled with Umi. She couldn’t wait to see her again.   
  
Eli’s lips turned up when Honoka pressed closer to her in search of her warmth. She was comfortable, having Honoka so close to her but at the same time she was tempted by it. It was hard to be close to her without wanting to do something but she couldn’t. She remembered Honoka’s reaction the last time she had kissed her. She hardly wanted that to happen again.  
  
After a short while the announcement that they were arriving at Shinjuku sounded and the two were forced to part as the train came to a stop. They each grabbed their hurriedly packed bags and Eli slid her hand into Honoka’s, muttering that she didn’t want to lose her in the crowd. The knowing smile Honoka flashed her let her know that the girl really didn’t believe what she was saying. Eli hesitantly returned the smile and gave Honoka’s hand a weak squeeze as they got off the train. When they were on the platform she almost let go, only to feel Honoka adjust her grip and gently entwine their fingers together.   
  
“It’s fine.” Honoka said, letting go of the strap of her backpack in favour of moving her hand down to rub the back of the hand she was holding. “I feel safer holding Eli-senpai’s hand anyway.”  
  
Eli’s chest clenched at the show of affection. ”Stupid feelings…” She muttered under her breath, not quite loud enough for Honoka to catch. At the questioning eyebrow Honoka raised, she shook her head. “N-Nothing! Let’s go.”  
  
Thankfully, Honoka didn’t press the issue and Eli breathed a sigh of relief as they made their way from the train station.   
  
“Where should we start looking?” Honoka asked, looking to Eli for guidance. “It’s not as though either of us has abilities that are useful when it comes to looking for someone.”  
  
Eli wondered if that was a subtle complaint about how she had refused to bring her sister along even though Arisa would have been able to find Umi without a problem. She shrugged her shoulders. “I don’t know. Let’s just walk for a while. I need to call Maki anyway. It’s not going to help anyone if she’s looking in the wrong place.”  
  
Honoka opened her mouth to argue, wanting to search right away, but she promptly closed it again, deciding it was best to go along with the plan. She nodded instead, allowing Eli to lead her away.   
  
—-  
  
Nozomi, still shaken by the events of the morning couldn’t help but glance furtively around as they arrived outside of the Minami household. She was certain she could trust the man who’d reached out to her but at the same time she expected more agents to attack them at any second. The sudden sound of a plane overhead had her gripping Honoka’s hand tighter, shrinking into her side.   
  
“It’s okay.” Honoka soothed gently, concerned by how jumpy Nozomi was being. “I’m here.”  
  
Nozomi was reminded of Honoka saying the same thing in her ‘dream’. “Not really helping…”  
  
Honoka almost pressed Nozomi about that, intending to ask what she meant but they were already at the front door. She knocked with her free hand, feeling Nozomi pressing closer to her. She smiled at that. It was so odd. In the future it would have been the other way around. She always sought out the safety of Eli and Nozomi when she was in trouble or upset.   
  
The door opened and they were greeted by the sight of a man with dark brown hair waiting for them.   
  
Nozomi was struck by the realization that this man was the same man who had spoken to her in her dream. He was even wearing the same kind of clothes he had been there. Simple dark slacks and a buttondown shirt with the sleeves rolled up to his elbows. “W-Who…?”  
  
“Don’t be afraid.” The man soothed, using his ability to rise from the ground to show them that he meant no harm to them. “My name is Ayase Takashi. Please, just trust me. I’m here to help.”  
  
Nozomi found herself once again put at ease by those soft blue eyes, so similar to Eli’s. “O-Okay.” She inched into the house when the man beckoned her, tugging Future Honoka with her. “You said Ayase. You’re Elichi’s…?”  
  
The man smiled warmly at the question. “Eli is my daughter.” He answered, beckoning the two of them to follow him. “There’s someone who wants to speak to the two of you.”  
  
This time, Honoka gripped Nozomi’s hand harder. She wasn’t finding it as easy to trust this man as Nozomi seemed to be. She silently went along with it though, following the man further into the house. It wasn’t as big as Umi’s but it was still a fair size, certainly bigger than her old home as a teenager, and they spent a couple of minutes being guided through the house. As they passed the kitchen, she caught a glimpse of a woman with red hair. A woman who looked remarkably like Maki. She almost doubled back to make sure she wasn’t seeing things but the man had come to a stop.   
  
Takashi raised his hand, rapping lightly on the double doors in front of him.   
  
“The door is open.” A woman’s voice called from inside of the room.   
  
Honoka’s brow furrowed. She recognized that voice. She waited with baited breath as the doors in front of her were opened and she was led into the room along with Nozomi. She glanced around briefly at the spacious office, instinctively looking for possible escape routes but what really caught her attention was the woman standing behind the desk. She supposed she shouldn’t have been surprised, given whose house it was.   
  
“Nozomi-chan, Honoka-chan…I’ve been expecting you.”   
  
“S-Sensei?” Nozomi gaped at the woman, taking a step forward. Honoka’s grip on her hand stopped her.   
  
“Please, Nozomi-chan. We’re going to be spending a lot of time together.” Kotori’s mom sat down in her seat, a slightly sad smile on her face. “Call me Yume.”  
  
To Honoka’s ears, the answer sounded threatening and she narrowed her eyes. “What’s that supposed to mean? I’m not letting you take Nozomi anywhere.”  
  
Yume observed Honoka for a moment before shaking her head in response. “Neither of you are going anywhere. It’s not safe for you to stay anywhere but here.” She was silent for a brief moment, letting her words sink in. “I saw you in a dream, Honoka-chan. I saw you come back to the past even before you did.”  
  
Honoka glanced briefly back at the man who’d declared himself as Eli’s father before turning her attention back to Yume. “That’s your ability? Visions that predict the future?”  
  
Yume nodded. “And the ability to show my visions to other people.” She locked eyes with Nozomi. “Those who are open enough at least. I wanted to warn you about what was going to happen.”  
  
“So my dream wasn’t really a dream?” Nozomi asked shakily. She had suspected as much but the confirmation had her feeling even more nervous than before. “If we hadn’t gotten out of there she would have died?”  
  
Yume nodded grimly. “There are people after you now. It’s not safe for you out there.”  
  
“Not just the two of you either.” Another woman’s voice chimed in and Nozomi and Honoka looked toward the door, finding a woman with red hair standing there. “It’s all of you. My daughter, Takashi’s daughters, Yume’s daughter…you’re all in danger.”  
  
It didn’t take long for Honoka to place how she knew the woman.”Nishikino-san.” She slowly eased her grip on Nozomi’s hand. “If you’ve known this for a while why are you only reaching out to us now? They’ve always been in danger and none of you have done anything.”  
  
Yume cleared her throat. “The danger is more prominent now. You coming back here has changed things, it’s caused…a shift. We didn’t expect CORPS to go after the girls as soon as they did.”  
  
“Well they did in my timeline too, how is that any different?” Honoka narrowed her eyes impatiently. She was sure these people weren’t going to hurt her and Nozomi but she still didn’t trust them.   
  
“That’s a question better answered when the rest of you are safely with us too.” Yume said seriously. “Trust me when I say that now isn’t a good time for any of you to be alone.”  
  
Honoka released Nozomis hand. “If they’re in as much danger as you say we are then I’m going to get Kotori-chan and the others.” She turned on her heel and began to walk toward the door, only halting when Takashi stepped calmly into her path. She narrowed her eyes. “Get out of my way.”  
  
Maki’s mother stepped forward, coming to a stop at Takashi’s side. “There’s no need to be rash about this. You’re in just as much danger as everyone else.”  
  
“That hardly matters!” Honoka scowled irritably. “I’m not from this time, you know that. My death won’t make a difference! If they’re in danger we need to get to them before something happens! I’m not trying to be rude, Nishikino-san bu-”  
  
“Rei.” Maki’s mother interrupted patiently. “Just call me Rei. As Yume said we’re going to be spending quite some time together.” She eyed the sore looking cut on Honoka’s cheek and reached up, brushing her fingers over it. “And you’re more important than you think.”  
  
Honoka felt warmth expand over her cheek. Reaching up, she found that the cut had fully healed. “L-Look, what about the others? If they’re in danger we need to get to them. Maki is out there somewhere!”  
  
Rei opened her mouth to answer but she was cut off by a sharp intake of breath from Yume. She glanced over Honoka’s shoulder, finding the woman gripping the edge of her desk, her eyes shut. Having spent so much time with her, she knew what that meant. She moved swiftly around Honoka and crossed to Yume.   
  
Slowly, Yume opened her eyes, her expression grim. “It might be too late already.”  
  
—-  
  
After Eli called them it didn’t take long for Maki, Rin and Nico to meet up with the two. Eli had been pleasantly surprised to find that they were searching in the right area at least, even if they weren’t having any luck finding Umi.   
  
She’d requested that they meet her and Honoka somewhere quiet, in a slightly run down park not too far into the city. It was better that they didn’t draw too much attention to themselves and didn’t spent too much time around crowds.   
  
Eli had been sitting on the park bench, Honoka next to her for about thirty minutes when she spotted the three of them walking toward her. As they got closer she frowned at the sight of Rin’s bruised eye and the bandages on Maki’s neck.   
  
Honoka beat her to the punch. “What happened to the two of you?”  
  
“Don’t even bother.” Nico cast a scathing look between a nervous looking Rin and an unfazed Maki. “I’ve asked them more times than I can count and they won’t tell me anything.” She crossed her arms as she looked Honoka and Eli over. “You two are awfully close. What’s with that?”  
  
“I was cold.” Honoka blushed and pulled away from Eli slightly, having forgotten she’d been leaning into the blonde’s side. “We’ve come to help you find Umi-chan. We know she’s somewhere in this area.”  
  
Rin grumpily crossed her arms. “How do you know that? We’ve been looking here for almost a full day. We would have found her already, nya.”  
  
Honoka raised an eyebrow at Rin’s unusually annoyed attitude. “It doesn’t matter how we know. All that matters is that Umi-chan is here somehow and we’re going to find her.” She glanced at Nico. “What’s wrong with her?”  
  
“Nothing is wrong with me, nya!” Rin snapped angrily, her fists clenched at her sides. She glared at Honoka and stomped away, huffily sitting down on a rusty swing.   
  
“Don’t ask.” Maki said tiredly as she watched Rin go. “She’s been like that for days. We’re…working on it. What were you saying about Umi?”  
  
“We were saying that Umi-chan is out here and we came to help you find her. I’m sure the five of us can do it together!” Honoka stated positively, getting to her feet. She looked back at Eli who was watching her with a slight smile on her lips. “Right, Eli-senpai?”  
  
Eli nods and stands with Honoka, taking her hand. “Exactly. So let’s get back to searching. We’re not leaving here until we find Umi.” She waits until Maki and Nico nod in response before she began to walk, tugging Honoka with her. Aware that the other three were following, she lowered her voice and leaned closer to Honoka’s ear. “Thanks. For not telling them about Arisa…”  
  
Honoka shook her head and smiled warmly. “You’re not the only person who wants to keep Arisa-chan safe, Eli-senpai. She’s my second favourite Ayase, after all.”  
  
Eli felt her face heat up and she grumbled under her breath though she wasn’t displeased by the remark. “Shut up, Honoka. Let’s go and find Umi, alright?”  
  
“Right!” Honoka responded, picking up her pace. The unexpected speed had Eli almost stumbling and Honoka laughed nervously. “Sorry, Eli-senpai.”

—–  
  
Rin had chosen to return to Hanayo’s house again, declaring that it would take her no time at all to get there, even from Shinjuku. It wasn’t a surprise that she wanted that. It had seemed like she felt nothing but uncomfortable around the others.   
  
That left Eli, Honoka, Maki and Nico at the hotel. Maki had managed to get a suite with adjoining rooms. It was safer that way anyway. Eli had suspected that questions about what a teenager was doing with so much money would be raised but nobody had batted an eyelid. It seemed that all that mattered was that they had the money, not how they’d managed to get it.   
  
The door to the bathroom opened and Honoka stepped out wrapped in a towel, steam following her. Her skin was slightly flushed from the shower, her hair falling wet around her shoulders.   
  
For a moment, Eli forgot to breathe, her eyes widening at the sight. Hurriedly, she looked away, pressing her hands against her eyes as her face turned red. “W-Why didn’t you take your clothes in with you?!”  
  
Honoka gave a shrug of her shoulders. “Because I was dirty and I forgot. I just wanted to shower. Are you okay?”  
  
Eli shook her head in response, refusing to look in Honoka’s direction again. It was bad enough that the mental image was still in her mind. “Just get dressed, alright?!”  
  
Honoka heaved a forlorn sigh but did as she was told, noticing that Eli didn’t glance in her direction at all. It bothered her a little bit if she was honest. She took her towel off and towel dried her hair. Too tired to do anything else with it, she tied it up into a high ponytail. She changed quickly afterward, into a pair of shorts and a loose t-shirt.   
  
She trudged over to Eli, sinking down onto the edge of the bed next to her. The blonde’s gaze was fixed intently on the television across the room and Honoka could hear the news playing out at a low volume.   
  
“I’m good at making Eli-senpai angry now, huh?” She asked, a hint of sadness in her tone. She moved close to Eli, resting her head against the blonde’s shoulder. It had been a long day of searching for Umi and she felt exhausted.   
  
“Honoka, your hair is wet. Come on…” Eli complained, shrugging the girl off. The last thing she needed was to have to change again. She’d only brought enough clothes to last her a few days.  
  
“It’s in a ponytail…” Honoka mumbled, feeling slightly rejected. Eli hadn’t even said that she wasn’t making her angry. She moved to adjust her position, crossing her legs beneath her. Rather than moving closer to Eli, she settled for watching her intently. “Will Maki-chan and Nico-chan be back soon?”  
  
“Hopefully. I’m hungry.” Eli turned toward Honoka somewhat reluctantly. “Look, I…” She trailed off, her eyes drifting inadvertently to the loose shirt Honoka was wearing. Vaguely, she wondered if Nozomi could feel the strong attraction she felt toward Honoka. It was impossible for her not to. She swallowed thickly, her gaze flicking up toward Honoka’s. She had ruined a lot more than any potential for friendship with Future Honoka when she’d slept with her. “Maybe you should sleep with Maki tonight. I’ll share with Nico.”  
  
“What?” Honoka scooted closer, a frown tugging at her lips. “But I feel safer with Eli-senpai.” She noticed Eli bite her lip, her gaze flicking away. “I want to stay with you, not Maki-chan. You can’t just pull me close and then push me away, Eli-senpai. It’s not fair. We promised we’d be as close as our future selves, remember?”  
  
Eli closed her eyes for a moment, not wanting to watch Honoka inch closer. “It’s not like I don’t still want that. It’s just complicated…with us at the minute. I thought you might be more comfortable with Maki.”  
  
“I’m most comfortable with Eli-senpai.” Honoka murmured, causing Eli to open her eyes.   
  
She was surprised by how close Honoka suddenly was. “Honoka…”  
  
Honoka felt her skin erupt in goosebumps. Her name, coming from Eli’s lips, was dripping with longing. She leaned closer, her sky eyes locked intently with Eli’s icy blue. Heat was radiating from Eli and she instinctively leaned closer, noticing Eli doing the same. Their noses brushed and Honoka felt her breath hitch in her throat. She wasn’t sure what she was doing, all she knew was that being close to Eli made her feel safe, in the same way she’d always felt safe when she was with Umi.   
  
“Senpai…” Honoka whispered, tilting her head slightly. She pressed closer, her lips finding Eli’s as the older girl leaned into her in turn. Eli’s lips against her own were warm, much warmer than any kiss she’d ever experienced before. She felt warm hands cup her face as Eli kissed her back and a whimper rose from the back of her throat. The hands on her face slid down, over her shoulders and down her back until they bunched up the hem of the loose shirt she was wearing and dragged upwards.   
  
Honoka moaned softly, giving Eli the chance to deepen the kiss. She moved her hand to the back of Eli’s head so as not to break the kiss and moved to straddle her lap. The inside of Eli’s mouth was warmer than her lips. Almost scorching. The same could be said for her skin as Honoka slipped her hands under the shirt Eli had thrown on.   
  
Eli’s lips soon strayed from her mouth, down the line of her jaw to her neck where she sucked lightly on soft skin, drawing a gasp from Honoka.   
  
“Honoka, I…” Eli’s voice was breathless as she scraped her teeth against Honoka’s neck. “I think I love you.”  
  
Honoka froze at the words, her eyes widened slightly. Umi had told her that she loved her the last time they had been together intimately. She had said it repeatedly, like it was her last chance to let Honoka know.   
  
Eli heard the sound of a whimper, surprisingly close to her ear, but it wasn’t the same kind of whimper Honoka had let out before. It sounded choked with tears. Slowly, she eased back, her breath catching at the sight of moisture filling Honoka’s eyes. “Honoka…”  
  
Honoka sniffled and reached up, wiping her tears away with her wrist but they just kept coming. “I want Umi-chan…”  
  
Eli nodded slowly in understand. “What do you want me to do? Do you want to stop? I’ll do whatever you want me to.”  
  
“Why are you being so nice to me?!” Honoka exclaimed tearfully, clutching at the front of Eli’s shirt. She inadvertently pulled Eli close, their foreheads colliding somewhat painfully. “I-I can’t do this. I can’t use you, I-I…I can’t hurt you. I just want Umi-chan…”  
  
Eli took a deep breath and wrapped her arms around Honoka, drawing her down toward her. She kissed the top of Honoka’s head and brushed her fingers over damp hair. “It’s okay. I’ve got you, Honoka.” She held onto Honoka tightly, feeling her sobbing softly into her shoulder. It hurt, to see their leader in such a sorry state. It wasn’t meant to be that way.   
  
Slowly, Honoka pulled back to look at Eli through teary eyes. “I-I’m sorry.” Carefully, she pressed her lips to Eli’s. Just briefly, more as an apology than anything else. “I’m so sorry.”  
  
Eli shook her head, forcing a smile to her lips. “Don’t be.” She gently wiped Honoka’s tears from her cheeks. “Look, this might…sound odd…” Honoka stared at Eli questioningly. “I’m…not with Nozomi right now, even if I want to be. If you need to, you know…” She trailed off, finding it difficult to express herself. “If using me is what you need, it’s fine.”  
  
Honoka bit her lip, admittedly tempted by the offer as she looked Eli up and down. She couldn’t, but she had to admit that she wanted to.  “I can’t do that to you. It would only hurt us both when Umi-chan is back and safe. Especially you.”  
  
“Honoka.” Eli gently cupped Honoka’s cheek and gave her a sweet kiss. “I told you, I’m here for whatever you need. As for you hurting me, I hardly care. I can take it.” She kissed Honoka’s jaw, mapping out a hot trail to her neck.   
  
Honoka inhaled sharply, closing her eyes against the subtle scrape of Eli’s tongue and teeth against her skin. “Eli-senpai…” It was a halfhearted protest, one she didn’t mean, but it had Eli drawing back to look at her. Their eyes met for a split second before they both leaned in again, their lips meeting in a mutual kiss. It was different from the last time. Something about it was more desperate and needy, like Eli was trying to commit the kiss to memory or something.  
  
Eli’s hands were under her shirt again, heated palms moving up and down her sides and Honoka felt herself growing too warm. Far too warm. “T-Take it off, Eli-senpai…”  
  
Eli pulled back for a moment, but she didn’t pull Honoka’s shirt right off. She pushed it up first, intent on mapping out her torso with her lips. Much to her delight, Honoka wasn’t even wearing a bra. It made sense as it wouldn’t be long until they went to bed.   
  
Honoka was just about to complain that it was still too hot when the door across the room opened and Nico and Maki ambled into the room, each holding a bag of food.   
  
Nico stopped in her tracks at the sight that met her eyes. “You have got to be fucking kidding me right now! First I have to deal with Maki and ‘Koto-nee’ and now  _this_?!”  
  
Honoka hurriedly pushed her shirt down, her cheeks flushed with embarrassment. “It’s not what it looks like!”  
  
“It isn’t?” Maki’s tone was laced with annoyance. She knew how in love with Honoka Kotori was and yet here Honoka was kissing someone else. Someone who wasn’t even her girlfriend. Her gaze shifted suddenly to Nico when her words finally sank in. “And don’t call her Koto-nee, only I get to call her that!”  
  
Nico looked more amused than intimidated as she closed the door behind them.  
  
Maki on the other hand, just looked uncomfortable. “Hey Honoka, maybe you should…you know, get off her.”  
  
“Huh?” Honoka’s eyes widened in surprise when she realized what Nico was referring to. “Ah, right!” She scrambled off Eli, sitting on the bed next to her instead. “S-Sorry, Eli-senpai.”   
  
“It’s fine.” Eli muttered, looking just as embarrassed as Honoka did.   
  
“So Honoka…” Nico drawled as she situated herself on the floor in front of the bed and began to rummage through the bag she had. “How hot is she anyway?”  
  
Honoka’s eyes darted briefly toward Eli. “What?!”  
  
“I mean her ability.” Nico smirked in a way that let Honoka know that wasn’t really what she’d been talking about. “It has to make her pretty hot, right?”  
  
“Ah…” Honoka laughed nervously at the suggestion. “Uh, I-I guess so. I didn’t really notice.” She numbly took the food Nico passed up to her, her mind elsewhere. She barely noticed Maki sit on the floor near Nico nor did she notice Eli mutter a thanks as she accepted her own food.   
  
Nico leaned back, popping open the lid of the cardboard container. “She must be like a damn oven when she gets turned on, huh?”                                                                                    
  
“Shut up, Nico! I’m sitting right here!” Eli glared at the girl who shrugged defiantly in response. Flames flicked over her fingertips and she quickly adjusted the container she was holding so it didn’t catch alight. “My sex life is none of your business.”  
  
Nico raised an eyebrow. “But it’s her business? That’s pretty twiste-”   
  
“Can we just be quiet?!” Maki interrupted, sensing an argument brewing. She shot Nico a look and focused on using her ability. “ _Look, I’m just as upset as you are but it should have been obvious with the way Future Honoka describes her Eli…”_  
  
Nico scoffed out loud but replied telepathically. “ _Nozomi and Umi better be okay with sharing then…”  
_  
“I-Itadakimasu!” Honoka exclaimed, more to break the silence than anything else. She quickly dug into her food, pointedly not looking in Eli’s direction. After a couple of minutes she looked to Maki instead. “Maki-chan, could you um…not tell Kotori-chan about what you saw please?”  
  
Maki bristled at the request, her grip on her chopsticks tightening. “I’m not going to lie to her for you.” She said though she couldn’t deny that she was tempted. She knew how much it would hurt Kotori to know what Honoka was doing with Eli. “If this is going to be a thing now maybe you should tell her yourself. She deserves the truth.”  
  
“Hey, Maki. That’s not fair…” Eli said feebly, casting a worried glance at Honoka. Her protests died on her lips when Honoka sadly shook her head. Blindly defending her wasn’t going to help anyone given the situation they were in.   
  
“Right, let’s go.” Nico got to her feet, food in one hand and reached down to grab Honoka’s arm with the other, dragging her to her feet. “I hope you have a high tolerance for heat, Maki. You’re sleeping with the human furnace tonight.”  
  
“Eh?! But I wanted to sleep with Eli-senpai…”  
  
“Yeah, I bet you did.” Nico scoffed, shoving Honoka so that the girl was walking in front of her. She followed Honoka into the adjoining room, closing the door behind them.   
  
Maki sighed as she was left alone with Eli. Turning to the blonde she found she wasn’t even looking at her. She wasn’t eating anymore either, apparently done with the food she’d been given. “Eli…”  
  
“Let’s just go to bed.” Eli stood up, tossing the mostly empty container of food into the trash. She cast a longing look towards the door Nico and Honoka had disappeared through before she slipped into bed. She was left alone for a few minutes when Maki went to change in the bathroom but then the blankets were being pushed aside and she felt the redhead climb into the bed next to her.   
  
“Hope you’re not planning to seduce me.” Maki grumbled, still a bit irate about earlier.   
  
“I’m not a sex fiend.” Eli scoffed in response. “As if I would anyway. You’re way too young for me.”  
  
“I’m only a year younger than Honoka and you have no problem doing things with her.” Maki pointed out, turning onto her side to face Eli. She took note of how tired Eli looked. “Have you been sleeping?”  
  
“I haven’t been, really. I don’t know how any of you can either.” Eli tiredly rubbed her eyes. She really was exhausted. “I’m worried about what’s going to happen next. I can’t let Umi hurt Honoka…”  
  
“You’re really into her, huh?” Maki pushed herself up into a sitting position, observing Eli carefully. “You know…Honoka is really in love with Umi. As soon as we get her back…”  
  
“I know. Of course I know that.” Eli whispered, her hand falling to her side. “It doesn’t matter. Haven’t you ever loved anyone you know you can’t have?”  
  
Maki thought about that for a moment before reluctantly shaking her head. “I don’t think I’ve ever loved anyone like that. The closest was…” She hesitated, her cheeks warming. “I had a crush on Koto-nee when I was younger.”  
  
“Oh?” Eli glanced at Maki, grinning tiredly when she noticed that she was blushing. “Are you embarrassed?”  
  
“No, y-you’re just making the bed too hot!” Maki exclaimed defensively. She shoved the blankets off as if to prove a point. “Dumb pyro…”  
  
Eli laughed as Maki visibly shivered now that she was uncovered. “So do you still like her?”  
  
Maki groaned at the question. “We’re not talking anymore. Do you want me to help you get to sleep?”  
  
Eli cast an inquisitive look over at Maki. She didn’t know what she planned to do but she figured it couldn’t hurt. “Sure.”  
  
Maki shuffled closer to Eli and placed a hand on her forehead. She waited to make sure Eli had closed her eyes before she closed her own and focused intently on her ability.   
  
“Feels like you’re in my head.” Eli muttered, breaking Maki’s concentration for a moment. “It’s weird.”  
  
“Just be quiet and relax.” Maki blocked out everything, searching through Eli’s memories for something happy. She skipped over the bad memories though she couldn’t help but see them.

—-

“This is so inconvenient. I can’t even put my face mask on.” Nico muttered, checking herself over in the mirror. It was only for a couple of days but that wasn’t the point. “I hate being away from home. Guess I’ll have to get used to it if I was to be an Idol though…”  
  
Honoka glanced warily between Nico and the door. She wondered if she could make a run for it and convince Maki to let her stay with Eli.   
  
“So what’s the deal with you two anyway?” Nico asked, finally turning around. “Do you have feelings for her?” She scoffed at her own question. “Nevermind. Of course you do. No sane person would let someone they didn’t have feelings for grope them. I really hope Umi can share.”  
  
Honoka frowned at the comment. “Umi-chan doesn’t need to share. I don’t want anyone but her.”  
  
“Sure you don’t.” Nico said, raising a disbelieving eyebrow. “You’re pretty unbelievable, you know that? Two girls at once.” She shook her head in disdain. She couldn’t even get the one girl she wanted. Not that she thought being with her would be a good idea. It would just be nice if Maki actually liked her back. “So what’s your secret?”  
  
“Secret?” Honoka asked warily, pulling her knees to her chest.   
  
“Yeah, I mean…getting two girls to like you is pretty impressive. I want to know how you do it.” Nico plopped down onto the bed next to Honoka, raising an eyebrow.   
  
Honoka squirmed under Nico’s expectant stare. “I-It’s not like I wanted them both to like me or anything. With Eli-senpai, I didn’t do anything. It was my future self…”  
  
Nico laughed at the answer. “Of course it was. I guess she really rocked her world.” She shifted so that she was facing Honoka, her legs crossed beneath her. “So? What’s the deal? Are you into each other?”  
  
“Eli-senpai?” Honoka bit her lip in thought before she shook her head. “I don’t think so. She says she…thinks she loves me but maybe she’s confused. When I get Umi-chan back I’m going to help Eli-senpai with Nozomi-chan. I know she wants to be with her again.”  
  
“Yeah but what about you and Eli?” Nico was insistent, not one to be distracted from something she was trying to find out. “You must like her a bit if you’re making out with her, right? You must think she’s hot at least.”  
  
“Well…Eli-senpai is cute and I guess…kissing her is nice.” Honoka reasoned, her cheeks flushing as she responded. “And I love her as a friend but it’s different to how I love Umi-chan.”  
  
Nico scowled as she leaned back. Getting information from Honoka was like drawing blood from a stone. “Sounds to me like you’re using her. You need to be careful. Muse is already fucked up enough as it is. If we’re attacked as we are now we’re all going to die. Well…the rest of you will. I guess I’ll be taken to some kind of lab or something…”  
  
“Nico-chan, don’t talk like that!” Honoka exclaimed, effectively cutting Nico off. She didn’t want to hear it. She couldn’t bear the thought of losing her friends.   
  
“Fine, fine.” Nico sighed, rolling her eyes in exasperation. She didn’t exactly want to talk about it either but that was exactly what would happen if she was ever caught. She lay down on her side, not bothering to pull the blankets over her. “Just go to sleep, alright? And don’t even bother to try sneaking off. I’ll hear you and I’ll kick your ass. You and Eli obviously can’t be trusted to be alone together.”  
  
Honoka didn’t say anything but she lay down without protest, turning onto her side to face away from Nico. She stared into the darkness, her thoughts shifting to Umi. As soon as she managed to find her everything would go back to normal. It had to.   
  
—-  
  
Maki rolled the cigarette between her fingers, contemplatively biting her lip. She hadn’t been able to sleep so grabbing her jacket she’d decided to go out to the balcony. It wasn’t especially cold so she’d discarded her jacket. She’s only brought it out because she didn’t want to pull out the pack of cigarettes in the hotel room.  
  
She lit the cigarette and took a long draw, focusing on the familiar twinge in her chest. The first time she’d smoked she’d almost thrown up. It had gotten better after that though. She figured if it worked to keep her future self calm and sane it would do the same for her too.   
  
As she looked out at the city below them she couldn’t help but think of Kotori. She hoped she was safe, regardless of what she was doing. She’d asked her to stay with one of the others, preferably Honoka, but Honoka was with them now. She supposed the next best option would be Nozomi and Future Honoka. Neither of them would ever let anything happen to her.   
  
If she was honest she was a little bit annoyed at Honoka for just leaving Kotori behind in favor of going to look for Umi. She understood in a way though. Honoka wasn’t just going to get Umi back for herself. They all wanted her back. She was their friend after all.   
  
She exhaled a ring of smoke, watching as it disappeared into the warm night air. She wished Kotori was with her now though she could imagine how upset her childhood friend would be if she found out she was smoking. She could almost hear the lecture now.   
  
“Maki-chan, what the hell are you doing?!”  
  
Maki barely had time to register that Honoka had stepped out onto the balcony and was storming toward her before a hand appeared in front of her face and the cigarette was pulled from between her lips.   
  
“What are you doing?!” Honoka repeated, snapping the cigarette in two. In disgust, she threw it onto the floor. “How long have you been doing this?!”  
  
Maki was taken aback by the livid look on Honoka’s face. “M-maybe three weeks…”  
  
“Three weeks?!” Honoka exclaimed in disbelief, all but forgetting that Eli was sleeping in the room right next to them. “You’re fifteen, Maki-chan! You’re going to kill yourself!”  
  
“I-It’s not a big deal, it just calms me down…” Maki stuttered, unnerved by Honoka’s reaction. “You don’t understand what it’s like. Knowing everything I don’t want to know…about you and Eli and the others.” Just seeing Eli’s memories from earlier had left her feeling stressed. She didn’t want the burden of such sad memories. “I just need it, okay?!”  
  
Honoka grasped Maki’s shoulders. “Why would you…?”  
  
“Because I’m stressed!” Maki’s voice was tinged with frustration this time. “I’m stressed and I’m so goddamn scared, Honoka! I’m scared of what’s going to happen. To me, to Umi-chan…all of us! I’m scared that right now Koto-nee might be in trouble and I wouldn’t even know. My father wants to destroy the world, I have no idea where my mother is and Muse is such a MESS! I just want to help but I can’t help anyone and I…” Her rant was cut off by Honoka pulling her into her. Against her better judgement, she sank into the warmth, breathing heavily as tears pricked at her eyes. “I just want to help but nobody lets me! Umi-chan said I’m a monster, just like every other mind ability user.”  
  
Honoka stroked Maki’s hair, patiently waiting until she was done. “A monster? Maki-chan? That’s stupid.” She said rather bluntly. “Umi-chan doesn’t know what she’s saying right now. She was just trying to hurt you, I think.”  
  
“You didn’t see how afraid of me she was..” Maki muttered tearfully, recalling the terrified look on Umi’s face. “Everyone is.”  
  
Honoka scoffed and gently pushed Maki away, holding her by her arms. “There’s no way we are. I’m not afraid of Maki-chan at all. Or your power.” She drew her hands away, spreading her arms out as if opening herself to attack. “See? Use it on me. I don’t care.”  
  
“You should be afraid! Or at least angry. I know things none of you’d want me to know. L-Like…you hate your future self for not being able to protect us, you’re afraid you’ll never be as good as her and you’re afraid that you’re going to break Eli’s heart and she’ll leave you. I know that you don’t plan to go home without Umi even if you have to die saving her, I know you’re more attracted to Eli than you want to think you are, I…”  
  
“Okay, okay!” Honoka hurriedly interrupted, her cheeks flamed red. “T-That’s just embarrassing, Maki-chan. I’m still not afraid of you though. I trust Maki-chan with all of my secrets.”  
  
“What?” Maki stared at Honoka like she had lost her mind. The older girl just shrugged as if it was nothing. “You still don’t get it, do you? I know, Honoka. I know about every single dirty thought you have about Eli. I know you wish we hadn’t walked in earlier. I know you wish you could love her like she loves you.”  
  
“I-I don’t have dirty thoughts a-about Eli-senpai. I love Umi-chan…”  
  
“You were thinking about how nice it felt to have her hands on you, about how warm they were. Your thoughts are really perverted…I know you pictured Kotori when you slept with Umi and you don’t know…”  
  
“STOP IT! STOP IT, STOP IT, STOP IT!” Honoka cried out, effectively interrupting the redhead. She let go of Maki, crossing her arms. “I’m not scared of you, Maki-chan. And I don’t mind that you know. But saying all of that to hurt me is just mean…”  
  
“I’m sorry, okay?” Maki ran a trembling hand through her hair. “Just let me smoke, okay? I need it…”  
  
“No way. Give me your lighter. Or your matches.” Honoka held her hand out, glaring at Maki until the redhead handed the lighter over. “And your cigarettes.” She narrowed her eyes as Maki opened her mouth to protest. “Unless you want me to yell for Nico-chan and Eli-senpai?”  
  
Maki sighed and handed over the cigarettes, her shoulders slumping. “Whatever. You can sleep with your precious Eli-senpai if you want. I’ll spend the rest of the night with Nico-chan. Just don’t do anything stupid.” She walked toward the door on shaky legs but paused, her hand on the sliding door. “And Honoka? Get the idea of sacrificing yourself for Umi out of your head. Eli won’t let you do that. And neither will I.”  
  
Without waiting for a response from Honoka, she went back inside. Eli was still sleeping though Maki had no idea how considering all of the yelling that had gone on. She slipped into the other room, finding Nico awake but barely so.   
  
“Change of plan. I’m staying with you tonight, alright?” Maki said, her voice trembling. Nico merely stared at her. “If you have a problem with it…”  
  
“No problem.” Nico said simply, shaking her head. “Just wondering why you look so upset is all.”  
  
Maki shrugged and trudged over to the bed. She got under the covers but instead of turning away, she moved close to Nico, clutching her shirt. “I’m so damn tired, Nico-chan. I just want this to be over. I don’t want this stupid ability…”  
  
“Yeah, me neither. Being immortal isn’t as great as people think, you know?” Nico gently brushed her fingers over the top of Maki’s head. She thought of her future self, alone now that her friends were dead. She didn’t want that. If she lost them she’d want to die. “If I could find a way to make us normal without…destroying the whole world while I’m trying, I would.”  
  
The way Maki’s violet eyes shimmered with tears caused her heart to wrench unexpectedly.   
  
“Thank you, Nico-chan.” Maki pressed her face into Nico’s chest, her arms going around the immortal girl.   
  
Nico sighed softly and held Maki close to her. It didn’t seem like Maki would ever see her as anything other than a friend but her feelings for the telepath were overwhelmingly strong. “Hey, why do you smell like smoke?”  
  
Maki tensed for a moment at the question. “I was sleeping next to Eli, remember? Can we just go to sleep?”  
  
Nico sensed Maki tensing and pulled her closer again, trying to keep her calm. “Fine, fine. We’ll go to sleep. But don’t blame me if we wake up and find those idiots naked or something…”  
  
Maki ignored what Nico was saying, focusing on her warmth instead. It reminded her of Kotori’s consistent warmth. For the past couple of weeks Kotori had been by her side consistently. She wished she was there now.   
  
—-  
  
“Not eating?”   
  
Kotori wouldn’t have noticed that she was being spoken to had Yukiho not nudged her foot beneath the table. “Huh?” She looked up, blinking in surprise when she found Yukiho and Arisa both staring right at her. “O-Oh, um…no.”  
  
Yukiho raised an eyebrow at the response. “Something wrong with my cooking?”  
  
“No, it’s nothing like that. It tastes great, I’m just…not hungry.” Kotori answered, her stomach churning uncomfortably at the thought of having to eat anything. She was too worried about Honoka, Umi and the others to think about eating. It had only been a day since they had left but it already felt like too long. It was still a bit awkward, staying with Honoka’s parents and sister when Honoka wasn’t there too. Even if Honoka’s parents insisted it was fine.   
  
“I’m worried about Onee-chan too.” Arisa confessed, setting her fork down. Her worried gaze bore into Kotori. Her last words to Eli hadn’t been especially kind. Eli had been trying to talk to her before she left but Arisa had refused to answer her.   
  
Kotori hummed slightly in response, her thoughts returning to Honoka. She hoped her best friend wouldn’t do anything stupid. “I miss Honoka-chan…”  
  
Arisa sighed heavily. “I hope Umi-san is okay.”  
  
“Hey, hey, hey.” Yukiho stood up from the table. “You two are seriously depressing right now. Lighten up. Honoka and the others will be back before you know it. I’m sure they’ll bring Umi-san back too.”  
  
Kotori gave a nod in response though she wasn’t sure she agreed with what Yukiho was saying. It wasn’t a guarantee that Honoka would come back unhurt. Or that Umi would. “Yukiho-chan is right. I’m sure they’ll be fine. All of them.”  
  
Yukiho nodded, satisfied by the response and moved to sit down only to stop abruptly as a loud bang sounded.   
  
“What was that?” Kotori rose to her feet, her gaze shifting to the door.   
  
“It sounded like it was from out fron-” Yukiho was cut off by the sudden sound of a man yelling and a number of loud thuds. “Dad…?”  
  
Kotori backed up slightly, tense with anticipation. The sound of gunshots had her ears ringing and she instinctively flinched. Her chest felt tight, her heartbeat thudding loudly in her ears. The next few minutes passed in a blur as the kitchen door was thrown open and Honoka’s mom stumbled into the room. Everything sounded muffled, as if she was hearing it underwater but Kotori recognized that Honoka’s mom was screaming for them to get out of the house. To run.   
  
Suddenly another figure loomed in the doorway, a tall man wearing a dark suit. He raised the gun in his hand and fired three times in rapid succession, hitting Honoka’s mom in the back each time. The splatter of blood hit Kotori straight on, splashing her clothes and face but she couldn’t react.   
  
“M-Mom…” Yukiho whispered, stunned as her mother slumped to the floor. She flinched as the agent fired the weapon once more at her mother, even as she lay still on the floor. “MOM?!”  
  
She couldn’t move. Her feet felt as though they were glued to the floor. In the next room, she heard her dad yelling for her mother, even as the thuds continued. It seemed like he was fighting someone though she wasn’t sure who these men were.   
  
The agent turned his attention toward Arisa. Stepping over Yukiho’s mom’s body to get to her, he drew a stun gun from his belt. Arisa didn’t even seem to be watching, her gaze caught on the older woman who’d been taking care of her for the past couple of weeks.   
  
As the man lifted the gun, Yukiho finally flew into action, vaulting over the kitchen table to position herself between the two of them. A static sound filled the air and Yukiho cried out in pain. It felt like she’d been stabbed in the back with something exceptionally sharp. She fell to her knees, vaguely hearing Arisa cry out.   
  
“Ayase, you’re coming with us.” The agent spoke calmly, his gaze on the tearful teenager. “Get up.”  
  
 _“Do you have any idea how valuable she is? Her power might be passive but it’s one of the most dangerous we know for ability users. You know CORPS or criminals would kill to have her ability in their hands, exploiting her body with tests. Just so they can find people like us!”  
_  
Eli’s words echoed in Kotori’s mind as she watched the agent advance on Yukiho and Arisa. She had been right.   
  
 _“I can’t let her die. And I can’t let CORPS capture her and…perform those sick tests on her. I’ve let it happen enough already. I didn’t protect her enough when I was younger.”_  
  
Kotori remembered the way Eli’s eyes had grown damp with tears as she spoke of what had happened to Arisa. She clenched her hands into fists and with all of the strength she could muster she threw herself at the agent. She was much smaller than him but the force with which she’d thrown herself was enough to force him sidewards. He hit the counter hard.   
  
Kotori sank down next to Yukiho and Arisa, grabbing Arisa’s arm with one hand and Yukiho’s with the other. Focusing, she turned herself and the two of them invisible. It was always a struggle, even just to turn herself and her own clothes invisible, but doing it with three people was nearly impossible. She did it though.   
  
A choked sob escaped Arisa and Kotori held her closer, gently shushing her. She felt Arisa bury her face in her shoulder. Both younger girls were trembling. Kotori was sure that she was too. She couldn’t take her eyes off of Honoka’s mother. The older woman was dead, that much was obvious.   
  
Just as the agent straightened up, another two agents appeared in the doorway, dragging Honoka’s dad between them. They shoved him toward the first agents. Unconscious, he landed at the agent’s feet.   
  
Kotori heard Yukiho take a sharp intake of breath and hurriedly covered her mouth with her hand to keep her quiet.   
  
“Where are the girls?” One of the newcomers asked, casting a glance at the woman on the floor. “Where’s Ayase?”  
  
“I don’t know, one of them pushed me and they disappeared. Must have run off.” The agent Kotori had pushed said, rubbing his head.   
  
“Well we’re going to have to find them or it’s our necks on the line.” The final agent said scathingly. He kicked at the woman at his feet. “She put up a fight?”  
  
“A bit. Nothing I couldn’t handle.” The agent straightened up his clothes. “Restrain him and let’s get going. Who knows what he’ll do if he wakes up. Damn rogues…we’ll come back for the girls later. They’ll come back here. You know how these people are.”  
  
The three of them shared a laugh and one of them near the door moved forward to tie Honoka’s dad up. It felt like hours but it was probably only minutes before they left, dragging him with them. Finally, Kotori lowered her hand from Yukiho’s mouth.   
  
“W-We have to get out of here. While I can still use my ability…” She muttered, getting to her feet. She drew Yukiho’s arm over her shoulder, keeping Arisa tucked under her other arm. “Hold onto me, Yukiho-chan…”  
  
“I-I can’t leave my mom…” Yukiho said tearfully, her gaze fixed to her mother. She knew that she was dead but it wouldn’t really sink in. Her mother had been there all her life. She’d never not been there. “I-I can’t…”  
  
“You have to. I-I’m sorry, Yukiho-chan. We need to go. We can’t let them find Arisa. We need to get her somewhere safe. Please.” Kotori could only think of one place they could go. She didn’t like it but it was the only option. “Come on…”  
  
Thankfully Arisa and Yukiho didn’t protest when Kotori led them from the house.   
  
—  
  
From across the street, Tsubasa watched as Kotori practically dragged the tearful girls from the house. “She was in such a hurry she didn’t even wipe the blood from her face.” She remarked as she watched them race off down the street. “Running around town covered in blood, dragging two young girls around with her? Seems suspicious, don’t you think?”  
  
She glanced to her companion, a girl slightly shorter than herself, with dark hair that framed her face and calculating crimson eyes. “Well? I’ve told you everything you need to know about them. Do you think you can distract them?”  
  
Setsuna nodded slowly, her gaze following Kotori, Yukiho and Arisa. “The older one you told me about. The future girl. I have a plan in mind for her. She’s the one you want me to distract, isn’t she?”  
  
Tsubasa nodded in response. “Good. We’re going to need her out of the way if we’re going to get to them. We’ll wait until they’re all together and then we’ll take our shot at them.”


	22. Chapter 22

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning(s): Quite a bit of violence, general angst.

Maki woke up as early as she did every morning. She had no real reason to get up early, she supposed, but waking up at such a time was just something she’d gotten used to. She was surprised to find Nico already awake. It looked like she had just finished dressing.   
  
“Good morning…”  
  
Nico looked up as Maki spoke. “Good morning.” She replied simply, finishing tying her hair up.   
  
Maki slipped out of bed, tiredly rubbing her eyes. “I’m going to take a shower.” She mumbled, trudging toward the door. She supposed that if anyone should have taken the room with the en-suite bathroom it should have been her and Nico, considering they tended to get up earlier.   
  
She opened the bedroom door, pausing at the sight of the still sleeping girls. The lighting in the room was still dim but Maki could see that Honoka had managed to maneuver herself almost entirely on top of Eli, her face tucked into the sleeping blonde’s neck. Eli’s arms in turn were wrapped around Honoka’s back.   
  
“They’d be cute if it wasn’t so annoying.” 

Nico’s voice caused Maki to flinch. She hadn’t even noticed her walk over to her. She gave a hum of agreement and leaned against the doorway. “They are kind of cute, I guess.”

“Alright, get up!” Nico walked into the room, clapping her hands firmly together. She didn’t waste any time in throwing the blankets off of Eli and Honoka, causing them both to clutch onto each other tighter. “Ugh, sickening. Hey, get up! We have things to do!”  
  
“Honoka…” Eli muttered, her brow furrowed though she clearly wasn’t fully awake just yet. In response, Honoka pressed closer, burying her face deeper into the crook of Eli’s neck.   
  
“Damn it, get UP!” Nico reached over, giving Honoka’s shoulder a sharp shove that almost sent her off of Eli. Not quite though. “Do you want to find Umi or not?!” She paused but Honoka didn’t answer. “HONOKA!”  
  
“Don’t want to get up…” Honoka mumbled against Eli’s neck. “Eli-senpai is so warm. Like…bread just out of the oven…”  
  
“What the hell, Honoka?” Nico scowled, crossing her arms in front of her chest. The smile on Eli’s face only annoyed her more. It was clear the blonde was no longer sleeping. “Eli, if you don’t get up I’m going to tell Honoka you had your hands on her ass earlier.”  
  
Eli mumbled something unintelligible and Nico growled under her breath. It was so annoying.  
  
Maki released a long suffering sigh. “I’ll be in the shower.” She muttered before she walked past Nico and slipped into the bathroom. A moment later the shower was turned on.  
  
“Okay, get off!” Nico finally gave into her annoyance and shoved Honoka off of Eli. The second year landed next to the blonde instead. “Enough is enough, I’m serious! You two need to keep your damn hands off of each other for the rest of the day. Especially you, pyro. You can’t control yourself at all around pretty girls, I mean…you’re hopeless.”  
  
Honoka turned onto her back, barely stifling a yawn. “Did Nico-chan just call me pretty?”  
  
“NO!” Nico snapped irritably. “Don’t twist my words. Get your ass out of bed and get dressed.”   
  
Honoka pouted until an arm went around her waist and she turned her head, her sky blue eyes meeting a slightly lighter shade.   
  
“I think you’re pretty.” Eli reassured her with a small smile. She flinched as Nico kicked the bed frame. She glared over at her, annoyed by the interruption.   
  
“You know, we’re going to get Umi back. I’m pretty sure she’s not going to be happy with you hanging all over her girlfriend.” Nico pointed out, crossing her arms in front of her chest. “Maybe you should practice some self-control.”  
  
“Maybe you should practice minding your own business.” Eli muttered, pushing herself into a sitting position. She looked visibly disturbed by Nico’s words despite her retort.   
  
“Um…I’m getting up.” Honoka slipped out of bed and walked over to her bag, swinging her hips with a burst of confidence.

Nico rolled her eyes and watched as Honoka slid off her shorts to begin to change. Quickly, she covered Eli’s eyes, causing her to grumble in complaint.   
  
Honoka looked over, her eyes widening slightly in surprise. “O-Oh, sorry! I can change in the bathroom…”  
  
Nico shook her head. “It’s fine, we’re all girls here. Except Eli, she’s just a pervert.”  
  
Eli growled and tried to shake Nico off. “I’m not a pervert, get off of me!”  
  
The bathroom door opened and Maki walked back into the room, clad in a towel. Nico stared, her hand falling from Eli’s eyes.   
  
“Oh, the bathroom is free!” Honoka grabbed her things and made a dash for the bathroom before anyone else could. “I won’t be long, Eli-senpai!”  
  
“I need to shower too…” Eli said, almost to herself as the bathroom door closed behind Honoka.   
  
Nico had been busy staring at Maki’s exposed thighs but Eli’s words caught her attention and as the blonde began to rise from the bed, she placed a hand on her shoulder and held her down. “Keep it in your pants, Ayase. You can shower after her.”  
  
Eli huffed out a sigh but did as she was told.   
  
Nico watched as Maki entered the other room, obviously to get dressed in private. She turned an irritated glare toward Eli. “This is your fault you know.”  
  
“Huh?”  
  
“That I’m stuck in here with you instead of being where I want to be.” Nico crossed her arms in front of her chest. “Because you have no self-control when it comes to the idiot. If you carry on like this you’re just going to get hurt, you know? Umi’s going to come back and Honoka’s going to go back to how she was before with you. Right now you’re just something warm she can hold onto.”  
  
Eli shrugged in response and looked down at the blankets. “Then I’m going to end up hurt no matter what.” She observed Nico closely for a moment. “You and I are the same, you know, Nico?”  
  
Nico scoffed in disbelief. “The same? I’m nothing like you.”  
  
Eli ran her fingers through her sleep tousled hair. “Maki doesn’t like you like that either, you know?” She noticed Nico flinch and knew she’d jumped to the right conclusion. “But if she wanted you for a little while you’d be with her, wouldn’t you? That’s all I’m doing. I’m spending as much time as I can with Honoka, while I can.”  
  
“At least Maki doesn’t have someone else.” Nico said through gritted teeth. “At least I’m not trying to fill in for someone.”  
  
“Maybe, maybe not.” Eli shrugged her shoulders in response. “Have you seen how protective she is of her ‘Koto-nee’?”  
  
Nico winced at the mention of Kotori’s name. “Don’t remind me.” She supposed it should have been a relief that she’d gotten last night. She’d gotten to hold Maki without interference from anyone else. But it would only make it hurt more in the end. Maki wouldn’t need her anymore when she was reunited with Kotori. “They were lucky they were childhood friends, I guess.”  
  
Eli hummed gently in agreement and leaned back, losing herself in her own thoughts. “It’s fine as long as they’re happy, right?”  
  
Nico gave a bitter laugh. “Sure. Let’s just keep telling ourselves that.”  
  
—-  
  
Nozomi had been wandering around the house for a couple of hours now, trying to get accustomed to the layout and she was sure she still hadn’t seen half of the rooms. It was huge, much bigger than what she was used to in her own tiny apartment. The fact that Kotori had chosen to sleep at her apartment rather than stay at home was both surprising and touching.   
  
Coming across a room she hadn’t entered yet, she carefully eased open the door and stepped inside, glancing around. She couldn’t help but feel curious about the Minami estate. She had never been there before. Most of the time they were always at her apartment or Honoka’s house.   
  
The room was empty, save for a made up bed. She paused, staring at it contemplatively. Kotori’s mom had mentioned that they would all be coming to stay with her so that must mean she had at least five spare bedrooms if everyone was going to share with someone else.   
  
She could only think of one person other than Future Honoka she would be likely to share a room with. Her chest twinged at the thought of Eli. She wanted to be with the blonde more than anything but as Eli had already pointed out, it was complicated now. Eli was riddled with guilt after what had happened and on top of that she had so many confusing feelings for Honoka.   
  
She couldn’t help but feel a little bit annoyed with Future Honoka for that. She understood why the two of them had slept together. Eli had been hurting and insecure after ‘Nozomi’ had broken up with her and Future Honoka just missed her own Eli. It wasn’t something she could be angry at the two of them for but she knew that if they’d never slept together, Eli wouldn’t have had confusing feelings for Honoka. Or maybe she would have. Maybe they had always been there.  
  
Lost in her thoughts, Nozomi didn’t notice Future Honoka teleport in behind her, nor did she notice her presence at all until arms went around her waist. She gasped in surprise as someone taller than herself embraced her from behind.   
  
“It’s just me.” Future Honoka said gently, giving Nozomi a slight squeeze. “I didn’t mean to surprise you. Are you okay?”  
  
Nozomi nodded silently.   
  
“Really? It’s fine to tell me if you’re not, you know.” Future Honoka pointed out gently. “I um…felt what you were feeling before. When you were upset. And angry…at me, that is.” She knew that Nozomi was still shaken by what had happened at the hotel. “What is it?”  
  
Nozomi shrugged. “Just thinking about Elichi, that’s all.”  
  
“Oh. I’m sorry.”   
  
Nozomi shook her head and turned in Honoka’s arms, pressing her ear to her chest. “I know you are. I’m sorry too.” She hadn’t even meant to let Honoka feel what she was feeling. Usually she’d have to concentrate to do that but it seemed to happen naturally with Honoka.  
  
Honoka breathed a sigh of relief. At least it didn’t seem like Nozomi was angry enough that she’d push her away. She’d been worried when she felt Nozomi’s anger toward her. “I can make you some tea if you want? And we can talk for a bit, about anything you want. Or not if you don’t want to. We don’t have to talk but you shouldn’t be wandering around on your own right now, Nozomi.”  
  
Nozomi gave a gentle hum in response. “Just stay here with me. I don’t want to do anything else.”  
  
“You’re pretty cute when you want to be, you know?” Honoka closed the door behind them and led Nozomi over to the bed, lying down on it. It wasn’t more than a few seconds later that Nozomi was next to her, huddled against her side. “I guess you’ve claimed this room as your own now, huh?”  
  
“No, why would I? You already have a room.” Nozomi answered, confused by Honoka’s question. “We won’t need two.”  
  
Honoka paused, surprised that Nozomi had jumped to the conclusion that they’d be staying together. “This place is huge, you don’t need to share with me.”  
  
“Well I want to. I don’t want to be on my own and I don’t want you to be either. It’s better if we all have someone, isn’t it? You protect me. We can protect each other.” Nozomi replied confidently. “It’s what we do, isn’t it?”  
  
Honoka gave a slight smile at that. “You know…I think you’re my best friend in this timeline. I think my Eli-senpai and Nozomi-chan would be happy to hear me say that.”  
  
“I’m happy to hear you say it.” Nozomi shifted closer to Honoka, her eyes closing as she rested snugly against her. She felt Honoka’s hand come up, gently stroking her hair and a tired smile tugged at her lips. She was drifting off, lulled by Honoka subtle scent when there was a loud bang from downstairs. She shot up into a sitting position a split second before Honoka did, their gazes averting to the door.   
  
“Senpai.” Nozomi clutched Honoka’s arms, memories of that morning rushing back to her. The attack had come out of nowhere.   
  
“It’s alright.” Honoka murmured quietly. She didn’t hear any gunshots or sounds of a scuffle. She just heard loud voices. “Stay here. I’ll check it out.”  
  
She shook Nozomi off and slid off the bed, moving cautiously toward the doorway. She didn’t have a chance to step into the hallway before the same hand grabbed her arm again. She glanced at Nozomi, opening her mouth to protest but stopped short when she found her in tears, her lower lip quivering. “Nozomi?”  
  
“Yukiho-chan…” Nozomi choked out, her hand grasping at her shirt over her heart. It ached sharply and she choked back a sob. “She’s in so much pain. Physically and emotionally, I…”  
  
Honoka’s brow furrowed for a moment before realization set in. “Arisa…no, it’s too soon.” She turned on her heel and rushed off down the hallway. Her chest constricted as she heard the sound of crying from downstairs. “No, no, no…” She didn’t slow as she reached the stairs, almost stumbling twice on her way down.   
  
Near the front doors, she found the source of the crying. Yukiho was standing there, sobbing softly into her hands. Kotori was next to her, her face and clothes covered in blood, as if it had been sprayed at her. There was an unusual look on her face, something between numb and defensive. Her teeth were clenched, her body coiled in preparation for attack. One of her hands was clutching Yukiho’s jacket while her other arm was around Arisa’s shoulder. The young blonde herself seemed to have latched herself onto Kotori, her hands gripping her shirt in a vice like grip.   
  
Yukiho looked up suddenly, her teary eyes locking with Honoka’s. Yume and Rei were both trying to console her though she didn’t seem to be paying them any attention. “H-Honoka…?” She sniffled, wiping her face with her sleeve but the tears kept coming. “M-Mama…s-she…they…” She trailed off, unable to say what had happened.   
  
“Yukiho.” Honoka stepped forward somewhat tentatively, uncertain as to how Yukiho would react. Her own Yukiho hated her, had refused to speak to her again and this Yukiho didn’t know her.   
  
Yume’s brow furrowed at the mention of her friend. “What happened to Hikaru?!” She stepped close to Kotori, drawing her daughter close to her. Kotori was perfectly still in her arms.   
  
“S-She’s dead. They killed her.” Yukiho’s vision blurred with tears again and she pulled away from Kotori, hurrying toward Honoka and Nozomi who had appeared behind her.   
  
Honoka expected to be bypassed in favour of Nozomi who Yukiho was more familiar with but instead Yukiho stumbled into her arms, clutching her tightly.   
  
Honoka’s arms went around Yukiho in turn, her eyes prickling with tears as Yukiho sobbed into her chest. It had been years since she’d last hugged her sister.   
  
Nozomi moved around Honoka and Yukiho, walking carefully over to Arisa and Kotori. As soon as Arisa caught sight of her she rushed toward her, throwing her arms around her waist.   
  
“Nozomi-san!”  
  
Nozomi held Arisa close to her, gently stroking her hair to calm her down. She could feel her fright along with Yukiho’s heartache quite easily.   
  
Yume shared a worried look with Rei. “I-I didn’t see this happening. Usually my visions are so accurate…”  
  
Rei shrugged her shoulders, still stunned by the revelation that Honoka’s mother was actually dead.  
  
Yume turned her attention back to Kotori and swallowed thickly at the sight of the blood on her face. “Let’s go and get you cleaned up, okay sweetie?” She didn’t get an answer from Kotori though she hadn’t expected to. It was clear that her daughter was in a state of shock over what had happened. Gently, she guided Kotori off to the kitchen.   
  
“Honoka.” Rei’s voice caught Honoka’s attention. “I need to heal her. She’s hurt. Can you get her upstairs, please?  
  
Honoka nodded silently in response before she looked down at Yukiho. “Yukiho.” She gently leaned back, looking at her younger sister. “I know it’s hard but I need you to focus for a minute, okay? Where are you hurt?”  
  
“M-My back. Stun gun…” Yukiho blinked against tears as she looked up at Honoka. “I-I don’t understand…why are you…h-how…?”  
  
“I’ll explain later.” Honoka brushed her fingers against Yukiho’s cheek, wiping her tears away. “All that matters right now is that you’re safe. Come on, let’s go upstairs. Maki-chan’s mom can heal you. Nozomi?” She looked to Nozomi, finding her crouched down in front of Arisa, speaking softly to her. “Nozomi, can you and Arisa come upstairs?”  
  
For the first time, Arisa really looked up Honoka, her eyes widening at the noticeable differences. “What…?” She was stopped by a gentle hand on her shoulder and looked back to Nozomi, finding her smiling softly at her.   
  
“I’ll explain later. Come on.” Nozomi held out her hand to Arisa who took it without hesitation, her gaze shifting back to Yukiho. Her friend looked paler than usual, tears still tracking their way silently down her cheeks as she leaned in to Honoka.   
  
“Let’s go.” Honoka said softly, stepping away from Yukiho. As soon as she did the weakened girl stumbled to the side and Honoka had to hurry to grab her arm to keep her upright. “Hey…do you think you can walk?”  
  
Yukiho sniffled back tears and gave a silent nod though Honoka wasn’t sure she really believed her, especially when her younger sister leaned into her again. It both overjoyed Honoka to be close to her again and felt heartwrenchingly sad to see her usually confident sister in such a state.   
  
“It hurts, Onee-chan.” Yukiho spoke through gritted teeth, her grip on Honoka tightening. She’d been so focused on getting away from those men that she hadn’t even been focusing on the burning pain in her back but now she could feel it as if it had just happened.   
  
Honoka looked up, ready to ask Nozomi to help but the third year was already on her way over with Arisa clutching her hand tightly. Her gaze lingered on the young blonde who looked so much like Eli. It was a relief that she was okay but that relief was overshadowed by her worry for Yukiho and Kotori. The look on her future fiance’s blood covered face flashed once again through her mind.   
  
Nozomi began to reach out but Yukiho flinched in response and she paused for a moment. “It’s alright, Yukiho-chan. I’m just going to take the pain away for a few minutes, alright?” She waited for a shaky nod before she pressed her hand to Yukiho’s shoulder and focused on absorbing her physical pain. A sharp, burning pain expanded over her back and she grimaced but pushed herself to absorb as much of Yukiho’s emotional pain as she could too. Her powers were weakened from the overload of emotions she’d experienced recently but she did it anyway, gritting her teeth against the ache.   
  
Rei turned around at the bottom of the stairs, looking at the four girls in concern. They all seemed to gravitate toward one another in some way. “Let’s go. Nozomi-san, let go of her when we get upstairs, please.”  
  
“Nozomi…” Honoka muttered in concern as Nozomi seemed to buckle under the strain of the pain she was willingly taking in. Yukiho on the other hand wasn’t clutching her as tightly as before but she still seemed weak. “Can you keep holding onto her if I carry her up?”  
  
Nozomi nodded shakily though she wasn’t sure if she’d even make it up the stairs anymore.   
  
“Good. Yukiho, put your arms around my neck.” Honoka waited until Yukiho had done so before she carefully scooped her up, one arm under her knees, the other at her lower back to avoid touching the wound there.   
  
“Can we hurry up?!” Rei snapped, finally losing her patience. “I need to look at her wound!”  
  
Honoka growled under her breath. “Why don’t you just shut up?! In case you haven’t noticed she can barely walk. If you idiots had done what you said you would in the first place and protected them maybe she wouldn’t be hurt in the first place!” She glanced at Nozomi, her gaze softening. “Come on, Nozomi. Lean on me if you need to.”  
  
She would have told Nozomi to hold onto her though her hands were both occupied by Arisa and Yukiho. Carefully, she started up the stairs, shooting an irritated look at Rei on the way past her. The trek up the stairs was slow progress, with the four of them holding onto each other in some way but eventually they made it up and Rei directed them to a room on the immediate right.   
  
Honoka silently entered the room, glancing around at the space. It was larger than the room she was sleeping in and seemed to already have medical supplies in there in case they needed them.   
  
“Put her on the bed.” Rei directed, closing the door behind them. “Nozomi-san, let go.”  
  
Nozomi let go of Yukiho somewhat reluctantly and cringed when the girl cried out as her pain returned tenfold. “I’m sorry…” She stepped back, giving Rei some space as Honoka gently set Yukiho down on the bed.   
  
“I need her shirt off so I can see the damage.” Rei pointed out as she washed her hands with some sanitiser.  “Honoka-san?”  
  
Honoka sighed but did as she was told, helping Yukiho out of her shirt. Across the room, Nozomi turned away so as not to embarrass Yukiho further.   
  
“I’ll be right over there.” Honoka said softly, her hand coming to rest on Yukiho’s shoulder. “If you need me just yell, okay? I’ll come right away.”   
  
Yukiho nodded shakily, surprised by Honoka’s attitude. She closed her eyes as her sister pressed a comforting kiss to the top of her head. Closing her fists, she barely kept herself from grabbing onto Honoka as she moved away.   
  
“Lean forward.” Rei ordered softly as she stepped forward to take a look at the wounds on Yukiho’s back. She ran her fingers over the puncture marks and Yukiho groaned in pain.   
  
Arisa tensed, wanting to go to Yukiho but holding herself back, slightly afraid of the woman attending to Yukiho. She pressed closer to Nozomi’s side instead, her eyes glued to her friend. “Y-Yukiho-chan moved in front of me.” She said shakily, her eyes brimming with tears. Yukiho was hurt because of her. “That’s why she’s hurt.”  
  
Nozomi gently brushed her hand over Arisa’s head though she didn’t look back to the bed just yet. “It’s okay, just be brave, Arisa-chan…”  
  
“This might feel odd.” Rei warned quietly, placing her hands over the wound on Yukiho’s back. She focused intently, her brow furrowing in concentration on her ability until Yukiho let out a soft gasp of surprise. She opened her eyes, breathing a sigh of relief when she found the wound was gone.   
  
The relief was short lasting as Yukiho leaned forward, another sharp sob passing her lips. She didn’t have the physical pain to focus on now, nothing to distract her from the intense ache in her chest. “Mom…”  
  
Arisa broke away from Nozomi and hurried over to the bed, climbing onto it next to Yukiho. “Yukiho-chan…” She moved close, her arms going tightly around the sobbing girl.  
  
Yukiho turned into the warm embrace, clutching Arisa tightly in return.   
  
Honoka watched, her eyes prickling with oncoming tears. She glanced at Nozomi out of the corner of her eye, finding that she was watching Yukiho and Arisa intently too. Reaching out, she took her hand, squeezing it tightly.   
  
“Let’s give them a minute.” She suggested quietly, figuring it wouldn’t do Yukiho any good to be surrounded by people. “Yukiho, if you need me I’ll be downstairs.” She waited for a slight nod from Yukiho before she tugged Nozomi from the room, Rei right behind them.   
  
—-  
  
“HONOKA!” The moment Maki felt the dizziness that had washed over her wear off, she turned on Honoka. “What the hell were you thinking?!”  
  
When Maki had mentioned that she knew where Umi was, Honoka had wanted to go right away. When Maki had tried to explain that it wasn’t a good idea to rush into things the second year had grabbed onto Maki and Nico and teleported them.   
  
Honoka gave a shaky laugh, unsteady on her feet. “I wanted to get to Umi-chan faster…” She stumbled slightly and Eli, who had been touching her arm when she’d teleported, grabbed onto her to steady her.   
  
Maki’s eyes drifted down from Honoka’s, widening at the sliver of blood coming from her nose. “Idiot! Now look what you’ve done, you’re bleeding!”  
  
Honoka gripped Eli’s arms tightly, trying to keep her balance. “I-I’m fine! Let’s just go and get Umi-chan…” She took a deep breath before she straightened up, brushing at the blood coming from her nose. She glanced around, trying to scope out the area. Maki had said that Umi was in this park, though she couldn’t see her. “Maki-chan? Can you still sense her?”  
  
Maki sighed but closed her eyes, focusing her ability. Her brow furrowed in concentration. “She’s nearby. Trying to um…meditate, I think.”  
  
Honoka brightened at the response. “That sounds like my Umi-chan!”  
  
“Don’t be naive, dummy.” Nico scowled, crossing her arms in front of her chest “She’s not Umi at all anymore. We’ll be lucky if…”  
  
“Nico!” Eli glared at Nico, her eyes aflame with anger. She softened as she turned back to Honoka. “What Nico means is that you should be careful. We know Umi is different now. You can’t treat her the same, okay?”  
  
“Yeah.” Honoka nodded before she moved away, hurrying off to find Umi-chan. The others hastened to follow.   
  
“She wasn’t really listening. You know that, right?” Maki checked, glancing over at Eli. “Seems like she’s heading in the right direction. Umi is close…”  
  
“Shouldn’t you be stopping her?” Nico asked, having to jog to keep up with Eli and Maki’s long strides. “She’s running toward Umi like a good little puppy. She’s going to end up getting herself killed. It’s not as though she’d try to defend herself.”  
  
“I know, Nico!” Eli snapped. Seeing Honoka’s pace pick up, she took off running after her, her chest tight with worry. “Honoka! Ho-”  
  
It was too late. Even from where she was, Eli could see Umi. It seemed the girl had been meditating on a bench but now she was on her feet as Honoka rushed toward her. “HONOKA!”  
  
There was nobody else in the park, thankfully, at least not in the area so nobody heard her shouting. It was hardly something she was concerned about yet though. As soon as Honoka got without arms reach, Umi grabbed her arm, twisting it behind her back and threw her to the ground.   
  
Honoka’s startled cry of pain had Eli faltering. Out of the corner of her eye she saw Nico run past, her head down. Umi reached down and drew her katana from it’s sheath with a metallic hiss.   
  
“No…NO!” Eli’s heart leapt to her throat as she pushed herself to run faster.   
  
Nico slid to a stop in front of Honoka just as Umi brought her blade down. Nico’s arms were spread wide so as to block the attack so the katana sliced straight through her arm above her elbow.   
  
Honoka watched in horror as Umi cut Nico’s arm clean off above her elbow, the limb falling to the ground with a thud. Blood sprayed over the grass but Nico didn’t give any kind of reaction. Honoka on the other hand felt her hurried down lunch threaten to come back up and she had to swallow heavily.   
  
Umi began to lift the sword again and this time Nico lurched forward, catching the blade in her other hand. She gritted her teeth, feeling the telltale sensation of heat in her arm to let her know it was growing back. The look in Umi’s eyes disturbed her. It was the emptiest look she’d ever seen.   
  
Eli went up in flames as she ran, blue fire consuming her body from head to foot though she barely noticed. She threw herself toward Umi, tackling her to the ground. She didn’t notice Umi’s clothes catch alight, too lost in her own anger. “You almost KILLED her! What the hell are you doing?!”  
  
“Eli-senpai, get off her!” Honoka dove toward Eli, trying to push her off of Umi. “STOP IT! YOU’RE GOING TO HURT HER!” She shoved at Eli’s shoulder, noticing the flames weren’t burning her at all. Tears formed in her eyes. “ELI, PLEASE! If…if you hurt her I won’t forgive you.”  
  
Eli’s flames died away and Umi quickly patted the flames on her clothes out.   
  
Eli opened her mouth to speak but before she could a fist was flying toward her face. The impact sent pain shooting through her face and she was knocked off Umi, falling to the side. Before she had a chance to process what was happening pain shot through her ribs as Umi kicked her. She cried out in pain, automatically curling in on herself.   
  
“Weak. You’re all weak!” Umi kicked at Eli again, her teeth gritted together. “You deserve to be imprisoned, all of you! If you’re not with CORPS you’re against us, you’re against humanity!”  
  
“Umi, no!” Honoka rushed forward, putting herself between Eli and Umi. “Please. Please, just look at me. It’s me, it’s Honoka. I…”  
  
“Get out of my way!” Umi backhanded Honoka, sending her sprawling to the ground.   
  
Maki watched in horror from next to Nico, trying to get a read on her. There was nothing there. Nothing at all. “Nico-chan, I need to get close to her…”  
  
Nico looked down at her arm, clenching and unclenching her newly grown hand. It didn’t feel any different to how it usually felt. “Fine, I’ll try to restrain her.”  
  
Umi pulled her smaller knife from her belt and watched as Eli forced herself to her knees, coughing painstakingly. “If you won’t join us you’ll die. You’ll all die.” She raised her knife slowly and Eli lifted her head, defiantly meeting her eyes.   
  
“NO!” Honoka, who had been thrown to the ground cried out as the knife was brought down. Squeezing her eyes shut, she focused on her ability and a second later appeared behind Umi, grabbing at her arms.   
  
“HONOKA!” Eli cried out, her eyes going wide in panic.   
  
Umi growled in annoyance and leaned forward suddenly, easily throwing Honoka over her. The time manipulator landed solidly on the ground, grunting in pain.   
  
Nico charged forward then, taking Honoka’s place behind Umi and grabbing her arms. “MAKI!” She gritted her teeth, trying to keep Umi from struggling. “Damn it, hurry UP!”  
  
Eli, who had been watching Honoka out of the corner of her eye, flinched when the girl disappeared again. She reappeared a second later next to Nico, helping her to restrain Umi.   
  
“Honoka…” Eli tried to push herself to her feet but she couldn’t. It hurt too much, even keeping herself on her knees.   
  
Maki stopped in front of Umi, pressing her hands to her cheeks. She pressed their foreheads together and concentrate, her eyes closing to block everything out. She did nothing to hold her ability back. She knew that she needed to get as deep inside of Umi’s mind as she possibly could. She didn’t like it but she needed to see everything.   
  
As she delved into Umi’s mind, she was forced to watch her memories. Visions of Umi being trained when she was young. Too young. Visions of her being hurt in her training, of her own mother healing Umi, of the times Umi was yelled at by her mother for not trying hard enough. The expectations, the pain, the tears shed. Suddenly she ran into a block, like the memory was locked. Focusing on her ability again, she gritted her teeth as she pushed through it. She didn’t care what it would take, she was going to help Umi.   
  
Suddenly her mind was filled with a much warmer memory. A day in the park. Umi hiding behind a tree, listening to the other kids play. Honoka reaching out to her in her own way. It was followed by memories of Umi with Honoka and Kotori as she slowly opened herself up to them. One more push and Maki felt Umi’s memories flood back.  
  
She pulled away and watched as Umi opened her eyes. She noticed right away that there was a new brightness to them. They were no longer cold and emotionless.   
  
Umi winced, finally feeling the burns scattered over her body from Eli’s flames. She didn’t have much time to think about it.   
  
“HONOKA!” Eli exclaimed loudly as Honoka fell to her knees. Fighting against the pain in her ribs, she crawled closer, taking in the blood spilling from Honoka’s nose.   
  
Umi turned quickly, finding Honoka on her knees. She knelt down in front of her, gently cupping her girlfriend’s face. “H-Honoka…oh god, I’m so sorry.” She brushed her thumb over the bruise forming on Honoka’s cheek. “I-I didn’t want to hurt you…”  
  
Honoka smiled faintly. “Umi-chan…”   
  
Umi felt her eyes well with tears and she pulled Honoka into a heartfelt embrace, crying softly into her shoulders. Despite her weakened state, Honoka reached up and gently brushed her fingers through her hair, trying to soothe her.   
  
Eli frowned as she watched the two of them together. She couldn’t blame them for reuniting but already she felt as if she was being pushed to the side.   
  
“Oh…Kotori!” Umi pulled back, her cheeks streaked with tears. “I-I said such awful things to her…”  
  
“You’re really back.” Honoka pulled Umi into a firm kiss right then and there. It was only brief but the display had Umi blushing furiously. “I missed you so much, Umi-chan. And I forgive you. I just know Kotori-chan will too!”  
  
Umi gave a slight smile but she was distracted by the taste of blood upon her lips. “Honoka, you’re bleeding!”  
  
“It’s nothing.” Honoka gave a nervous laugh and covered her still bleeding nose bashfully. “I’m just a bit dizzy is all…” Her brow furrowed as if she was trying to concentrate. “I think I overdid it.”  
  
Eli had looked away when Honoka kissed Umi but she looked back to her now in concern. Gritting her teeth, she forced herself to move closer, still on her knees. “Honoka, look at me.” She waited until Honoka’s gaze focused upon her own before she used her sleeve to gently wipe the blood away from under her nose. The bleeding was slowing, thankfully. “I don’t care how much I love you, if you pull that crap again I will knock you out.”  
  
Honoka was taken aback by Eli’s words but she caught the shake of her voice and the tears lacing her eyes. “Sorry, Eli-senpai…”  
  
Umi glanced between the three girls, taking in the damage she caused. “I’m sorry too. I didn’t mean to hurt anyone, I’m…” She choked on emotion, her gaze landing on Maki who had stumbled down to the grass nearby and was sitting with her head in her hands. “Maki, I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean to say those things about you. I didn’t mean any of it.”  
  
Maki nodded though her head was hurting too much for her to respond verbally.   
  
“Enough talking, let’s get out of her before we get caught.” Nico interrupted before Umi could say anything further. “We can talk back at the hotel. Umi, can you help Honoka?”  
  
“She’s hurt, I can do it.” Eli pushed herself to her feet, gritting her teeth to keep from crying out in pain. She clutched tightly at her side.   
  
“Idiot, your ribs are probably broken.” Nico said with a roll of her eyes. “You’re going to need help yourself.”  
  
“I can do it.” Umi got to her feet, trying to ignore the pain from her burns. She tugged Honoka up with her, a feeling of warmth washing over her when Honoka tentatively pressed close to her, her arms going around her waist.   
  
Eli looked away, feeling sick with jealousy.  
  
“Maki, can you help me with her?” Nico asked wearily. “I know you’re tired but you can sleep when we get back to the hotel.” She waited for a nod before she made her way to Eli. “Just lean on me and don’t argue.”  
  
Eli grumbled under her breath but did as she was told, her arm going around Nico’s shoulders. She felt Maki appear on her other side, grabbing her arm to pull it around her shoulders too. She let herself be led from the park, casting a longing look back at Honoka.   
—-  
  
Later that night, Future Honoka lay on her bed, staring intently at the ceiling. She’d checked in on Arisa and Yukiho earlier and the two of them were both sleeping. It seemed that Yukiho had cried herself to sleep and Arisa had stayed with her. It didn’t come as a surprise. Before Arisa had died the two had been close. Close enough that when she couldn’t do anything to bring Arisa back, Yukiho had hated her.   
  
The door across the room opened though Honoka didn’t look up to see who had entered. She was sure she already knew.  
  
“Hey.” It was Nozomi, just like she’d suspected. “I made you some tea.”  
  
“I’m fine.” Honoka said with a slight shake of her head, her gaze still fixed intently on the ceiling. “You can have it.”  
  
“I already made myself some. I can hardly drink yours too.” The clink of two cups being set down followed Nozomi’s words and a moment later the mattress dipped as Nozomi sat down on the edge of the bed. It hadn’t escaped her notice that Honoka hadn’t looked at her even once since she’d entered the room. She didn’t need to be an empath to know that something was wrong. “You’re worried.”  
  
Honoka’s eyes fluttered shut for a moment as Nozomi reached out and gently brushed her long bangs behind her ear. She bit her lip, her eyes stinging with oncoming tears. It wasn’t supposed to happen so quickly. It seemed as if her return to the past had only moved things along.   
  
“Senpai.” Nozomi’s was suddenly right in her line of vision and Honoka realized she had leaned over her to make eye contact. “Talk to me. I can feel what you feel, remember? I know you’re scared. I know you want to protect them but you can’t protect them from everything. You didn’t know this was going to happen.”  
  
Future Honoka swallowed thickly. “How’s Kotori-chan? Was it…her blood?” She hadn’t been to see Kotori yet, unsure as to how she could even help her.   
  
“She’s…well, it wasn’t her blood. She’s just a bit shaken, I think.” Nozomi said quietly. That was to put it lightly. Kotori had locked herself in her bedroom and refused to open the door to let anyone in, even her mother. “Give her some time. She just needs to process things.”  
  
Honoka sniffled softly and turned her head to the side to face away from Nozomi. With Nozomi’s hands pressed to the bed on either side of her it wasn’t as though she could easily get away though.   
  
Nozomi sighed and gently pressed her hand to Honoka’s cheek, guiding her gaze back to her. “Don’t look away. I don’t care if you’re upset, it’s not going to make me think any less of you.”  
  
Honoka blinked back tears and reached up toward Nozomi, her arms going around her. She pulled the girl down onto her, gaining herself an ‘umph’ from her as they collided. Nevertheless Nozomi seemed to adapt quickly. Instead of pulling away she melted closer to Honoka, allowing the embrace. She rested her forehead against Honoka’s, a gentle smile tugging at her lips.   
  
“You can trust me, you know?” She whispered, her breath washing over Honoka’s lips. “I would never do anything to hurt you. Your secrets are safe with me.” She brushed away a stray tear from Honoka’s cheek.   
  
“You sound like Nozomi-chan. Like my Nozomi.” Honoka murmured. Her Eli and Nozomi had always been there for her in the future when she needed them, no matter what.  “I miss her…”  
  
“Hey.” Nozomi watched in concern as Honoka’s features seemed to crumble in grief. “I know it hurts. I know you’ve…lost her. All of them.” Her chest was tight though she wasn’t sure she was feeling her own emotions or Honoka’s. “You still have me. You’ll always have me. For as long as…you’re here, at least. And you have Kotori-chan. When she’s feeling better I know she’ll want you beside her. I can’t speak for Elichi, I know she’s…caught up with your past self at the minute but I’m sure she ca…”  
  
Future Honoka tilted her head to the side and leaned up, pressing her lips to Nozomi’s. She caught a squeak of surprise from the third year but then she was kissing her back, as gently as she could, a hand coming up to the back of her head.   
  
Nozomi tasted salt on her lips but she wasn’t sure if the tears were Honoka’s. She could feel dampness on her own cheeks too. She pressed Honoka gently back down to the bed, her free hand seeking the young woman’s out to lightly entwine their fingers together. She allowed the kiss for a couple of minutes before she slowly pulled away, quizzically quirking an eyebrow.   
  
“What was that for?” She murmured, brushing her fingers against Honoka’s damp cheek. “I mean you’re a good kisser bu-” She was cut off as Honoka pulled her back down to her. She inhaled suddenly as lips pressed gently to her neck.   
  
“Don’t talk. Can we just stay like this for a bit?” Honoka tightened her hold on Nozomi who gave a hesitant nod in response. “Thank you, Nozomi…”  
  
Nozomi sighed and lay her head down on Honoka’s shoulder, closing her eyes. There was very little she could say even if she wanted to. Nothing could make the situation any better.  
  
—-  
  
Honoka looked up as the door to the bathroom opened, a smile spreading across her face as she watched Umi walk out, clad in the pajamas she’d given to her. “How are your burns?”  
  
“They’re fine. I put the lotion on and bandaged them. I just can’t reach a couple of them.” Umi sheepishly held up the tube of ointment in her hand. “Could you help?”  
  
“Of course.” Honoka sat up, patting the space in front of her. “Take your shirt off. Don’t worry, the others looked pretty tired, especially Maki-chan. I don’t think they’ll be coming back for a while. Maybe not at all tonight.”  
  
Umi slipped off her shirt, making her way over to Honoka to sit in front of her, her back facing Honoka’s front. “It’s just the ones on my shoulders really. I got the rest of them.”  
  
Honoka took the ointment silently, squeezing some onto her fingers. Carefully, she began to apply it to the wounds on Umi’s shoulders, doing her best not to add too much pressure.   
  
It hurt, though Umi found herself focusing more on Honoka’s gentle touch than on the pain itself. She had missed the feeling of Honoka touching her even if she hadn’t been aware that she missed it at the time. She closed her eyes, piecing together her memories. She remembered a time when Honoka had touched her so diligently, but in a different way. As the movement of Honoka’s fingers stopped, they both stayed silent for just a moment.   
  
“Honoka…”  
  
“Umi-chan…”  
  
Honoka gave a gentle laugh, which Umi couldn’t help but smile at. “You go first.” Honoka said softly, her hands moving to rest gently upon Umi’s waist.   
  
“I was just going to ask…” Umi paused for a second, swallowing apprehensively. “Are we still…together? I-I know what I did probably changes things for us but…” She turned, meeting Honoka’s eyes. “I still love you. I know I have a lot to make up for, I know I hurt you but if y-” She was cut off by lips pressing gently against her own as Honoka leaned in. Instinctively, her arms went around her girlfriend and she leaned into the kiss, returning it readily.   
  
Honoka pulled away after just a moment, her lips tingling. “We’ll always be together, Umi-chan. I was never angry with you.” She kissed her again, feeling Umi’s hands come up to cup her face. She was struck by how different kissing Umi was to kissing Eli and she pulled away abruptly, her eyes wide.   
  
“What?” Umi asked softly, her own eyes opening slowly. “What is it?”  
  
“I…I have to tell you something.” Honoka took a deep breath, bracing herself. “When you were gone, I was…with someone else. I needed someone a-and I already loved her so…”  
  
Umi couldn’t deny that it hurt but she knew she couldn’t hold it against Honoka. Not after what she’d done. “Did you…sleep with her?”  
  
“N-No, it was just…making out.” Honoka answered awkwardly. “I-I would only do that with Umi-chan. I’m sorry, I know it was wrong but…I needed her. I took advantage. I knew she had feelings for me and I…” She trailed off, shaking her head. “I’m sorry, Umi-chan. I was just lonely…”  
  
“It’s okay. I’m back now.” Umi pressed her lips firmly to Honoka’s, her fingers sliding into soft hair as she kissed her. When she pulled back, she rested their foreheads gently together. “Let’s get some sleep, hmm? We’re going home tomorrow.”  
  
Honoka practically beamed at the response and pulled away from Umi, slipping under the covers. The dark haired girl pulled her shirt on before she moved to do the same, carefully taking Honoka into her arms.   
  
—-  
  
“She’s pretty cute when she’s asleep.” Eli commented dryly as she approached the bed, her gaze on Maki. The first year’s head had barely hit the pillow before she was sleeping soundly. She got under the covers next to Nico, forcing her to shuffle closer to Maki.   
  
“Careful with your bandages, pyro.” Nico said as she watched Eli wince in pain. “I’m not putting them on for you again if you burn them off.”  
  
“Why would I burn them off?” Eli gingerly lay down, her teeth clenched in pain. “Is your arm okay?”  
  
“Sure.” Nico answered carelessly. “I didn’t even feel it. I never feel it.” She turned onto her side to face Eli. She couldn’t look at Maki for too long. It was too easy to feel that familiar ache of longing. “Still pissed at Umi?”  
  
Eli shrugged her shoulders only to discover doing so was a bad idea as pain shot through her ribs. She grunted, clutching at them. “I guess. She messed me up pretty bad so…”  
  
Nico rolled her eyes. That wasn’t why Eli was angry. “As if you care about that. You’re angry because she hurt Honoka, that’s all. And you’re angry that she’s taken your place at Honoka’s side. You…”  
  
“Nico, shut up. Honoka loves her. It doesn’t matter what I think.” She felt her throat close up, her eyes growing misty. “It’s fine. As long as she’s happy, it’s fine. I don’t care.” She paused briefly, feeling Nico’s eyes on her. “I loved her too, you know? I wanted to make her happy too.”  
  
Nico looked over at Maki, taking in the steady rise and fall of her chest. She really was pretty when she was sleeping. She was always pretty, Nico decided, but there was an innocence about her when she was asleep. She thought of Kotori and the way Maki acted around her. “You can’t help it if there’s someone better for her. You had your time with her, you should be grateful for it.”  
  
“I am. It just hurts.” Eli felt a hand come to rest on her arm and glanced over at Nico through tear filled eyes. “I know, I’m an idiot. You don’t have to tell me that. I did this to myself.”   
  
“You are an idiot. But I wasn’t going to say that.” Nico muttered. She gave Eli’s arm a gentle squeeze. “Get some sleep. It’ll be better in the morning. Everything can go back to normal when we get home…whatever the hell normal is for us now anyway.”


	23. Chapter 23

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for all the comments etc. You guys are awesome, super glad you still like this. :)

Eli woke up unusually early the next morning and slid out of bed, noticing that Nico and Maki were still sleeping. Nico was huddled up against Maki’s back, the redhead facing away from her. She gave a sad smile at the sight and trudged into the other room, intending to use the bathroom.   
  
She paused at the sight of Honoka and Umi in bed together. They were holding each other tightly, Honoka’s hands visibly clenching the shirt Umi was wearing. Eli gritted her teeth together, the corners of her eyes burning. Just yesterday she’d been in the same position with Honoka. Then Umi had come back and she’d been replaced.   
  
She stormed into the bathroom, slamming the door shut behind her, loud enough to wake the two in the bed as well as the other occupants of the hotel room. She showered slowly, trying not to let her bandages get wet. Her mind was on Honoka for the most part. She’d been so close to…something, though she wasn’t sure what. She wasn’t sure what she’d expected. She’d known that she’d be hurt and she had been.   
  
Finally, she wrapped herself in a towel and made her way into the other room, towel drying her hair. Honoka and Umi were sitting on the bed. Nico and Maki had joined them from the other room.   
  
Eli ignored Honoka’s tired glare, her gaze on Umi instead. “The bathroom’s free if you need it.”

Umi’s eyes widened briefly at Eli’s curt tone. “I-I’m fine for now.” She pressed closer to Honoka who practically beamed in response. 

Eli turned away, her stomach churning and her hands clenching into fists.   
  
“Cool it, pyro.” Nico warned as the beginnings of flames licked at Eli’s knuckles. “I want to shower before we’re kicked out at least.” With that said, she stood from her seat on the floor next to Maki and stalked across the room, slipping into the bathroom.   
  
Honoka watched Eli carefully, noticing that the blonde wasn’t even looking at her. “E-Eli-senpai…” She slipped off the bed, taking a step closer to Eli. “Maybe we should…”  
  
“Not right now, Honoka.” Eli cut in, shaking her head in response. “I don’t think there’s anything you really need to say, is there? I’m going to change in the other room.”  
  
Honoka watched, biting her lower lip as Eli walked into the other room. Maki cleared her throat and stood up, following the blonde. She closed the door behind them and Honoka’s shoulders slumped in defeat.   
  
“Hey.” Umi wrapped her arms around Honoka and lay back, drawing her down with her. She couldn’t help but smile as Honoka yelped in surprise. “Come here.” She lay on her back, tugging Honoka on top of her.   
  
Honoka smiled uncertainly. It wasn’t like Umi to be so forward. “Are you feeling okay, Umi-chan?”  
  
“Yeah.” Umi wrapped her arms around Honoka’s neck and drew her down into a deep kiss, her eyes flitting shut. Under the haze of losing her memories she hadn’t realized just how much she had missed Honoka. That was until she’d gotten her memories back. Now she just longed to feel as close to her as she possibly could. She pulled away slowly, her eyes opening to meet Honoka’s. Having known her for a long time, she didn’t have to focus to notice that her eyes looked sadder than usual. “It’s Eli, isn’t it?”  
  
“What?” Honoka gave a nervous laugh. “What do you mean? I don’t know what you’re talking about.”  
  
Umi fondly rolled her eyes. “You know exactly what I’m talking about. The person you were with when I was away was Eli.”  
  
“Y-Yeah, but it was just making out and stuff, like I said.” Honoka answered apprehensively. She couldn’t lie to Umi. “We were both lonely. I had lost you and Eli-senpai broke up with Nozomi-chan so…”  
  
“I don’t believe you.” Umi’s answer had Honoka’s eyes widening in surprise. She smiled gently and brushed her fingers against her girlfriend’s cheek. “I know what being in love with you looks like, Honoka. And what it feels like.”  
  
“E-Eh? No, no, no.” Honoka shook her head insistently. “T-That’s not it. Eli-Senpai is just confused or something. She’s way too cool to feel like that for me. B-Besides, I love Umi-chan! I love Eli-senpai too but it’s different to the way I love you…”  
  
“I don’t doubt that you love me. But…” Umi wavered, her cheeks flaming red. “Do you like Eli? Like…you wanted to do things with her? Like what we did?”  
  
Honoka’s cheeks flamed at the question. “Ah, Umi-chan! That’s too embarrassing!” She covered her face with her hands, listening to the sound of Umi’s sheepish laugh. She looked through the cracks in her fingers just to see the smile lingering on Umi’s face. “I-I guess. Eli-senpai is really pretty…b-but not as pretty as Umi-chan! I-I mean you’re both…”  
  
Umi brushed her hand over the top of Honoka’s head. “It’s okay, Honoka. I know what you mean. Thank you for telling me.”  
  
“I’ll always be honest with you, Umi-chan.” Honoka said seriously, her hands sliding down from her face. “Just…promise not to keep things from me either. I don’t want to be upset with you but you lied to me. And Kotori-chan lied for you. I know you both don’t really trust me with this kind of thing but if Umi-chan was hurting I would want to know why. “  
  
Umi worried her lower lip. “I wasn’t thinking properly, Honoka. I trust you more than anyone, I was just worried that if I told you, you would end up getting hurt. I was afraid back then. Of everything. Of Maki, of what I might turn into…I just wanted to make some happy memories with you before I changed. So you’d know how much I love you.”  
  
“I know.” Honoka leaned down and pressed her lips gently to Umi’s, one hand coming up to cup her cheek. When she tried to pull away, she felt Umi’s hand press against the back of her head and giggled softly. More than happy to relent, she kissed her back, lowering herself down onto her completely. She felt Umi’s breath hitch and kissed her harder, fingers sliding into soft hair. Feeling Umi’s hands creep down her back, she shivered. “Umi-chan…”  
  
“Mm?” Umi mumbled between kisses, her hands slipping under Honoka’s shirt, finally finding their way to warm skin.   
  
Honoka gave a sharp inhalation as long fingers splayed over her back. She turned her head, breaking the kiss. “I missed your touch.” She whispered, leaning down further to kiss Umi’s neck. The smell that was distinctly Umi clung to the girl’s skin. “I love you. I love you so much, Umi-chan…” She sucked gently at Umi’s neck, earning herself a gentle moan in response.   
  
The bathroom door opened and Nico walked out already changed. She paused at the sight of Honoka and Umi though she supposed she shouldn’t have been surprised. “Honoka, I swear if I have to walk in on you making out with one of our friends one more goddamn time…” She scowled, unfazed as the two in the bed bolted upright. She supposed she should take pity on them. They’d been apart for quite some time. “I’m going to talk to Maki. You two have ten minutes. Keep the noise down!”  
  
The door shut behind Nico and for a moment Umi and Honoka could only stare at each other, their faces red.   
  
Finally Honoka smiled widely and moved back to Umi’s side. “You heard her Umi-chan, we have ten minutes.”  
  
“Wha-?” Umi was cut off as Honoka kissed her again, pushing her back down to the bed.   
  
—-

  
Eli avoided her for the rest of the morning so Honoka intentionally sat herself next to her on the train. It meant that she was a couple of seats from Umi but there was little she could do about that. The train had barely been moving for ten minutes before she turned to Eli, opening her mouth to speak. Unfortunately for her, Eli seemed to have other ideas. She quickly stood up, excusing herself to go to the bathroom.   
  
Huffing under her breath, Honoka stood up and quickly followed Eli down the the aisle toward the bathroom, missing the concerned look Umi shot her.  She reached out, catching the door before Eli had a chance to shut it. Unconcerned by who might be watching, she pushed her way into the tiny cubicle with Eli, shutting the door behind them.   
  
“What the hell are you doing?!” Eli snapped as Honoka locked the door. “Get out, Honoka. I need to use the bathroom!”  
  
“No, you don’t. You’re just running away from me again!” Honoka retorted, shaking her head in response. “I thought you said you’d be honest with me. You’re just avoiding me now!”  
  
Eli gritted her teeth together. “You have Umi back now. What do you want with me?”   
  
Honoka’s brow furrowed in confusion. “You’re my friend and you’re pushing me away. I want you to stop, that’s all. I want it to be like it was before, when Umi-chan was away…”  
  
“Just friends…” Eli muttered. There was nothing special about that. Nothing that said what she had with Honoka was especially important. Maybe she would never get what they had in the future.   
  
“I-I don’t know what else you want from me.”  
  
“You know what I wanted.” Eli couldn’t bring herself to look at Honoka. Already her eyes were prickling with tears. She was sure that if she looked at Honoka she would burst into tears.   
  
“Eli-senpai.” Honoka closed the tiny amount of distance between them and hugged Eli tightly. She felt the blonde tense but refused to let go. “I know how important our bond is, you don’t have to tell me that.” She gave Eli a gentle squeeze, trying to comfort her in some way. “I noticed you didn’t burn me when I touched you last night. I know what that means…”  
  
Eli was silent, not wanting to ask what Honoka thought it meant. She knew what it meant but she was sure Honoka had no idea. She shuddered as Honoka’s nose brushed against her neck and she felt the younger girl inhale slowly.   
  
“I do care about you, Eli-senpai.” Honoka admitted softly, relieved that Eli wasn’t trying to push her away at least. “You’re closer to Umi-chan than you think, you know. I love you as my friend. One of my closest friends. If anything happened to you, I-I’m sure I’d be just as sad…no, broken by it as my future self is about her Eli.”  
  
Eli closed her eyes tightly, trying not to cry. It wouldn’t do her any good and it would only make Honoka feel guilty. “I’m sorry.” Her voice broke with emotion and she cleared her throat. “I just need some space.”  
  
“I’m sorry too. Space isn’t something I can give you.” Honoka pulled back slowly, meeting watery blue eyes. “I want you beside me, not running away from me.”  
  
Eli’s eyes were somehow brighter with tears in them. More captivating. Honoka easily found herself getting lost in them. Her hand, which had been resting at the back of Eli’s head slid down to her neck. “Eli-senpai…” She leaned closer, gently drawing Eli toward her with the hand at the back of her neck.   
  
Eli feebly tried to resist but she didn’t manage it for more than a few seconds. As soon as Honoka’s lips touched hers she forgot about everything. Her arm slid around Honoka’s waist to pull her close and she kissed her back. Her free hand cupped the younger girl’s jaw and she deepened the kiss. It was desperate and needy, filled with every bit of frustration inside of her but Honoka was kissing her back just the same way.  
  
Honoka pressed closer to Eli, feeling the blonde’s hand creep up the side of her face, gently pulling her side ponytail from her hair.  She kissed her harder, reaching down to grasp the back of her knees and lifting her onto the sink behind her.   
  
Eli gasped in surprised, having not expected it. She hadn’t even known that Honoka could do that. She quickly went back to kissing the second year though, her fingers sinking into soft hair.   
  
Honoka had to stand on her tiptoes to reach Eli but she hardly cared. She felt Eli’s legs go around her waist to draw her as close as she could and her breath caught in her throat. She kissed her until she couldn’t anymore and she was forced to pull away, gasping for air.   
  
Eli kept her eyes closed, feeling Honoka rest her head against her shoulder. She was silent for a couple of minutes, listening intently to the sound of their mixed breathing. Finally, she gathered the strength to speak. “Honoka, why can’t you just let me go?”  
  
“I told you, I need you beside me.” Honoka said shakily. “I need you to keep me from giving up, just like I need Umi-chan. I can’t do this without the two of you with me.”

Eli swallowed back the lump in her throat and turned slightly to the left, kissing the top of Honoka’s head. “If I’m beside you these feelings aren’t going to go away…” She paused for a second before forcing a laugh. “I suppose it can’t be helped, can it?”  
  
“I’m sorry.” Honoka murmured once again, her stomach coiling tightly with guilt. She felt the subtle shake of Eli’s head before hands gently pushed at her shoulders, the legs that had wrapped around her waist falling to her sides. She stepped back and watched as Eli slid down from the counter, a small smile on her lips.   
  
“Let’s get back. They’ll be wondering where we are.” Eli said quietly. She didn’t trust herself to say anything further but she did falter, noticing Honoka’s hair falling around her face. “Oh!” She tried to take Honoka’s thin hairband from her wrist but was stopped by a hand on her own.   
  
“It’s fine. If Eli-senpai likes it like this…” Honoka said softly, her hand falling away from Eli’s. “Let’s go.”  
  
Eli watched as Honoka turned and moved away from her, opening the door of the tiny cubicle they’d crammed themselves into. She took a shaky breath and followed Honoka out, wondering if the girl even knew the effect her words had on her. She trailed after Honoka, all the way back to their seats.   
  
Nico raised an eyebrow as she looked the two of them over. “You really can’t keep it in your pants, can you?”   
  
Eli blushed and sat down next to Nico, glancing down at her lap. Maki was sleeping again, her head resting lightly in Nico’s lap. She didn’t fail to notice that the others had all seemed to have moved down, leaving one empty seat next to Umi and one empty seat next to Nico.   
  
Honoka made her way over to Umi, taking the window seat.   
  
Umi frowned, gently touching Honoka’s hair. “Your hair is down…” She whispered, confused by the sudden change. She noticed that Honoka’s eyes were downcast, not meeting her own. She looked to Eli, her gaze focusing briefly on the hair band around her wrist. Sighing, she turned back to Honoka. “You’re not very good at being subtle, you know?”  
  
“I’m sorry!” Honoka exclaimed apologetically, the loudness of her voice drawing Eli’s attention as well as Nico’s. She quickly quietened so they couldn’t hear. “I just went to talk to her. A-And I…I hate seeing her upset. I didn’t mean to do anything with her…I’m sorry, Umi-chan. I should have more self-control a-and…”  
  
Umi gave a half-hearted smile. “It’s okay, Honoka.” She pulled Honoka close to her, kissing the top of her head. “We’ll talk later, when we have some privacy. Don’t ever think I’ll leave you because of something like this. I wouldn’t. Not unless you ask me to. All I want is for you to be happy.”  
  
Honoka shook her head against Umi’s shoulder. “Umi-chan is the only one I love like that, I promise.” She leaned up, gently kissing Umi’s cheek before she rested her head against her shoulder again.   
  
“Hey!” Nico kicked Eli’s leg, causing her to flinch in surprise. It hadn’t hurt but she’d been busy staring at Honoka and Umi. Nico sighed and shook her head. “Seriously, why do you do this to yourself? Watching them like that…you’re just torturing yourself.”  
  
Eli shrugged. “Why do you do it with Maki?” She glanced down at the girl in question, watching the way Nico was unconsciously brushing her fingers through red hair. “She was still tired?” She remembered how exhausted Maki had looked that morning. The night before had really taken a lot out of her.   
  
“Yeah, she could barely keep her eyes open.” Nico said quietly, pointedly ignoring Eli’s first comment. It wasn’t the same. She knew that she had no chance with Maki. It was completely different. “People like me and you are never going to get the girl.”  
  
Eli raised an eyebrow. “What’s that meant to mean? People like us?”  
  
“Look at Umi.” Nico waited until Eli’s gaze shifted from her to Umi behind her. Having glanced over herself, she knew what Eli could see. Umi was gently stroking Honoka’s hair as Honoka leaned against her, completely relaxed. Umi was looking down at Honoka, her expression soft. “She’s just as messed up as the rest of us but she’s good for Honoka. She’ll do anything to protect her.”  
  
“So would…”  
  
“Maybe.” Nico interrupted, giving a quick shake of her head. “But at what cost? If you’d killed Umi, do you still think Honoka would want you around? Do you still think she’d love you like she says she does? You’re just like me. You find something you love and you hold so tightly to it that you just destroy it. Whether you like it or not everything you touch is going to turn to ashes. It’s not your fault really, it’s just the way you are. Same goes for me, I guess.”  
  
Eli gritted her teeth together, more than a little bit hurt by the remark. “I’m nothing like you. Maybe she doesn’t love me like I want her to but she does love me. Her future self…”  
  
“I’m sick of hearing about her future self. She’s not Honoka. Not our Honoka. If you can’t tell the difference you’re…” Nico trailed off as Maki stirred in her lap. “Now look what you did.”  
  
Eli rolled her eyes and settled back in her seat, crossing her arms in front of her chest.   
  
Maki sat up, wearily rubbing her eyes. “Are we at Akiba yet?”  
  
“Not yet.” Umi, who was sitting on Maki’s other side answered. “It won’t be long though.” She cast a cautious glance at Eli, noticing the tenseness of her jaw as she stared straight ahead. Sighing, she tightened her grip on Honoka.   
  
—-  
  
“Kotori-chan is going to be happy to see you, I just know she will!” Honoka exclaimed brightly as she walked down her street, holding Umi’s hand tightly in her own. “So will Yukiho and Arisa-chan!”  
  
Umi gave a nervous smile in response. She hoped that was true. She could clearly remember every terrible thing she’d said to and about Kotori.   
  
“Rin-chan was out looking for you too.” Honoka continued excitedly when Umi didn’t answer. “And Nozomi-chan has been worried too, I think. Everyone was worried about you.”  
  
Behind them, Maki rolled her eyes at Honoka’s exuberance but she couldn’t help but smile fondly. She knew that Honoka only meant well, that she was picking up on Umi’s nerves and trying to make her feel better in her own way. It was sweet. She cast a glance over at Eli who was walking with her gaze fixed to the pavement. It seemed that since her disagreement with Nico on the train, Eli had been lost in her own thoughts.   
  
She cast a look at Nico, just in time to see the third year hurriedly look away from her. She frowned in response. It wasn’t the first time she’d caught Nico watching her from afar.  
  
Thankfully Honoka fell silent and the rest of the walk was silent. As they got closer, Maki’s brow furrowed at the sight of the crowd gathering around the shop.   
  
“I guess it’s busy today…” Honoka said nervously as they moved closer to the shop. It was only when they were within a few feet that she spotted the ambulance, police car and the tape cordoning off the shop to the whispering onlookers.   
  
Honoka chest seized with fright as she hurried forward, pushing through the crowd. It was only when a police officer stopped her with a hand on her shoulder that she paused. “W-What’s going on…?”  
  
“A woman in her late thirties was found murdered here yesterday afternoon.” The police officer narrowed his eyes at Honoka. “Do you live here?”  
  
Honoka could barely take her eyes away from the house. “H-Huh? Yes, my name is Kousaka Honoka.”   
  
“The woman found was identified as Kousaka Hikaru.” The officer’s eyes softened. He recognized the girl from the pictures he’d seen dotting around the house. “Your mother?”  
  
“W-What?!” Honoka tried to push past the officer but he held her back. “MOM?! K-Kotori-chan, Yukiho, Arisa-chan…were they in there?!”  
  
The police officer shook his head. “Nobody but the victim was found in here.” He pushed Honoka back again as she tried to move past him. “You can’t go in there, it’s…”  
  
“GET OFF ME!” Honoka threw herself toward the police officer, her shoulder hitting him in the chest. He stumbled back, the wind knocked out of him and Honoka focused intently, disappearing a second later.   
  
“What the hell was that?!”  
  
“WHERE DID SHE GO?!”  
  
Panicked yells followed Honoka’s disappearance. Umi and Eli rushed forward, ducking underneath the police tape.   
  
“STOP RIGHT THERE!” The cop, who Honoka had pushed aside withdrew his weapon and opened fire, his eyes wide with panic.   
  
In a flash, Umi withdrew her knife and cut through the air, deflecting the bullet. Another shot followed and Eli threw herself in front of Umi, setting herself alight from head to foot. Her hand gripped Umi’s arm tightly to keep her close but this time she didn’t burn her.   
  
“W-What are these girls?!” A woman, hanging onto her boyfriend’s arm exclaimed in panic as Umi and Eli hurried into the house.   
  
It didn’t take them long to find Honoka, on her knees in the kitchen. She was staring at a pool of blood on the floor, tears sliding down her cheeks.   
  
“M-Mom…MOM!”   
  
Eli stayed near the doorway, wary of the other police officers she could hear wandering around the house. Umi on the other hand hurried to Honoka, falling to her knees next to her and drawing her close.   
  
“Umi-chan…” Honoka gripped Umi tightly, her body wracked with sobs as she stared at the blood over Umi’s shoulder. She couldn’t look away. She couldn’t stop thinking about the fact that it was her mother’s blood on the floor. “Umi-chan, my mom…”  
  
“I know, Honoka.” Umi tightened her grip on Honoka, squeezing her eyes shut. She had heard what the police officer had told Honoka outside.   
  
Eli anxiously made her way toward the two, crouching down next to them. “Honoka, we need to go. Come on.” When Honoka only stared at her through teary eyes, she placed a hand on her shoulder. “We need to get back to Maki and Nico. Honoka!”   
  
It quickly became apparent that Honoka wasn’t listening and Eli turned her attention to Umi. “Carry her out, I’ll shield the two of you on the way and we’ll grab Nico and Maki. Let’s go.”  
  
“But you can’t…”  
  
“Damn it, why does everyone argue?! Just do it, Umi. That’s an order.” Eli angrily stood from the floor, waiting for Umi to do the same, dragging Honoka with her. She breathed a sigh of relief when Umi did as she was told. “Come on. Keep your head down and run.”  
  
She turned, hurrying from the room with Umi and Honoka hot on her heels. She braced herself as they left the house, finding the crowd and the police officers still there. In the distance she could hear the wail of sirens, letting her know that more police were coming. Before she could move an inch, the three police officers now standing outside trained their guns on her. Hurriedly, she focused on her ability, going up in flames.   
  
“Get out of our way and we won’t hurt anyone.” She was shaking with fear but her voice was loud and steady, clear enough for everyone to hear. “We…”  
  
One of the officers opened fire and Eli moved to make sure she was shielding Umi and Honoka. The bullets made their way into the flames surrounding her body but they were instantly disintegrated, the remains of the casing shooting off in the opposite direction. She growled in annoyance and threw both of her hands out, shooting a wave of flames toward the officers. She didn’t want to kill them. She made sure they had more than enough time to jump out of the way.   
  
Behind her, Umi grabbed her arm and tugged her toward Nico and Maki. Maki was on the floor, clutching her head while Nico was hovering worriedly next to her.   
  
Eli cursed under her breath. She didn’t know what was going on but she knew they needed to get out of there. Ignoring the ache in her ribs, she stooped down when she was close enough and picked Maki up, throwing her over her shoulder none too gently.   
  
“Hey, sh-”  
  
“RUN!” Eli interrupted Nico’s protests against her mistreatment of Maki with a loud demand. She didn’t slow down for a second, only looking over her shoulder to make sure Umi was still closeby with Honoka.   
  
Nico did as she was asked, hurrying to help Umi with their sobbing leader. “Maki had a vision, she says we have to go to Kotori’s house. That Kotori is there. We’ll be safe for a while.”  
  
Eli didn’t question it. If Kotori was there, Arisa would be there too. She nodded and kept running.   
  
—  
  
It didn’t take them long to get to Kotori’s estate at the pace they were going. The sound of sirens still wailed in the distance as if they were being followed by the police. The sound only spurred them on. By the time they reached the front door and Eli knocked, Honoka had quietened down. She was still in tears though, her face buried into Umi’s shoulder.   
  
Maki was awake but barely. Halfway there she had mustered up enough energy to tell Eli to put her down but the blonde had refused, not wanting to slow down so Maki would be able to keep up with them.   
  
The door opened and the five of them piled into the house, breathing heavily.   
  
Rei watched the group, her eyes wide with surprise. She supposed it was a good thing Yume had told her they would be arriving soon otherwise she would have been more caught off guard. Her gaze focused on Maki, still slung over the blonde girl’s shoulder. “What happened to her?”  
  
“She’s just worn out.” Nico answered, seemingly to most composed of the group. She straightened up, fixing Rei with a suspicious stare. “I guess you’re Maki’s mother.”  
  
Rei nodded in response, looking toward the others. They all seemed to be injured in some ways, especially Eli. Before she could ask what had happened, she heard footsteps from behind her.   
  
“Honoka!”  
  
Yukiho rushed for Honoka who was still clinging onto Umi and threw her arms around her. The fact that Honoka was crying only caused her own tears to reappear. Honoka turned to face Yukiho, hugging her tightly. Neither of them said anything, unable to speak through their tears.    
  
Umi moved forward, wrapping her arms around both sisters. It was the only thing she could do to help them, she knew.   
  
“Onee-chan!” Arisa hadn’t been all that far behind Yukiho and she hurried toward Eli, her arms going around her sister’s waist. “O-Onee-chan, I was so worried! I thought you weren’t coming back!”  
  
Eli winced at the pain in her ribs but gently brushed her hand over the top of Arisa’s head, holding her close. “Of course I’d come back. I said I would, didn’t I?”  
  
Arisa sniffled softly and gripped Eli tighter. It didn’t matter what Eli said, she was still worried. Her parents had seemingly abandoned her, there was nothing to keep Eli from doing the same thing.   
  
“You look terrible, Elichi.”   
  
Eli looked up, her chest tightening at the nickname. She found Nozomi leaning against the doorway, a tired smile on her lips. “You’re here.” She couldn’t keep the relief from her voice. “Was it you who…?” She looked down at Arisa questioningly.   
  
“No, you actually have Kotori-chan to thank for that.” Nozomi said as she stepped further into the room. “She got them out of there in time.” She stepped forward, hesitantly lifting her hand toward Eli’s face. She was relieved when her best friend leaned into the touch rather than recoiling.   
  
“Kotori-chan…?” Honoka weakly looked up at the mention of Kotori’s name. “Where is she?”  
  
Rei  grimly shook her head. “She’s been locked in her room since she got here. She won’t come out. I can understand, after what she went through.”  
  
“I’m going to see her.” Maki stumbled away from Eli, making her way toward the stairs. Her head was throbbing with pain but that wasn’t about to stop her. She vaguely heard Nico calling out to her but just waved her hand in response. She needed to get to Kotori. She needed to make sure she was okay. As she reached the stairs her vision blurred suddenly and the room seemed to tilt. She stumbled forward, her vision turning black before she hit the ground.   
  
—-  
  
Maki woke a few hours later to an intense ache in her head though it wasn’t the same as one of her usual headaches. It was duller than it had been before at least.   
  
“You’re awake.” A voice Maki vaguely recognized sounded and she glanced to her right, finding an ashen haired woman sitting in a chair next to the bed she was lying on.   
  
“What happened?”  
  
“You fainted. From exhaustion most likely.” Yume answered quietly. She nodded to the opposite side of the bed. “Your mom healed you as much as she could, even if she knows she can’t really do anything for you.”  
  
Maki followed Yume’s gaze. Her mother was kneeling on the floor, her forehead resting on her folded arms on the bed. She was clearly asleep.   
  
“She tired herself out too.” Yume said before Maki had the chance to ask. “Healing you and the others. You two can both be so stubborn at times.” She tucked a strand of hair behind her ear as she looked between the two of them. “You look more like your mother every day. I remember the last time I saw you, you were only this high.” She lifted her hand to show the height of a small child. “You’ve grown up a lot since back then when you used to play with Kotori…”  
  
Maki’s eyes widened at the mention of Kotori’s name. “I have to see her. Where is she?” She pushed aside the blankets and got out of bed, only swaying on her feet for a moment.   
  
Yume rose from her chair, watching Maki in concern. “She’s down the hall in her room. But Maki-chan, please be careful. She doesn’t want to see anyone at the moment. When she got back from Honoka’s house she was covered in blood, I’m sure she saw everything that happened…”  
  
“Doesn’t mean we should leave her alone. Besides, she’ll see me. I know it.” Maki left the room without a backward glance and made her way down the hallway to Kotori’s room. It was a route she’d taken before when she was younger so it didn’t take long to find the room. She knocked lightly on the door, pausing for a moment before she opened it.   
  
“Koto-nee?” The room was dark and as Maki stepped inside, she had to pause for a moment to allow her eyes to adjust to the difference in light. She finally found Kotori lying on her side on the bed, above the blankets. She was fully clothed though what she was wearing didn’t seem much like her usual style. The grey sweatpants and light red sweatshirt she was wearing was too casual for her, even if she wasn’t going anywhere.   
  
Maki closed the door behind her and moved further into the room, swallowing thickly. It didn’t escape her notice that Kotori hadn’t even answered her call. “Hey…” She sat down on the edge of the bed next to her childhood friend. Kotori’s eyes were open, fixed on the wall opposite. Maki wasn’t even sure she was listening. She placed a hand gently on Kotori’s arm but hurriedly pulled it back when the girl flinched. “Koto-nee, it’s just me. It’s Maki.”  
  
Kotori didn’t answer and for a moment Maki just sat there, trying to think of what to do. She couldn’t leave, not with Kotori in such a state. She stood from the edge of the bed and moved around to the other side, carefully climbing onto it again. She lay down next to Kotori, leaving a small distance between them. Their eyes locked intently and Maki felt a lump creep up to her throat at the emotionless look in her best friend’s usually expressive eyes.   
  
“I’ve missed you.” She said softly, doing her utmost not to cry. It wouldn’t help Kotori in any way. “I missed you the whole time I was away.”  
  
“You didn’t call.” Kotori answered though her words were cold. “You said you would call me to make sure everything was okay.”  
  
“I’m sorry. I meant to, I really did. But everything was so hectic and we had to keep Honoka from being an idiot. And then I was just so tired from using my ability, I usually just fell asleep.” Maki answered honestly. It was the truth. She’d often woken up in the middle of the night because she’d gone to bed so early but by that time it was always too late to call. “We brought Umi back, just like I said. I’m sure she’ll be coming by to see you soon but Honoka is…I think Honoka needs her right now.”  
  
Kotori’s lower lip trembled at the mention of Honoka. “I couldn’t do anything. I just stood there and watched them shoot her.” She hadn’t had time to even process what was happening before Honoka’s mom was dead. “I was so scared, Maki-chan. I thought I’d never see you again. Or Honoka-chan and Umi-chan…”  
  
Maki watched as tears flooded Kotori’s eyes. Carefully, she shuffled forward, her arms going around the second year. “You did everything you could.” She soothed gently, running her fingers through Kotori’s hair. She felt hands clench in her shirt and held Kotori closer. “You got Arisa and Yukiho out of there. You saved them. And by doing that you saved Eli and Honoka too.”  
  
“I-I was so scared they’d go after you next. You, Arisa-chan and Nozomi-chan all have such valuable abilities.” Kotori said through quiet sobs. “I don’t want to lose you again, Maki-chan. I only just really got you back.”  
  
“You won’t lose me. Of course you won’t.” Maki pressed her lips gently to the top of Kotori’s head, trying to calm her. “I’m right here. I’m not going to leave you again, I promise.”  
  
She had no intention of going anywhere, especially now that she knew how much danger they were all in. She heard Kotori answer with a soft sniffle and gently rubbed her back. She should never have left her at all. She should never have let it get that far, even if it had meant forcing Umi to let her help her. It was against everything she believed in but it hardly matter when the lives of all of her friends were at risk.   
  
“Koto-nee.” Slowly, she pulled back, her hands moving to rest gently on Kotori’s cheeks. “You trust me, don’t you?”  
  
Kotori blinked back tears. “More than anyone else.”  
  
“I swear I’ll never leave you again. I’m not going to run away, I’m not going to get myself killed or anything like that. I’ll be here with you.” She brushed a strand of hair stuck to Kotori’s cheek away for her. “You know I…” Her cheeks warmed, her skin tingling with embarrassment. “I love you. I know you’re worried that you’re Honoka’s second choice but…for me, you’ll always come first. I just want you to be hap-” She was cut off by warm lips suddenly pressing against her own. Her eyes widened briefly in surprise before fluttering closed again. She felt arms wrap around her neck and drew Kotori closer as she tentatively responded to the gentle kiss.   
  
The lips moving against hers were as soft as she’d imagined they would be, the kiss unhurried but confident, just like Kotori herself. She cupped Kotori’s cheek in her hand, giving herself enough stability to deepen the kiss. She’d be lying to herself if she said she hadn’t thought about doing this before. She’d never had the courage to try though.   
  


Slowly, Kotori pulled back, taking a deep breath. “I love you too, Maki-chan.” She kissed her softly, one more time, before she settled back into her arms.   
  
—  
  
Umi was on the way back from the bathroom when she found Eli hovering outside of the door to the room she was sharing with Honoka. She narrowed her eyes suspiciously as she reached her. “What are you doing?”  
  
Eli flinched in surprise, having been lost in her own thoughts. “Uh…I was just on my way to see Honoka.” She nervously rubbed the back of her neck. She wasn’t sure what she was going to say to her. “How is she?”  
  
“She cried herself to sleep.” Umi’s response caused Eli to look away. “She just found out that her mom died and her dad is most likely dead too. She’s not doing so well.”  
  
It was a relief that Honoka was asleep now at least. Umi had been worried that she’d hyperventilate from all of the crying she’d been doing.   
  
Eli’s hand went to the door handle. “I need to see her.”  
  
“I told you, she’s asleep.” Umi stopped Eli before she could open the door. “Besides, I want to speak to you in private too. Why don’t we go for a walk? We’ll need to know our way around if we’re going to defend ourselves.”  
  
Eli  hesitated for a moment, wondering what Umi could possibly want to talk to her about. She just wanted to see Honoka. “Fine. But I’m coming back to see Honoka later. I don’t care what you say.”  
  
Umi rolled her eyes. She should have expected as much. She turned, leading the way down the hallway. Glancing back, she found Eli trudging after her, an evident pout on her face. “Honoka really brings out the child in you, hmm?”  
  
“Shut up.” Eli scowled though she quickened her pace to catch up. 


	24. Chapter 24

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Second part of the double chapter post!

The walk around the spacious house was more awkward than Eli could have imagined. So awkward that she didn’t even have the presence of mind to take note of the layout as she’d planned to. Umi seemed to know it well. She seemed to be leading Eli around quite easily, every now and then pausing to point something out to her. It wasn’t as though Eli was listening though. She was busy thinking about how unbearably awkward it was.   
  
Finally, they slipped out of the rear door into the backyard and Umi led Eli toward a gently swinging seat. She sat down but Eli made a point of standing, her arms crossed defensively in front of her chest.   
  
Umi looked up at Eli, taking in her stance. “Tell me what’s going on with you and Honoka. I want to know.”  
  
Eli swallowed thickly. She knew that Umi must have at least some idea of what had happened between her and Honoka. Even if Honoka hadn’t said anything, what Nico had said on the train would be enough to lead to suspicion. “It’s up to Honoka…”  
  
“I want to hear it from you.” Umi’s tone was sharper than usual and Eli inwardly cringed, wondering how she’d gotten herself into such a situation. 

“I like her.” She admitted, her nails digging into the palms of her hand. She averted her eyes to the moonlit sky. Anything but looking at Umi.   
  
Umi raised an eyebrow in response. “Like?”  
  
Eli gritted her teeth, a soft huff escaping her. “Fine! I love her, I want to be with her. Is that what you want to hear?!” She regretted the honest answer as soon as she said it. She cursed under her breath, squeezing her eyes shut. She continued, in a much smaller voice. “I’m not proud of it, okay? But I can’t help it…”  
  
Umi’s lips formed a thin line as she observed Eli. She hadn’t liked hearing that at all if she was honest. “I don’t like sharing…” She pondered the thought for a moment before shaking her head. She couldn’t imagine sharing Honoka with anyone.  
  
Eli sighed softly and raked a hand through her hair. “Yeah, well you don’t have to worry about that. She loves you. More than she loves me.”  
  
“She still kissed you.” Umi pointed out. It seemed to Eli like she was trying to make her feel better even if she wasn’t happy with it. She wondered if it was for Honoka’s sake. “She obviously likes you as more than a friend.”  
  
Eli almost brightened at the suggestion but realized that it couldn’t go anywhere. “That’s not important. With you…you could be standing with anyone, any number of people and she’ll only see you. I hate to admit it but…I’m not sure I even could love anyone as much as Honoka loves you. She gives everything she has to you, you know?”  
  
Umi blushed at the suggestion and slid down in her seat slightly. She knew that. “I-I’d like to think so. I feel the same way with her.”  
  
Eli restlessly shifted from foot to foot. “Well now you know I’m in love with your girlfriend. Do you hate me now or what?”  
  
“Hate you?” Umi echoed in confusion. She shook her head, a rueful smile on her lips. “Of course not. I’m a little jealous I guess but I know better than anyone how easy it is to fall in love with Honoka. I did it myself so…”  
  
Eli gave a gentle laugh in response and looked down at her feet. It was a relief at least that Umi didn’t hate her. “Yeah…I guess it was stupid of me to think that sleeping with her would mean nothing.”  
  
Eli’s comment was mostly to herself but Umi’s blood ran cold at the suggestion. “W-What?!”  
  
“N-Not Honoka!” Eli realized what she’d said a moment too late. She hurriedly waved her hands, not wanting Umi to misunderstand. She already had, if the crushed look on her face was anything to go by. “Not your Honoka at least!”  
  
“Her future self…” Umi felt relieved though she wasn’t sure she should. Future Honoka was still Honoka, no matter what. “If you slept with her why didn’t you fall for her instead of Honoka? Present Honoka, I mean…”  
  
“I-I don’t know.” It was a good question, one that Eli didn’t have an answer to. “I was just curious at first, wondering how different our Honoka would be to her future self. And then she was there for me when I needed her and I kissed her and…she’s just Honoka. I love her as she is now but I think I’d love her future self anyway if I hadn’t screwed everything up.”  
  
Umi observed Eli for a moment before she tiredly shook her head. “You really are in too deep, aren’t you?”  
  
Eli sheepishly rubbed the back of her neck. “I’m trying to stop it. It’s not as though I wanted this to happen. It’s just that Honoka won’t…”  
  
“Let you push her away.” Umi finished with a fond roll of her eyes as Eli trailed off. “I’ll talk to her later.”  
  
Eli bit her lip nervously. She didn’t especially want to push Honoka away but she was scared to stay so close to her. It was as though she was fighting a battle inside. She wanted to be with Honoka as much as possible but she wanted to push her away at the same time. She remembered Honoka’s plea on the train, to not run away from her and felt even more guilty. She had to run. There was no other choice.   
  
Umi stood up, taking a deep breath. “I’m going to get back. I don’t want Honoka to wake up alone.” Her gaze lingered on Eli for a moment. “I’m sorry if this hurts you. You’re my friend as well as hers but she’s my girlfriend. I won’t back down on this. Goodnight, Eli.”  
  
She strode past Eli, leaving her staring after her in dumbfounded silence.   
  
—-  
  
It was hard to sleep after what she’d seen. Every time she closed her eyes she saw Honoka’s mom being shot and remembered the feeling of blood hitting her in the face. She had been frozen to the spot, unable to do anything at all. Kotori supposed she should be glad that she couldn’t sleep. The nightmares were worse. Her imagination seemed to run wild as she watched the agent turn his gun on Yukiho and Arisa, killing them both in two shots.   
  
She wondered if the nightmares would disappear now that Maki was back by her side. She didn’t want to go to sleep to find out so she resorted to watching the redhead sleep instead. She hadn’t failed to notice how exhausted Maki had looked, both emotionally and physically. She looked peaceful now though, her chest rising and falling with every breath.   
  
She brushed her fingertips against Maki’s cheek, brushing her bangs from her face and tucking them gently behind her ear. She let her fingers linger there for a moment, taking in the difference between the pale skin of her fingers and the flaming red of Maki’s hair. She’d been somewhat fascinated by it as a child, she remembered. Her own hair was a much duller color than Maki’s. Holding her breath, she allowed her fingers to roam back over Maki’s jaw, over her cheek and her forehead then back down again.   
  
Her hand made it’s way down to Maki’s lips and she watched as the girl took an especially deep breath, her lips parting slightly.   
  
“Pretty…” She mumbled to herself, taking in the innocent furrow of Maki’s brow. Her heart thudded urgently in her chest, her cheeks flushed red at the admission. She couldn’t remember thinking that about anyone else. At least not in the way she meant it. She wasn’t speaking objectively, she really did find Maki pretty. In the same way she found Future Honoka pretty. Or her Honoka even.   
  
Her gaze focused on Maki’s lips and she remembered just how soft they were. She hadn’t been thinking when she had kissed her earlier, Maki’s words had just spurred her to do it. She leaned in tentatively, lightly brushing her lips against Maki’s again. It was barely even a kiss yet somehow it both calmed her and had her heart racing again.   
  
Just as she leaned back, the door across the room opened and she guiltily jerked into a sitting position. “I-I wasn’t doing anything!”  
  
Rei raised an eyebrow at the wide eyed girl, clearly not believing what she was saying. “Of course you weren’t. I hope you weren’t planning on anything either.”   
  
It was clear from her tone that she was teasing but Kotori hurriedly shook her head anyway. “O-Of course not, I would never!”  
  
“I was kidding, Kotori-chan.” Rei moved toward the bed, looking down at Maki. She had only woken up a few minutes ago herself. She had worn herself out too much by using her ability.  “How is she?”  
  
“Just tired, I think.” Kotori answered nervously, casting a quick glance toward Maki. She hoped Rei really hadn’t seen anything when she’d walked into the room. She would never be able to look her in the eye again. “Her ability is…tiring when she uses it too much.”  
  
Rei nodded in response. She knew that. She sat on the edge of the bed, giving a soft chuckle when Kotori hurried to make room. “Don’t look so worried, I’m not here to lecture you.” She watched Maki for a long moment before turning her gaze to Kotori. “How are you?”  
  
Kotori but her lip apprehensively. She couldn’t say that she was okay. It would be a lie. “I’m glad that Maki-chan is back, I think. I’m just glad she got home safely. I missed her when she was away…”  
  
Rei gave a small smile in response. “Maki would be glad to hear that. She really looked up to you when she was younger. She was so cut off from the rest of the world but having you as a friend made her really happy. It’s nice to see that the two of you are close again.” She paused for barely a second before pressing on. “Kotori-chan, if you need to speak to anyone I’m here. I know you have your friends but if you need help from someone older, your mother and I are here. We’re on your side.”  
  
Kotori looked down at her lap, frowning to herself. She didn’t want to burden anyone with her fears. It was bad enough that she was bothering Maki with it. She felt a hand come to rest on her shoulder and looked up into Rei’s concerned eyes. “O-Okay. Thank you.”  
  
Rei smiled at the acceptance and moved her hand back to her side. “You haven’t spoken to your mother yet, have you?”  
  
Kotori let out a sound that was something between a sigh and a scoff.   
  
Rei frowned at the reaction. “You know, Yume defected from CORPS for you. She loved you too much to keep doing what she was doing.”  
  
Kotori was saved from answering by Maki stirring next to her. She felt nothing short of relieved as Maki opened her eyes, blearily looking up at her.   
  
“What time is it…?” Maki mumbled. Noticing her mom, she sat up, rubbing at her eyes. “Mama? What are you doing here?”  
  
“I just came by to check on you and Kotori-chan.” Rei answered softly, relieved to find that Maki seemed to be feeling better. She had been worried when her daughter had pushed herself to the point of passing out earlier. She supposed she couldn’t complain too much, having done the same thing not much later. “And I was wondering if I could talk to you.” She nodded toward the door, letting Maki know she wanted to speak to her in private.   
  
“Oh. Um…” Maki looked toward Kotori, hesitating to agree. “I don’t really want to leave Koto-nee alone, I mean…”  
  
Kotori blushed at Maki’s concern. “I-It’s fine, Maki-chan. I’ll just try to get some more sleep, okay? I’m feeling a bit tired anyway.” She feigned a yawn to convince Maki. “Go ahead.”  
  
“Fine but if you need me I won’t be far.” Maki took Kotori’s hand, giving it a gentle squeeze before she stood up from the bed.   
  
Kotori felt her stomach lurch as she watched Maki leave the room with Rei. She felt a bit irritated with herself for depending so much on Maki that seeing her leave was enough to worry her. Sighing, she lay back down on her side and closed her eyes, trying not to count the seconds until Maki came back.   
  
She allowed her thoughts to stray, back to that night. She hadn’t left her room since then so she didn’t know what was happening with Yukiho and Arisa. She supposed she should have checked on them a while ago. Given that Honoka was her best friend she felt at least somewhat responsible for Yukiho and it seemed that she and Arisa came as a pair.   
  
She wasn’t sure how long she lay there, lost in her own thoughts but it couldn’t have been long. The sound of the door opening slowly drew her attention toward it. Her breath caught in her throat as she watched Honoka, rather than Maki, shuffle into the room. Tear marks were visible on her cheeks and she was dressed in a hoodie that was a bit too big for her. Kotori didn’t have time to wonder where it was from.   
  
“Hey.” Honoka’s voice was hoarse as she wiped at her eyes with the sleeve that hung over her hand. “I’m sorry if this isn’t a good time, I was…I was just wondering if I could lay with you for a bit?”  
  
“Yeah.” Kotori whispered, feeling her own eyes prickle at the sight of her best friend in pain. “Of course.” She patted the space in front of her and Honoka trudged over, carefully laying on her side next to her.   
  
Kotori was just pondering on whether she should close the distance between them when Honoka did it herself, her arm wrapping around Kotori’s waist as she pressed her face into her chest. In return, her arms wrapped tightly around Honoka and she held her close to her, breathing in the refreshing scent of her shampoo. She must have showered quite recently, Kotori realized, as the scent was strong and her hair was still a bit damp.   
  
Neither of them made any effort to say anything after that, they just lay there, holding onto each other tightly until Honoka fell asleep, her grip on Kotori loosening. Kotori took the opportunity to really look at Honoka, noticing the bruise on her cheek. She wondered why Rei hadn’t healed her.  
  
She watched Honoka sleep in silence for a moment, basking in the feeling of being so close to her best friend again. It wasn’t long before the moment was interrupted by the door opening again, this time revealing Umi standing there.   
  
“K-Kotori…” Umi’s gaze shifted to Honoka in Kotori’s embrace and she breathed a sigh of relief. “I’m sorry, I was looking everywhere for her. I couldn’t find her when I went back to the room.” She stepped further into the room, hesitating near the bed. “How are you?”  
  
“Fine.” Kotori said quietly, not sure what else she could say. She wasn’t really fine by any standards.   
  
The two fell silent for a short while, both choosing to look at Honoka rather than each other. Finally the silence got to them.   
  
“I’m sorry!”  
  
They both spoke at the same time and glanced at each other in surprise. As their eyes met they broke into soft laughter, muffling it with their hands so as not to wake Honoka up. It was Umi who continued.   
  
“I’m the one who should be sorry. About everything I did and said to you. Said about you. I didn’t mean any of it. You know…” She shifted awkwardly, her cheeks turning red. “You and Honoka are more important to me than anyone else.”  
  
“I know.” Kotori said with a soft smile. It was still nice to hear. Her gaze shifted down to Honoka as the girl shifted, a soft whimper escaping her. Kotori gently brushed her fingers over her furrowed brow and she calmed immediately, soothed by the touch.   
  
“I’m sorry we weren’t there for you too.” Umi’s voice sounded closer this time and Kotori looked up, finding her standing right next to the edge of the bed. “I wish we could have been.”  
  
Kotori shrugged halfheartedly. “Me too.”  
  
Umi bit her lip, her stomach wrenching with guilt. She’d been so busy with her own problems that she’d just left Kotori alone. She crawled onto the bed on Kotori’s other side and moved to embrace her, her eyes stinging with tears. “I’ll never forget about the two of you again, I swear.”  
  
She didn’t know how she could ever have forgotten about them. Her best friends were the most precious things in her life. They had been for a long time.   
  
Kotori gripped Umi’s hand which was resting on her stomach and squeezed it tightly but she couldn’t bring herself to speak past the lump in her throat.   
  
—-  
  
Eli trudged up the stairs to the second floor of the house. After Umi had left she’d stood alone in the garden for a while, trying to think of a way out of her situation but she came up blank. No matter what way she looked at it, she was still in love with people she couldn’t have.   
  
She wandered down the hallway, taking note of the closed doors. She supposed she should find someone to share with. Honoka came to mind but there was no way she could share with her now. Not now Umi was back. Nozomi was the only other person she thought of. She hoped it wouldn’t be too awkward if she asked to stay with her.   
  
She came to a door that was slightly ajar and pushed it open, expecting to find it empty. She paused when she noticed the people occupying the room.   
  
“Senpai, just come to bed. I’m tired.” Nozomi complained, her voice practically a whine. She was on her knees on the bed, staring at Future Honoka who was reading through some kind of book. Eli couldn’t see what it was from near the door. “It’s getting late.”   
  
“I told you, I can’t.” Honoka responded in amusement. She was towel drying her hair with one hand, the book held in the other. “My hair’s wet. Besides I’m researching. You can go to sleep if you want to.”  
  
Eli’s gaze shifted as Honoka’s arm moved, her breath catching when she noticed Honoka was wearing a button down pajama shirt, only it wasn’t buttoned up at all. On top of that she was wearing loose black sweatpants that hung low on her hips. Thankfully, she was wearing a sports bra at least.   
  
“Come on, I’ve been waiting for almost an hour already. I want to go to sleep.” Nozomi complained, drawing Eli’s attention back to her. She was clad in a sleeveless purple nightgown that didn’t quite reach mid-thigh. It was a lot more modest than Honoka yet the sight had Eli’s heart thumping against her chest. Accidentally, she pressed her hand against the door, causing it to creak open just a little bit.   
  
Honoka dropped her towel at the sound of the door opening and reached out to Nozomi, drawing her protectively against her. She almost pulled her right off the bed in her haste but thankfully Nozomi managed to steady herself.   
  
Eli froze in place when two pairs of wide eyes turned to her. “Ah, I-I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to interrupt.” Her gaze focused on Nozomi whose face had reddened considerably. “I was hoping to find you but…it’s fine, I guess I’ll just stay with Nico.”  
  
“What?!” Nozomi’s voice was oddly high with panic as she pulled away from Honoka. “W-Wait, no!  You can stay, you don’t have to go. It’s…” She trailed off as Eli closed the door. “Damn it!”  
  
Honoka gave a nervous laugh, her heart still pounding anxiously. She supposed she was still a bit jumpy. “That was embarrassing. I didn’t even have time to finish dressing.”  
  
“As if you were going to get dressed anyway.” Nozomi slumped back onto the bed, trying to ignore the hollow feeling in her chest.   
  
“As if you don’t like it. You’re not very subtle when you check me out. In fact you…” Honoka barely managed to catch the pillow flung at her. “Now, now. There’s no need for violence, Nozomi-chan.”  
  
“Screw you.” Nozomi muttered, turning onto her side to face away from Honoka.   
  
Honoka smiled softly, aware that Nozomi didn’t mean anything by it. “I’ll get this stuff done later.”  
  
Nozomi felt the bed dip behind her and then a warm body was pressing against her back, arms going around her.   
  
“We can go to sleep.” Honoka said softly, resting her head near Nozomi’s. “Or whatever you want to do.”  
  
Nozomi shook her head. “She was so close.” She whispered, grasping Honoka’s hand in front of her. It was so frustrating. Eli had started to reach out to her then stopped, like she was afraid. “She was looking for me, she wanted to stay with me and I just screwed it up again.”  
  
“Hey, you didn’t screw anything up. She got the wrong idea and she ran, that’s all. She’ll come around eventually.” Honoka said, trying to soothe the girl. “You know how Eli is, she just needs some time, that’s all.”  
  
“Well I need her.” Nozomi turned onto her other side to meet Honoka’s sympathetic eyes. “I don’t want her to get the wrong idea. I don’t want you to either. Why…why did you kiss me before?”  
  
“I-I was just stressed. You know I’m not going to misunderstand anything. My Kotori-chan is the only person I…” Honoka’s voice caught in her throat and she shook her head. “It was just stress.”  
  
“Well I’m stressed now…” Nozomi leaned in only to find a hand planted on her chest, keeping her where she was. “What?”  
  
“Don’t. Please. I need you as my friend, Nozomi-chan. I told you earlier, you’re probably my best friend right now. That’s all I want. You here, as my best friend.” Honoka pleaded with Nozomi to understand, her hand moving away from the younger girl’s chest.  
  
“I-I’m sorry.” Nozomi softened at Honoka’s words and moved forward, embracing her tightly. “I’m here.”  
  
—-  
  
Maki returned to the room an hour or so later, hoping to find Kotori waiting for her. She expected to find her alone at least but she paused at the sight of the three girls curled up in the bed together. She felt a twinge of jealousy at the sight of Kotori’s arms wrapped around Honoka. Umi was wrapped around Kotori in turn, holding her as close as she could. All three of them were sleeping soundly.   
  
“Guess I should find somewhere else to sleep…” She mumbled sourly to herself. She had been looking forward to spending the night with Kotori but it seemed she’d have to sleep alone. Despite her words, she wandered close to the bed, pausing at the side of it to look down at Kotori’s sleeping face. She looked so peaceful, much more peaceful than she had earlier now that she was snuggly between her best friends.   
  
Maki leaned down, brushing Kotori’s hair gently from her face. Her gaze slid to Kotori’s lips and she automatically leaned in, intending to kiss her. She wasn’t sure if she was really allowed to do so but now that she’d kissed Kotori once she couldn’t help but want more. Her lips had barely grazed Kotori’s when she noticed Honoka shift. She jerked back, finding curious blue eyes staring up at her.   
  
Honoka smirked as Maki almost fell right off the bed. “So this is what Nico-chan was talking about…”  
  
“W-What? No! It’s not what you think!” Maki exclaimed, her face getting even redder. “S-She just looked so…and I wanted…”  
  
“She looked so what?” Honoka teased lightly, amused by Maki’s embarrassment. “Kissable? You shouldn’t do that to people when they sleep, you know.” Her expression darkened slightly. “Especially Kotori-chan after…” She hesitated, not wanting to mention the incident with ‘Nozomi’.   
  
“I would never do anything like that to her.” Maki said quickly though she couldn’t help but feel guilty still. She should have been more careful. “We’ve kissed before so it’s okay, right?”  
  
Honoka’s brow furrowed slightly as she looked between Kotori and Maki. “So you two are together now then?”  
  
“Uh…I don’t know?” Maki replied carefully. It wasn’t as though she’d ever dated anyone before so she had no idea. “W-We haven’t talked about it really, it’s…new.”  
  
Honoka couldn’t resist teasing just a little bit more. “But you want to be with her?” She chuckled to herself as she watched the pink shade of Maki’s cheeks darken with embarrassment. “I’m just teasing, Maki-chan. But really, if you and Kotori-chan make each other happy maybe you should just…do it. If you want.”  
  
Maki leaned back on the bed, crossing her arms in front of her chest with a resigned sigh. “I think I want to. But I don’t want to force anything on Koto-nee. It’s not really a good time…” She looked back to Kotori, watching her reach out to Honoka. There was also the fact that Kotori was in love with Honoka, she supposed. She bit her bottom lip as she watched Honoka catch Kotori’s hand in her own, gently tangling their fingers together. “She really cares about you, you know?”  
  
Honoka chuckled at Maki’s meek question. “I really care about her too. She’s my precious best friend. Maki-chan…” She reached her other hand to Maki who hesitantly took it. She was surprised when Honoka placed Kotori’s hand in hers, letting go herself. “You’re better for Kotori-chan than I am. She brings out your softer side and you let her be selfish. You bring out the best in each other.”  
  
Maki squeezed Kotori’s hand. She wasn’t sure whether she should be happy about Honoka’s admission or not. “I don’t understand. Why are you…?”  
  
Honoka gave a weak smile. “Because even if I love Kotori-chan I’m afraid I’m never going to love anyone more than I love Umi-chan. I don’t want to hurt Kotori-chan like I hurt Eli-senpai. She could be happy with you, Maki-chan. You’re always there for her when she needs you. You don’t leave her like I did…”  
  
Maki watched as Honoka looked away, blinking rapidly. “Hey, Honoka, forget about that for now…how are you feeling? A-After…”  
  
“Like I need one of those cigarettes you carry around with you.” Honoka gave a bitter little laugh and wiped at her tears. She continued when Maki merely frowned at her. “I don’t know. I’m tired, Maki-chan. I don’t know if I can lose anyone else…” She wasn’t sure how her future self was still functioning. She couldn’t live through losing her friends and family.   
  
Maki wasn’t sure what to say to that. She didn’t have to be an empath to know how much Honoka was hurting over the loss of her mother, of possibly both of her parents.   
  
Honoka noticed Maki’s look of worry and quickly forced a smile. “It’s fine, don’t worry about me. You need to focus on Kotori-chan now. If there’s anything I can do to help you can tell me. I’m good at planning dates. When I took Umi-chan on our first date she said it was magical! There was food and candles and I almost set fire to the tablecloth when Umi-chan went to the bathroom but it’s fine, she didn’t even notice when she came back. But I could help you plan yours too and Kotori-chan is my best friend so I know her better than anyone.”  
  
Maki watched Honoka warily, barely taking in what she was saying. There was a smile pasted to their leader’s lips but it was clear she wasn’t happy.   
  
“I know Kotori-chan likes…pastries. She used to bring over danishes to my house when I was little. And um…cheesecake too. You should get her some of that! Oh, maybe you should take her on a picnic, she would love that!”  
  
Maki nodded along, making a mental note of what Honoka was saying but she wasn’t entirely focused. “Mmhm…” When she noticed Honoka open her mouth, probably to mention something else Kotori liked she quickly interrupted. “Honoka, are you really okay?”  
  
Honoka’s smile slipped for a moment but just as quickly as it had, she forced it back into place. “What? Are you worried about me, Maki-chan?” She teased.   
  
“Yes.”  Maki wasn’t teasing, she looked deadly serious when she spoke. She wasn’t sure how she could possibly not be worried about Honoka given what had happened. “Everyone is worried about you. After everything that’s happened, you have every right to be upset. You don’t have to pretend with me. Or any of us.”  
  
“This isn’t like you, Maki-chan.” Honoka’s eyes prickled with tears at Maki’s kindness. She blinked rapidly to clear her vision. “Maybe Kotori-chan has been a better influence on you than I thought. You should…” She was cut off as Maki stood abruptly from the bed and moved forward, embracing her tightly.   
  
“Shut up, Honoka.” Maki said gently as she felt Honoka lean into her. “Just shut up for a minute.”  
  
Honoka took a shuddering breath and did as she was told, closing her eyes as she lifted her arms to hug Maki back. She was silent for a couple of minutes, gathering the strength to push back the emotion building in her chest. By the time Maki pulled away, the weight on her chest had lessened.   
  
“Go back to sleep.” Maki said, resting her hand gently on Honoka’s shoulder. “You look like you need it.” She glanced longingly at the space next to Kotori, wishing she could occupy it again.   
  
“Umi-chan and I can go back to my room if…”   
  
“Cut it out. I told you, I don’t know about that yet.” Maki rolled her eyes, well aware of what Honoka was trying to do. “You should stay with Koto-nee. You’re not the only one who needs this you know.”  
  
Honoka grumbled under her breath but reluctantly agreed, sliding back under the covers next to Kotori.   
  
Maki turned to leave the room, Honoka’s voice causing her to pause near the doorway.   
  
“Hey, Maki-chan?” Honoka teased tiredly. “Aren’t you going to give her a kiss goodnight?”  
  
Maki’s cheeks flamed with embarrassment. “S-Shut up!” She exclaimed, quickly fleeing the room.   
—-  
  
“So are you going to do it or not?” Tsubasa asked, crossing her arms in front of her chest. She made sure to keep her distance from the girl next to her, not wanting to risk touching her. She shuddered to think of the effect it would have on her. “Kousaka is back now, both of them are. What else are you waiting for?”  
  
She didn’t usually feel impatient but she felt like she needed to get something done. She had to get rid of Muse and to do that she had to go after the weaker members, or rather the girl’s family. The only problem was that to do that she had to get rid of the woman protecting them.   
  
“Waiting for the right time.” Setsuna drawled in response, her gaze on the house across the street. It didn’t matter if anyone saw them. Nobody knew her and Tsubasa was well disguised. “They’re all together now so this isn’t going to be easy. I have to wait until the older Kousaka splits off from the rest of the group.”  
  
Tsubasa huffed under her breath. Neither of them knew how long that would take. “And you’re sure this is going to work? She seems to be resilient. She might not fall for your…tricks.”  
  
“From what you’ve told me, I don’t think she’ll be coming back from what I do to her.” Setsuna turned slightly on the bench she was sitting on, facing Tsubasa a bit more. She smirked when the girl subtly slid away from her. “You told me she lost everyone she loves, didn’t you? How is she going to say no if she thinks she’s getting them all back?”  
  
Tsubasa sighed and looked back to the house. She was uncomfortable with the idea but nothing would keep her from trying. She had to get rid of Muse somehow so she’d be one step closer to getting out of CORPS with Erena. “As long as it keeps her out of the way for a while.”


	25. Chapter 25

Kotori supposed she shouldn’t have gone to sleep so early. If she hadn’t she wouldn’t have woken up so early. She’d been up for the past couple of hours though she’d opted to linger in Honoka and Umi’s embrace instead of getting up. She’d missed them terribly, more than she’d realized until they were back with her.   
  
Finally, she had decided to get out of bed though doing so had been a bit difficult when Umi and Honoka had unconsciously refused to let go of her. Thankfully they had relented eventually. She stood at the bottom of the bed, watching as Umi stirred.   
  
Umi muttered under her breath and shifted closer to Honoka, her arms going around her. “Where are you going?” She mumbled, clearly still half asleep. “…’s cold…” Her words were slurred with sleepiness and Kotori smiled to herself. It was sweet, the way Umi seemed to automatically reach for Honoka.   
  
Jealousy unsettled her stomach as Umi pressed a lazy kiss to Honoka’s neck. She hesitated for a moment, watching Honoka turn around in her sleep, huddling close to Umi. Sighing softly, she left the room, closing the door gently behind her so as not to wake her friends. She leaned against the door for a moment, trying to rid herself of the lingering image of Umi kissing Honoka’s neck. She was just about to push herself away from the door and head to the bathroom when the door across the hallway opened and Maki stumbled out, rubbing her eyes. 

Her usually neat hair was ruffled from sleep, the shirt she’d been sleeping in slipping down her shoulder, showing more skin than Kotori had been prepared to see. Maki didn’t even seem to notice her as she muttered under her breath about how she should have known better than to sleep in her mom’s room.   
  
As Maki began to shuffle down the hallway, Kotori couldn’t help but inch up behind her, her arm going around Maki’s waist.  
  
“Good morning, Maki-chan.” She greeted, gently ruffling Maki’s messy hair with her free hand. “You’re up early.”  
  
“Morning, Koto-nee…” Maki mumbled, leaning in slightly. She rested her forehead lightly against Kotori’s and turned her head, gently brushing their noses together.   
  
Kotori beamed at the innocent gesture, her chest tight. “You’re so cute in the morning.” She embraced Maki tighter, closing her eyes to bask in the moment.   
  
“I am not.” Maki mumbled, sliding her own arms around Kotori’s waist. Despite her words, she already sounded like she was falling asleep again right there. “I missed you last night…”  
  
“So Maki-chan is more honest in the morning.” Kotori smiled warmly. She cupped the back of Maki’s head and gently kissed her lips.   
  
Maki’s eyes snapped open, her cheeks reddening at the casual gesture. “K-Koto-nee!”  
  
Kotori froze at the alarmed look on Maki’s face. “Sorry, Maki-chan! I thought…after what we did yesterday, maybe it would be okay…” She stepped back, causing Maki’s arms to fall back to her side. Closing her eyes, she bowed low. “I’m sorry!”  
  
Maki blinked at Kotori in confusion for a moment before realizing how her words could have come across. “Koto-nee, get up.” She waited until Kotori hesitantly straightened up before she moved forward and cupped her face in her hands, kissing her slowly. Her fingers slid gently into Kotori’s hair at the nape of her neck and she pressed close, trying to get as close as she could to her warmth. She felt Kotori kiss her back, her hands gripping at the back of her shirt. She hadn’t meant to make Kotori feel guilty for what she’d done.   
  
Slowly, she eased back, breaking the connection of their lips. “It’s not what you think. Here just isn’t the right place.” She said seriously, her gaze locked with Kotori’s worried eyes. “I want to be with you, Kotori. I’m…I think I’m…” She was cut off by the sound of someone clearing their throat. She lurched away from Kotori quickly and looked in the direction the sound had come from, finding her mom standing in the doorway of her room, a knowing smile on her lips.   
  
“First you kiss her when she’s asleep and now this?” Rei raised an eyebrow though she was clearly kidding. She didn’t seem displeased anyway, in fact she looked happy. “Wait until I tell your mother, Kotori-chan…”  
  
“Wha…?” Kotori shook her head quickly, her cheeks flaming with embarrassment. “I-I wasn’t doing anything, Maki-chan was just tired!”  
  
Rei chuckled under her breath, clearly not believing a word she says. “Yume is going to be so happy about this when I tell her.” She moved off down the hallway, not listening to Kotori’s embarrassed protests.   
  
Maki would have been embarrassed too but her mind was on something else. “You kissed me when I was asleep?”  
  
Kotori’s eyes went wide. “I’m sorry!” She exclaimed hastily. “I didn’t mean to, you just looked so cute and…I won’t do it again.”  
  
“I want you to do it again.” Maki took Kotori’s hand in her own, giving it a light squeeze. “Didn’t you hear what I said earlier? I want to be with you. I’m not lying to you when I say that.”  
  
Kotori opened and closed her mouth a couple of times, stunned by the admission. “I-I um…”  
  
“Don’t answer me right now.” Maki said before Kotori could really gather her thoughts. “I want you to think about it for a while first. Our friendship is one of the most important things to me, Koto-nee. I don’t want a relationship we don’t both really want. I know I want it, I just want you to be sure before you give me an answer.”  
  
“Okay.” Kotori kissed Maki firmly at her response. “Come on, I need to brush my teeth. And so do you.”  
  
“What do you mean by that!?” Maki worriedly checked her breath as Kotori tugged her down the hallway. “Koto-nee!”  
  
“They’re cute, aren’t they?”  
  
Eli flinched at the sudden voice near her ear. She looked to her left, finding Honoka standing next to her, her hands clasped behind her back and her eyes sparkling. “I guess.” She mumbled, glancing back in time to see Kotori lead Maki into the bathroom, closing the door behind her. She heard a gentle thump followed by soft giggles that were quickly cut off. It didn’t take a genius to figure out what they were doing.   
  
“Eli-senpai, you look sad.” Honoka’s soft voice reached her ears and Eli felt her already constricted chest tighten further. “What’s wrong?”  
  
Eli almost laughed at the question. She didn’t believe for a second that Honoka didn’t already know. “I’m tired, I’m going back to bed. See you later, Honoka.”  
  
“W-Wait!” Honoka reached out to grasp Eli’s wrist before she could walk away. “Just talk to me for a minute. Please?” She slowly loosened her grip, relieved when Eli didn’t pull away from her. “Where did you sleep last night?”  
  
“With Nico.” Eli answered simply, her gaze straying back to Honoka. “Everyone else already paired up. Even your future self and Nozomi…” She heaved a sigh at that. It hurt to be left out by the two of them but it was her own fault.   
  
“Oh. I miss sleeping next to you, Eli-senpai. You always kept me warm.” Honoka said with a small smile.   
  
Eli shook her head. Honoka was clearly trying to make her feel better but it just made her feel worse. “Don’t tell me that.” She doubted Honoka had even thought of her last night.   
  
Honoka’s brow furrowed in confusion. “But I have missed sleeping with you…?”  
  
Eli briefly closed her eyes and tugged her wrist from Honoka’s grip. She began to step away again only to stop short. “I’m not going to give on you, you know?”  
  
“Huh?”  
  
Eli turned around to face Honoka, her features more determined than before. “I won’t give up on you. I’m tired of giving up. I did it with Nozomi, I won’t do it with you too.”  
  
“Eh? B-But Eli-senpai, Umi-chan…”  
  
“Umi knows how I feel about you.” Eli said confidently, crossing her arms in front of her chest. “I want her to take me seriously. I won’t back down this time, even if you choose her in the end.”  
  
“But I don’t want to pick between the two of you…” Honoka muttered, looking down at the ground. She couldn’t stand the thought of having to choose. “I love Umi-chan…but I love Eli-senpai too.”  
  
Eli’s heart leapt to her throat. “Thank you, Honoka.” She stepped forward, hugging Honoka tightly. She was tempted to kiss her though she knew she better not. She settled for kissing her cheek instead, earning herself an embarrassed blush. “I miss sleeping with you too by the way.”  
  
“Eli-senpai…” Honoka grumbled, her cheeks glowing hotter. She was both relieved and disappointed when Eli stepped away from her. She opened her mouth to say something but Eli was already strolling away, lifting her hand in a wave. Sighing heavily, Honoka rubbed at her cheek as if doing so would rid her of her blush. When Eli disappeared from view, she plodded down the hallway to the bathroom, letting herself into the bathroom.   
  
“Koto-nee, come on…I’m trying to brush my teeth.” Maki complained, halfheartedly trying to shrug the girl off. Kotori was standing behind Maki, her arms around her waist. She giggled as Kotori pressed a light kiss to her exposed neck. “That tickles!”  
  
Smirking, Honoka cleared her throat. “You know if you’re going to be doing this kind of thing you should probably stop calling her Koto-nee. People are going to think you have a complex, Maki-chan.”  
  
Maki looked toward the doorway, her toothbrush halfway to her mouth. She blushed furiously when Honoka’s words registered. “I-I don’t!”  
  
“Honoka-chan!” Kotori buried her own flushed face in Maki’s neck, her grip on the girl tightening.   
  
“Oh, maybe Kotori-chan is the one with the complex?” Honoka teased, moving over to the two of them. She nudged Maki out of the way, reaching for one of the spare toothbrushes laid out for them.   
  
“Leave her alone, Honoka.” Maki reached back, reassuringly brushing her hand over the back of Kotori’s head to soothe her. “She doesn’t mean it, Koto-nee.”   
  
Honoka began to brush her teeth, shooting Maki a sceptical look. “Hey Kotori-chan, can I talk to you about something?” She ignored Maki’s look of distaste at the fact that she was talking while her mouth was full of toothpaste.   
  
“Of course.” Kotori popped her head up, eager to do anything she could to help Honoka. “What is it?”  
  
Honoka paused to spit out her toothpaste. “Um…well, it’s hard to explain. I kind of…well, I don’t really know how it happened but I think I kind of have two girls um…fighting over me.” She awkwardly scratched the back of her head. “I have two girls who like me at least…”  
  
“Three.” Maki coughed, earning herself a warning squeeze from Kotori.   
  
“W-Who are you talking about?” Kotori asked Honoka nervously. She wasn’t sure what she would do if Honoka had found out about her feelings for her.   
  
“Umi-chan and Eli-senpai…” Honoka sighed dramatically and leaned back against the sink. “I don’t get it. Why do they like me?!”  
  
“W-Well, I think Umi-chan more than just likes you.” Kotori said awkwardly, trying to ignore the jealousy that swelled up inside of her. “But…Eli-chan?”  
  
“She says she thinks she loves me.” Honoka ran her hands aggravatedly through her already messy hair. “Maybe I shouldn’t have kissed Eli-senpai…”  
  
“Kissed her? You did a lot more than just kissing her.” Maki said with a roll of her eyes. “Do I have to remind you of when Nico-chan and I walked in on you and her in the hotel room? She had her hands on your…”  
  
“Okay, okay, okay!” Honoka waved her hands to silence Maki, earning herself a soft laugh from the telepath. “It was more than just kissing but that’s not the point. I shouldn’t have done it.”  
  
“She had her hands where exactly?” Kotori’s gaze thoughtfully trailed down to Honoka’s chest in thought. “You didn’t…”  
  
“N-No! Of course I didn’t!” Honoka said quickly though she blushed at the insinuation. She remembered quite well how it had felt to have Eli’s hands and mouth on her skin, fingers splayed over her back as a skilled mouth worked at her neck.   
  
Maki bit her lip to hold back a smile. “I’m surprised you could keep your hands off each other. You were constantly jumping each other back at the hotel. And on the train ride back…”  
  
“Maki-chan!” Honoka complained helplessly.   
  
“Serves you right for taking my you know what.” Maki said victoriously, glad to finally have some revenge on Honoka. She regretted it instantly as a grin formed on Honoka’s face. “Honoka…”  
  
“Maki-chan has a bad habit!”  
  
Maki’s eyes widened at Honoka’s outburst. “Shut up!”  
  
“Bad habit?” Kotori gave Maki a squeeze of concern and brushed her lips against her shoulder. “What kind of bad habit?”  
  
“One she needs to stop. She should tell Kotori-chan.” Honoka crossed her arms in front of her chest, looking nothing short of smug. “It’s bad for you, Maki-chan…”  
  
“Maki-chan.” Kotori’s tone was bordering on warning this time. “What is Honoka-chan talking about?”  
  
“Honoka, please be quiet.” Maki resorted to pleading. She couldn’t have Kotori know what she was doing. “I-It’s nothing, Koto-nee. Honoka just means that I’ve been a bit stressed lately, about everything that’s been happening.” She felt Kotori’s arms fall from around her and suddenly the warmth pressed against her back had disappeared. She turned around, finding Kotori not looking at her.   
  
“You’re a terrible liar, Maki-chan. It’s fine, you don’t have to tell me, I guess…”  
  
They had promised to be honest with each other no matter what. Maki felt her stomach plummet. She couldn’t lose Kotori. She was the only person in Muse Maki really felt close to. Even Nico was shutting herself off. “I’ve been smoking.”  
  
“W-What?!” Kotori exclaimed, her eyes widening at the unexpected answer.

Maki inhaled deeply and covered her eyes with her hand. Already she could feel the telltale prickling of tears. “I’ve been so stressed out by all the stuff happening to us that I needed something to calm me down. I remembered Honoka’s future self telling me about her Maki and I got curious…about whether it would help. Honoka found out. I’ve stopped but it’s so hard. Knowing you’re here beside me,  my need for it has been fading. It’s still hard and I know it’s bad…but I can’t help it. Please don’t be mad…!”  
  
She could take anyone else being annoyed at her for smoking, just not Kotori.   
  
“I’m not mad, I’m just disappointed in you, Maki-chan.” Kotori said softly though she had to admit it did irk her a bit to know what Maki had been doing. The fact that she had tried to lie about it was even more annoying but she wasn’t really annoyed with Maki herself. “I thought you were more responsible than that.”  
  
“I know, I know! I’m sorry, okay?!” Maki’s control over herself slipped, the tears that had been welling in her eyes finally falling free. “I get it, I’m an idiot but…” she stepped forward, freezing when Kotori countered it with a small step back. “Koto-nee…”  
  
Honoka watched the two of them, rattled with guilt. She should have just kept quiet, like Maki had asked her to. “Kotori-chan, come on. I get that you’re worried and you’re trying to…discipline her or something but look at her. You can be angry at her later. Go and hug her. Now. Right now.” She stepped forward, giving Kotori a little push toward Maki.   
  
Maki sniffled softly, her eyes meeting Kotori’s.   
  
Kotori wished she could have held out for longer but she couldn’t stand seeing Maki in tears. She stepped forward, taking Maki into her arms with a soft sigh.   
  
“I’m sorry, I’m so sorry…”  
  
“I know.” Kotori kissed the top of Maki’s head and held her closer still, feeling Maki’s hands grip at the back of her shirt. She should have known better than to turn her away when she tried to get close. “I’m sorry too, Maki-chan.”  
  
Neither of them noticed a guilty Honoka slip out of the room, almost bumping right into Yume who was on her way to the bathroom. “I wouldn’t go in there if I were you. Kotori-chan and Maki-chan need a minute…”  
  
“O-Oh.” Yume looked doubtfully toward the door, wondering if she should say anything about it. They were teenagers, she supposed, she couldn’t really say anything. “Rei was telling me about the two of them. Is everything okay?”  
  
“Um…I might have messed up.” Honoka anxiously rubbed the back of her head. “They just need a minute to talk. I’m um…going to see Umi-chan. Excuse me, Minami-san.”   
  
She quickly took off down the hallway, intent on finding Umi again. She found her in the room they were sharing and with a heavy sigh sank down onto the bed.   
  
Umi had been waiting in the room for Honoka to return, having changed and moved from Kotori’s room while Honoka was in the bathroom. “What’s wrong?”  
  
“Nothing.” Honoka crawled over to Umi, laying her head in her lap. “My list is growing.”  
  
“Hmm?” Umi dutifully ran her fingers through Honoka’s hair.   
  
“I think I screwed up our potential date partner’s relationship.” Honoka muttered, closing her eyes. “First I hurt Eli-senpai, then Nozomi-chan, now Kotori-chan and Maki-chan. I’m a disaster.”  
  
“Yes, you are.” Umi said fondly, well aware that Honoka must have said something she shouldn’t have.   
  
“Do you ever think about running away, Umi-chan?” Honoka didn’t realize how stupid the question was until she heard herself say it. Her eyes snapped open. “I mean not like last time, just…I’ve been thinking about everything and maybe after all of this is over, you and I could go away? I just want to be with you, without…everyone else around. I want to feel normal for a change and you make me feel…like I can breathe, even when everything else is closing in. I jus-” She was cut off by Umi leaning down, warm lips pressing briefly against her own.   
  
“I’ll go wherever you want, Honoka.” Umi whispered, brushing Honoka’s hair from her face. “Maybe after we graduate we can travel together. Maybe England or somewhere. We can finally have some time alone.”  
  
“I would like that. Thank you, Umi-chan.” Before Umi had a chance to ask what she was being thanked for, Honoka had thrown her arms around her neck and kissed her deeply in an attempt to convey her gratitude. It didn’t take Umi more than a few seconds to respond to the kiss but she didn’t have time to bask in it before a knock sounded at the door. They pulled away just as the door opened.   
  
“Sorry to interrupt.” Eli said dryly as she entered the room. “Honoka, can I have my sweatshirt back? I gave it to you while we were away and I need it back.”  
  
“Your hair is down…” Honoka mumbled, unable to tear her eyes away from the blonde. While Honoka was still in her pajamas Eli had changed into a jean skirt that reached mid-thigh and a figure hugging black top. Her hair hung neatly around her shoulders.   
  
“I felt like a change.” Eli brushed her bangs back from her face. “Besides, you said I look pretty with my hair down, remember?”  
  
“Uh…yeah.” Honoka mumbled, her gaze trained on the hair tie around Eli’s wrist. “Oh um…you want your sweatshirt. Here, I-I haven’t washed it or anything though…” She pulled off the sweatshirt she’d been using to keep herself warm and offered it to Eli.   
  
“It’s fine, I don’t mind it smelling like you.” Eli took the sweatshirt with a small smile. “You two should get up. Nico’s making breakfast.”  
  
“O-Okay.” Honoka watched as Eli left the room.   
  
“Honoka.” Umi brought her hand down on Honoka’s head in a light chop. “Stop staring at the door, she’s gone.”  
  
Honoka laughed nervously. “S-Sorry, Umi-chan. I’m going to get dressed.” She stood up from the bed, ambling across the room to get dressed. “I don’t know what’s going on with her…”  
  
“Eli?” Umi guessed, shifting to the edge of the bed. It was troubling her too, that Eli seemed to be so persistent. “Has she said anything to you?”  
  
“She’s not going to give up on me. That’s what she said.” Honoka tugged on a pair of skinny jeans and buttoned them up. “I’m…not sure I’m supposed to tell you that.”  
  
Umi frowned down at the floor. “Eli has always been stubborn.” She would have to speak with her again it seemed. She slid off the bed and went to Honoka, wrapping her arms around her waist from behind. “Hey, I promise you that after all of this is over you and I can go wherever you want. Together.” She kissed Honoka’s cheek, feeling her release a heavy sigh. “What is it?”  
  
“I wish my mom was here. I used to talk to her about my problems…” Honoka felt her eyes dampen and stubbornly blinked. “I’m always hurting people, Umi-chan. I don’t want to do it to Eli-senpai anymore. Or anyone else. I’m just tired…”

  
“I know.” Umi whispered into Honoka’s neck. “Even if you do hurt them, they know you don’t mean it. You’re Honoka, you love everyone in Muse. They know that. And so do I. I know you’d never hurt me intentionally.”  
  
Honoka turned in Umi’s arms, meeting her eyes. “I love you, Umi-chan. I really do.”  
  
“I know. I love you too.” Umi kissed Honoka again, softly this time before she let go of her. “Come on, let’s go downstairs. You’re probably hungry, right?”  
  
Honoka shrugged half-heartedly though her stomach growled a moment later, answering for her.   
  
Umi laughed in response. “That’s my Honoka. Come on.”  
  
—  
  
Eli couldn’t help but feel quite smug about how her talk with Honoka had gone. They’d barely spoken but she hadn’t missed the way Honoka had looked at her. It was exactly what she’d been aiming for. She turned the corner, almost slamming onto Future Honoka who was walking the other way.   
  
“Oh, sorry!” Future Honoka balanced Eli, feeling guilty for almost knocking her over. She paused, noticing what Eli was wearing. With her hair down she looked more like her Eli than ever. “Whoa…”  
  
Eli was too busy staring at Honoka to notice the taller girl’s distraction. It was clear she’d just gotten out of the shower. Clad in only her bra and tight jeans, she was still dripping wet, her hair tied up in a simple ponytail.   
  
Honoka’s breath hitched. She had grabbed Eli’s shoulders when she’d almost fall so she could feel the skin under her hands heating up. “Eli?”  
  
“Honoka…” Eli’s voice came out as more of a moan than anything else and Future Honoka felt heat plummet to her lower stomach. She hadn’t even realized it was possible for her name to sound so sexy. “I-It’s fine. It…it was my fault. I was just on my way to breakfast, you should come down too.”  
  
“I will.” Future Honoka quickly let go of Eli. “Um…you look pretty, Eli.” She flashed the girl a smile before she hurried off to get dressed.   
  
Eli blushed furiously at the compliment and hurried away too, her head down. She made her way back downstairs, having completed her task of telling the others that Nico was almost finished with breakfast. Nozomi was still there, staring at the chair Eli had previously occupied.   
  
“The others are coming down.” Eli said awkwardly, mostly speaking to Nico than anyone else. She wondered how long it would have been since they’d eaten together. It seemed that the group had split up for a while. They still were in a way. She sank down in her seat, noticing Nozomi’s look. She sipped hurriedly at her juice to distract herself.   
  
Nozomi scooted her chair away from Future Honoka’s to get closer to Eli. “Elichi?” She waited until Eli looked at her before she continued. “About last night…”  
  
Eli tensed at the mention of the previous night. “I don’t really want to talk about it.”  
  
“It’s really not what you think, you just walked in at the wrong time, that’s all. Elichi…” Nozomi reached out, gently grasping Eli’s hand atop the table. “You were going to stay with me last night, weren’t you? Just give me another chance tonight. Please. I think we need to talk…but if you don’t want to talk, I’m happy just to be with you for a while.”  
  
Eli stared down at their hands. It had been such a long time since Nozomi had touched her she’d almost forgotten how right it also felt. “Okay.” She said quietly, reluctantly pulling her hand away from Nozomi’s.   
  
Nozomi breathed a sigh of relief at Eli’s agreement. She’d expected to be rejected if she was honest. She placed her hand back in her lap and glanced around the table. Nico was still busily cooking in the next room so the table wasn’t very occupied, save for Kotori and Maki who came just a few minutes ago and Arisa and Yukiho who’d been sitting at the table for a while now. Yukiho still looked upset and hadn’t said a word yet. Arisa was talking to Nico about something or another, apparently trying to fill in the awkward silence. Her hand was resting lightly on Yukiho’s arm though she wasn’t actually trying to engage her in conversation.   
  
“Are you okay, Maki-chan?” Nozomi finally spoke up, her gaze shifting toward Maki. The redhead wasn’t usually talkative herself but she looked almost as upset as Yukiho did. “Did something happen?”  
  
Maki gave a simple shake of her head though her face said otherwise. Kotori, who was sitting next to Maki continued to patiently rub her back, a guilty look on her own face.   
  
Nozomi leaned back with a sigh. She hated not being able to help them, especially the youngest of the group. She watched as Maki shot Kotori an anxious look. She couldn’t help but wonder what exactly Maki was worrying about.   
  
“So are you two screwing yet or what?” Nico asked, placing two plates rather unceremoniously in front of Kotori and Maki. “You haven’t let go of each other since you came down here, it’s making me nauseous. You’re worse than Nozomi and Eli used to be.”  
  
Nozomi cringed at Nico’s use of the past tense. Out of the corner of her eye she noticed Eli flinch too. Neither of them argued. It was the truth, after all.   
  
“What are you saying, Nico-chan?!” Maki turned on Nico, an irritated look on her face. “You don’t know what you’re talking about!”  
  
“C-Calm down, Maki-chan.” Kotori placed a pacifying hand on Maki’s shoulder, a nervous giggle passing her lips. “Nico-chan is just teasing…”  
  
“Like hell I was.” Nico scoffed before she went back to what she was doing.   
  
“I-It’s okay, Maki-chan. Don’t let her bother you.” Kotori squeezed Maki’s hand under the table, trying to reassure her. She noticed Maki’s reddened face and bit her lip to conceal a smile. She did enjoy seeing her embarrassed.   
  
Maki was saved from saying anything by Honoka walking into the room with her future self and Umi. As soon as she saw Yukiho she let go of Umi’s hand and made a beeline for her, awkwardly squeezing herself between her and Maki.   
  
Umi sighed at the way it had turned out. She would have to sit at the opposite end of the table from Honoka, next to Eli. She supposed it couldn’t be helped. Honoka needed to be with her sister. She went to her seat, fighting the urge to shoot a glare at the blonde next to her. She understood her but it was downright annoying that Eli was going after her girlfriend.   
  
“Great, we’re all here.” Nico grumbled, taking her own seat. She glanced at Maki and Kotori. “Your parents are eating in Yume’s office. Something about needing to discuss something. Probably marriage planning. Your moms looked pretty happy about something.”  
  
Kotori and Maki glanced at each other, both blushing though they exchanged small smiles. Nico gagged dramatically though she turned serious after a moment.   
  
“Hey, Kotori, you know if you hurt her you’ll have me to deal with, right?” She fixed Kotori with a warning look. She hadn’t liked that Maki had looked so upset when she’d come down. “I’m serious.”  
  
“Y-Yes.” Kotori stuttered, surprised by the warning. Next to her, Maki was looking at Nico with wide eyes too. “I won’t.” She grew more confident as Maki squeezed her hand. “I would never. If I do, I promise you can hit me.”  
  
“Kotori…” Maki whispered, awed by the declaration. She swallowed thickly, looking to Nico. “Thank you, Nico-chan…?”  
  
Nico growled under her breath as Maki’s confused response. “I-It’s not like I care. I just have to say that.”  
  
Nozomi smiled widely at the interaction. “Don’t lie, Nicocchi. Underneath that exterior of yours, you’re the sweetest person I know.”  
  
“Nozomi!” Nico warned, shooting Nozomi an angry look. “That’s crap and you know it!”  
  
Future Honoka watched as Maki leaned into Kotori’s side, their hands still clasped between them. It made her feel sick to see Kotori with someone else. She turned her attention back to her tamagoyaki, trying not to think of her Kotori. It made her chest hurt to think of her not being alive. She gritted her teeth together, trying to force the thoughts away. She was distracted by a hand on her back. She glanced to her left, finding it was Nozomi. The third year wasn’t looking at her but she did look slightly concerned. Future Honoka’s gaze softened. Of course Nozomi would know. It felt like she knew everything about her.   
  
Eli listened with half interest, her gaze shifting between Honoka and her future self. It was interesting to watch how different they were. Future Honoka seemed to be deep in thought while her Honoka was busy trying to coax Yukiho into eating something. Eli’s heart swelled. Honoka’s food remained untouched in front of her. It was clear she wasn’t okay herself and yet she was still trying to help her sister in any way she could.   
  
Honoka was trying to convince Yukiho to take a bowl of miso soup though the younger girl was stubbornly refusing to eat. With a sigh, Honoka set the bowl down and wrapped her arm around Yukiho’s shoulder, drawing her down into a hug.   
  
Arisa was watching them, looking somewhat lonely and Eli cursed herself for not noticing. She had been so distracted lately. When Arisa looked at her, she beckoned her over with a tilt of her head and the younger blonde scrambled up from the table, hurrying around to her. Instead of sitting down next to her she sat herself down on her sister’s lap, leaning into her. Eli was taken by surprise. It had been a while since Arisa had done that. She remembered when her sister was younger she used to have nightmares and had often curled up in her lap. Her arms went around Arisa and she felt her chest warm at the understanding smile Honoka shot her.   
  
“Sono…I mean, Umi-san?” Arisa spoke carefully, her gaze fixed on Umi. She waited until Umi looked toward her. “I-I’m glad you’re okay.”  
  
Umi was surprised by the comment but a warm smile quickly followed. “Thank you for finding me.” She reached over, gently touching Arisa’s arm. “It means a lot that you’d expose your ability just to help me.”  
  
Arisa blushed in response and waved her hands in front of her. “A-Ah, it was nothing!”  
  
Eli glared sullenly at Umi until the dark haired girl retracted her hand. Umi glared right back though, her jaw clenched.   
  
Nico watched the two with mild interest as she ate. She wasn’t sure what was going on but there seemed to be some kind of animosity between the two. She supposed it must be about Honoka. It was always about Honoka.   
  
Eli drew Arisa closer to her and Umi heaved a sigh. “We need to have another talk after this.”  
  
Arisa looked up at the scowl her sister was wearing. “Are you mad at Umi-san, Onee-chan?” She asked worriedly.   
  
“Of course not, don’t worry, Arisa.” Eli forced herself to smile at her sister.   
  
Umi patted Arisa’s head, smiling kindly at her. “Your sister and I just need to discuss some things. It’s nothing to worry about.”  
  
“What did you do this time?” Yukiho mumbled to Honoka who looked genuinely uneasy.   
  
“Nothing. Eat your breakfast.” Honoka answered distractedly, her gaze fixed on Umi and Eli. The last thing she wanted was for them to be angry with each other because of her.  
  
—-  
  
“You go on ahead, I’ll be right there.” Umi said, placing a gentle hand on Honoka’s arm.   
  
“You’re not coming with me?” Honoka asked in concern, her gaze flitting between Umi and Eli. The blonde was standing nearby, not looking at her, but she seemed to be looking at Umi instead. “Eli-senpai?”  
  
“I’m just going to talk to Eli for a few minutes.” Umi explained patiently, giving Honoka’s arm a light squeeze before she let go of her.   
  
“But…” Honoka looked hesitantly between the two of them. She wasn’t sure why but she wasn’t sure she was comfortable with the two of them having the kind of talk Umi seemed to be referring to. “Umi-chan, it’s not Eli-senpai’s fault. You shouldn’t…”  
  
“I’m not.” Umi interrupted with a shake of her head. “I won’t be very long, Honoka. Just wait for me in the room. Or go and see Yukiho, I’m sure she needs you more than ever right now.”  
  
Eli looked up, noticing Honoka still looked worried. “Go on, Honoka. I’ll be fine.” She stepped forward, brushing her fingers gently against Honoka’s cheek. “I’ll talk to you later.”  
  
“Alright. Umi-chan, please be nice.” Honoka fixed Umi with such a pleading stare that Eli would have laughed had she not been given the same look a moment later. “You too, Eli-senpai.”  
  
“O-okay.” Umi and Eli spoke in unison, both taken aback by the plea.   
  
“Umi-chan.” Honoka said, a little bit warningly.   
  
“I will, I will.” Umi stepped forward, daringly kissing Honoka on the lips. She stayed close to her for a moment, feeling her cheeks naturally flare with embarrassment. She could feel Eli’s eyes on her, practically boring into her back. When she stepped back, Eli was in her place and Umi thought for a moment that the blonde would be brazen enough to kiss Honoka right in front of her but she didn’t, she just hugged her gently to offer reassurance.   
  
“It’ll be fine, Honoka.” Eli whispered before she stepped away again. She offered another small smile before she turned and walked off down the hallway, vaguely hearing Umi following close behind her. She slipped into the room she was sharing with Nico, relieved to find the other third year wasn’t there.   
  
“You need to stop.”  
  
Eli turned around to face Umi who was standing next to the door. “What?”  
  
“I told you already. I understand how you feel but Honoka is my girlfriend. You can’t just do this to someone else’s girlfriend. Especially…you’re meant to be my friend!” Umi exclaimed in frustration. “Honoka told me what you said.”  
  
“She did?” Eli looked surprised by that.   
  
“Of course. She tells me everything.” Umi crossed her arms in front of her chest, shooting Eli an icy glare.  
  
“I can’t help it, okay?” Eli relented finally, her shoulder slumping in defeat. “She’s just so…and I’m…I tried to back away from her but it’s Honoka!”  
  
Umi softened slightly. “And if you try to back away she’ll just go after you harder. She’s stubborn like that. But so are you.”  
  
Eli flopped down on the bed behind her with a groan. “I can’t stay away from her. Especially when…well when I think she might have feelings for me too. And what am I supposed to do when she kisses me anyway? It’s not like I can say no. She’s way too hot to say no to…”  
  
Umi narrowed her eyes. “Eli.”  
  
“You can’t tell me you don’t agree.” Eli pushed herself up on her elbows. “You should know better than me. Haven’t you and her…?”  
  
“Yes but that’s none of your business!” Umi exclaimed, her face turning red at the insinuation. “We well…I said it’s none of your business. We’re done talking about this!”  
  
“Come on, Umi.” Eli pouted at the livid look on Umi’s face. “If I’m never going to get to do it with her you could at least tell me what it’s like. Did Honoka top you? Nevermind, that’s a stupid question. She obviously did. Did…?”  
  
“No, she didn’t.” Umi closed her eyes. She could barely believe she was answering honestly. “It’s…well the second time Honoka was the one who got to…well, you know. Why are we talking about this?”  
  
“I’m living vicariously through you.” Eli answered pointedly. “So Honoka is a pillow princess, hmm? God, that’s cute. I wouldn’t have thought after what happened on the train…”  
  
“What?” Umi’s eyes widened slightly at the comment, her heart seizing in her chest. “I knew something had happened, I just didn’t know what.” She noticed Eli open her mouth and quickly shook her head. “Wait, don’t tell me!”  
  
“Why not? It’s about Honoka so why wouldn’t you want to know? Come on, you can’t say you’re not curious…” Eli drawled, sitting up and crossing her legs beneath her. She watched as Umi slowly lowered her hands from her ears and nodded. “She pushed her way into the stall with me and kissed me. Then she shoved me against the sink and lifted me up onto it. It was pretty hot. That was after she told me she couldn’t let me go. She can be pretty romantic at times, huh?”  
  
“Yeah…” Umi muttered, thinking of the many times Honoka had acted in a romantic way, even accidentally so. She found herself smiling dreamily at the thought and quickly shook her head. She sank down onto the bed. “So you’re not backing down.”  
  
Eli nodded her head. “I feel bad but I can’t, Umi. I’m not trying to hurt you, trust me. I just…”  
  
“Love Honoka.” Umi finished for Eli when she trailed off. “I know, I know. But I told you, I don’t share. You might be Ayase Eli and you may be able to get any girl you want but…that doesn’t mean I’m going to let you take her from me.”  
  
“I would be okay with sharing…only if it’s with you.” Eli flashed a suave smile, bringing a blush to Umi’s cheeks.   
  
“W-Why do you have to be such a flirt?!” Umi exclaimed, flustered by Eli’s comment. “No wonder Honoka…”  
  
Eli barely managed to bite back a laugh. “No wonder Honoka what? Is there something you want to tell me, Umi?”  
  
“N-No!”  
  
“You know, if we had to share…” Eli leaned into Umi, her voice lowering to a whisper. She reached out, her hand resting neatly on the second year’s waist. “I think you and Honoka would look good together so I really really wouldn’t mind. Watching can be fun sometimes, you know?”  
  
Umi had been distracted by the heat emanating from Eli’s palm but she yelped at her words, scrambling backwards. “S-Shameless!” Her face felt like it was on fire and she pressed her cooler hands to her cheeks. “What’s wrong with you?!”  
  
Eli shrugged innocently. She was only teasing but she decided to relent. “I’m only teasing you. Though you are cute when you’re flustered…” She stepped forward, her expression turning serious as she approached. “Look, Umi…I’m sorry. Let’s just forget about that right now. We need to focus on what really matters.”  
  
Umi swallowed heavily, worried that Eli might just be teasing her again. “What’s that?”  
  
“Honoka. You know she’s not really okay, don’t you?” Eli sighed when Umi frowned at her. “She’s not. Think about it, Umi. Her mother was just killed, for all we know her father might be dead too and…and Yukiho…something’s not right with her. She’s obviously traumatized or something. Honoka’s putting on a brave face, trying to make everyone think she’s okay but she’s not. You see it, don’t you?”  
  
Umi fell silent for a moment but she slowly nodded. She did see how much Honoka was hurting. “I don’t know how to help her. She won’t talk to me about any of this.” She supposed it was her own fault. Honoka was more conscious of burdening her now. “I wish she’d just tell me what she’s thinking.”  
  
“Hey, Umi…” Eli gently touched Umi’s shoulder, trying to console her. “She’ll talk to you eventually. You’re the person she trusts the most, you know? She really loves you. If she’s going to talk to anyone it would be you.”  
  
“Or you.” Umi mumbled, not entirely happy with the admission. “What are we going to do if she doesn’t talk to us?”  
  
“We’ll work it out. It won’t come to that. We would both do anything for her, wouldn’t we? There’s no way she won’t make it through this.” Eli answered confidently. She was caught off guard when Umi moved forward and hugged her tightly. She was tense for a moment before she gently hugged Umi back. “It’s okay…she’ll be fine.”  
  
—  
  
Nozomi set down the magazine she was reading with a heavy sigh. She wished she could do something more interesting but she didn’t even have her cell phone anymore. She was sure she had left it in Honoka’s hotel room but it wasn’t as though she could go back there now. Her gaze drifted across the room to Future Honoka herself. The time traveller was sitting at her desk, her pen poised over her notebook. She’d been distracted since breakfast, refusing to speak to anyone.   
  
Nozomi slid off the bed and made her way over, her hands coming to rest gently on Honoka’s shoulders.   
  
Honoka almost flinched in surprise but managed to stay composed. She hurriedly shrugged Nozomi off though. “Nozomi, I’m trying to work.”  
  
“Oh? It looked like you were staring into space from where I was sitting.” Nozomi said, raising an eyebrow. She couldn’t say she wasn’t hurt by Honoka’s harsh tone. “What’s going on? It seems like you’re somewhere else. Even more than usual.”  
  
“Nothing’s wrong, just drop it.” Honoka placed her pen down on the desk and looked down at her scribbled notes. She still couldn’t work out what she needed to do to finish everything quickly.   
  
“Is this about Kotori-chan and Maki-chan?” Nozomi guessed, not one to be swayed easily once she had her mind sent on something. “Look, if…”  
  
“Shut up.” Honoka rose swiftly from her seat, her voice low and annoyed. “Just shut up! I get that it’s your ability but we don’t always have to talk about our goddamn feelings all of the time, Nozomi. I don’t want to talk about it, don’t you get that? I don’t want to think about it.”  
  
“Then don’t think.” Nozomi gently cupped Honoka’s face in her hands and kissed her softly, trying to soothe her like she had before. She was surprised when hands pressed against her shoulders and she found herself being shoved back. She stumbled back, barely managing to catch herself on the bedpost. “I’m just trying to help…”  
  
“Well you’re not!” Honoka exclaimed loudly, her hands clenched at her sides. “Stop trying to help me. Stop thinking that just because you’re here I’ll tell you anything. This is all wrong. You’re not my Nozomi-chan and we don’t…there’s nothing between us, okay? I don’t need you, I’m only here to…”  
  
“You’re full of crap.” Nozomi’s voice shook with emotion as she straightened up. “You said it yourself, I’m your best friend. And you’re my…”  
  
“Nothing!” Honoka’s voice had grown progressively louder as she spoke. “I’m not anything to you! All you see me as is a fucked up version of your friend that you have to fix! Some kind of project like…” She was cut off as Nozomi strode forward and slapped her sharply. Her head jolted to the right, her cheek stinging sharply.   
  
“Screw you.” Nozomi’s eyes were laced with tears as she spoke but she sounded mostly angry. “If I ever hear you say anything like that again I swear I’ll…” She trailed off, not entirely sure what she would do. “If you don’t know how much I care about you you’re an idiot.” She softened as she watched Honoka’s features crumble with grief. “I hate seeing you hurting. I hate feeling how much you hurt.”  
  
“I hate all of this.” Honoka’s voice was thick with emotion. “I hate how messed up everything is. You and Eli, Kotori-chan…I hate that you’re not my Nozomi-chan. It doesn’t matter how close you think we are, you never will be. My friends were precious to me, they can’t just be replaced with…with…”  
  
“What?” Nozomi asked when Honoka trailed off. “Go on, you can say it. I don’t care how much you try to hurt me, I’m not going anywhere. I’m here with you and that’s where I’m staying. I love…mmph!” Her eyes widened as Honoka slapped a hand over her mouth, her eyes glinting dangerously.   
  
“Don’t say that to me. Don’t ever say that to me.” Future Honoka slowly let go of Nozomi, lowering her hands back to her side. She watched as tears slid free from Nozomi’s eyes, her gut wrenching uncomfortably.   
  
“Why not? You’re my friend and I lo-”  
  
Honoka lurched forward, kissing Nozomi hard and the girl fell silent. Honoka didn’t pull away right away though, she held Nozomi close to her, feeling her respond hesitantly to the rough kiss. Their teeth clashed uncomfortably and Honoka took it upon herself to deepen the kiss, feeling Nozomi’s hands wander over her back. As she pressed closer, pushing her tongue past parted lips she heard a soft, almost indistinct moan from the third year. She quickly pulled away, startled by the sound.   
  
“Shit.” Honoka broke away and fled the room, tears blurring her vision. She need air, quickly. She took the stairs two at a time and hastened through to the back doors. She burst out into the spacious back yard and took several gulps of air. She was an idiot. Such an idiot. She paced back and forth, her hands in her hair. She had betrayed Kotori yet again. It seemed like she was constantly doing that now.   
  
She lowered her hands, staring at the place her engagement ring used to be. She couldn’t stand it, she just wanted to be with Kotori again but that would never happen. She’d ruined any hope of a future with her now.   
  
Hearing footsteps behind her, she turned quickly though she could barely see through tears. She hurriedly wiped them away but by the time she could see the young woman who’d been approaching was already in front of her. Reacting purely on instinct, Honoka grabbed her arm and twisted it behind her back, forcing her to her knees.   
  
“Who the hell…?” Her vision swam, her head aching suddenly. Her entire body felt heavy and soon enough her knees gave out beneath her. “The hell…” She collapsed to the ground despite her best efforts to stay upright. The last thing she saw before everything turned black was the girl getting to her feet.   
  
—-  
  
Future Honoka woke to a pounding head and the feeling of an arm draped over her waist. She jolted into a sitting position, her eyes wide with alarm as the memory of what had happened washed over her. She didn’t know who that girl was. Her brow furrowed when she found herself not in one of the rooms at Kotori’s house but in a different room, a familiar one at that.   
  
“Honoka-chan, it’s too early…”  
  
Honoka felt someone shift next to her and a moment later a head came to rest in her lap. She looked down, finding familiar ashen hair. “K-Kotori-chan?”  
  
“Mmm?” Kotori yawned softly and forced her eyes open, looking up at Honoka. “Let’s sleep for another hour. It’s not even light out yet…”  
  
Kotori’s hair was shorter than when she was younger. It only came to shoulder length so she didn’t bother to tie it up anymore unless she was on a mission of some sorts. Even then she only ever put it up into a loose ponytail.   
  
Honoka reached out to touch Kotori’s shorter hair, her chest tight. She paused at the sight of the ring on her finger. Her engagement ring. “Oh my god…”  
  
“What’s wrong?” Kotori took Honoka’s hand in both of her own, seemingly much more alert now. “You look like you’ve seen a ghost, Honoka-chan.”


	26. Chapter 26

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Second part of today's double chapter post. 
> 
> Warning for angst and violence.

“This can’t be real, this can’t be real…” Future Honoka muttered under her breath as she paced back and forth, her hands securely in her hair. She was painfully aware of Kotori sitting on the bed, watching her in concern. Her Kotori. Not the Kotori she had grown accustomed to again over the past few months. “How is this happening?”  
  
“Honoka-chan, just sit down for a minute.” Kotori, on her knees on the bed, pleaded as she continue to watch Honoka pacing in front of her. “What’s going on? Did you have a nightmare or something?”  
  
It wouldn’t have been the first time Honoka had woken up, dazed, after a nightmare she’d had.   
  
Honoka’s grip on her hair tightened to the point of pain as she tried to remember exactly what had happened before she’d woken up. She’d argued with Nozomi, she remembered that clearly, if only for the hurt look on the third year’s face. After that, she didn’t know. She couldn’t think clearly. Not with Kotori so closeby, sitting on the bed as if it were just another day.  “This can’t be real. You’re dead. I saw you die, I know I did.”  
  
“Honoka-chan.”

Honoka flinched when she felt gentle hands on her arms. She looked up, finding Kotori standing in front of her, a worried look on her face. Her stomach sank. She’d always hated worrying Kotori and yet she always managed to do it. “I-I don’t understand, Kotori-chan…how are you…alive?”

  
Kotori’s brow furrowed though she seemed to understand now. “You’re having those dreams again.” She gently drew Honoka into her arms, embracing her tightly. “They’re not real, Honoka-chan. We’re not going anywhere.”  
  
“Dreams?” Honoka whimpered, burying her nose in the long shirt Kotori was wearing. It smelled like her, just like she remembered. “N-No, it’s real. I remember…”  
  
Kotori sighed softly and ran her hand over Honoka’s head. “Do you want me to get Eli-chan?” She knew that when Honoka got lost in her nightmares there were very few ways to ground her. Eli was one of those ways. The only guaranteed way of making Honoka feel safe after those nightmares if she was honest. Even she couldn’t help Honoka when it got really bad.   
  
“E-Eli-senpai?” Honoka shook her head urgently, much to Kotori’s evident surprise. “N-No, I don’t…I just need to wake up. I need to wake up…” She tried to pull away but Kotori kept her from doing so. She buried her nose in Kotori’s neck and inhaled slowly, trying to calm herself. There was no doubt about it, this was her Kotori, not the Kotori she’d gotten used to seeing.   
  
“You’re really real?” Honoka pulled back, her eyes glistening with tears as she cupped Kotori’s face in her hands. Kotori’s skin was warm under her touch and she was looking back at her with genuine confusion. It didn’t make sense that Kotori could be there with her but Honoka couldn’t bring herself to care. She laughed tearfully and kissed Kotori hard, basking in the familiar feeling of her girlfriend kissing her back. When she pulled back, she was vaguely aware of tears sliding down her cheeks but she couldn’t bring herself to care. “I-I don’t understand though. How are you here? H-How am I back here?”  
  
Bewildered, Kotori merely frowned at Honoka in confusion. “I don’t know what you mean. Why wouldn’t I be here?”  
  
“Because you’re…I mean…” Honoka shook her head in confusion but she was saved from answering by the door flying open. She looked toward it in time to see Eli and Nozomi stumble into the room, the former groggy and half-dressed. “Eli-senpai!”  
  
“Hmm?” Eli barely had time to register the fact that Honoka was rushing toward her before the girl’s body collided with her own, strong arms going around her. “Huh? What did I do to deserve this?” She hugged Honoka back readily despite not knowing what was happening.   
  
“N-Nothing, you’re just…you’re here.” Honoka said tearfully. “You’re here and…and I love you so much and…”  
  
Maybe it had just been a bad dream, she let herself think for a moment. It wouldn’t have been the first time that she’d had such dreams concerning her friends. She’d had them quite often, moreso when she was imprisoned in the camp and after that.   
  
Eli gave a small laugh and pulled back to look into Honoka’s teary eyes. “What’s this all about? You hardly ever tell me that.”  
  
It went without saying, that Honoka loved her just as she did Honoka. They didn’t need to constantly hear it to know.   
  
Kotori pouted behind the two of them, crossing her arms in front of her chest.   
  
“If you’re not careful I might get jealous.” Nozomi joked, drawing Honoka’s attention toward her.   
  
Honoka froze as her eyes met Nozomi’s. She had longed for the day when she would see her again - when she would see all of them again - but she couldn’t help but think of a different Nozomi too. Her heart wrenched as she remembered her parting words to her. That there was nothing between them. It wasn’t true. Nozomi was her best friend back there. She’d always been there for her even when she’d tried to push her away.   
  
“Honoka?” Nozomi waved a hand in front of Honoka’s face, confused by her staring. She was even more confused by the subtle tremble of Honoka’s lower lip. Like she was about to burst into tears all over again. “Hey, I was just joking, you know.” She moved close, hugging Honoka from the other side so the girl was sandwiched between herself and Eli.   
  
Kotori shifted uncomfortably behind them. She didn’t mind that Honoka was close to Eli and Nozomi but sometimes she couldn’t help but feel a little bit jealous of the closeness they shared. Noticing Honoka reach out a hand to her, she slowly made her way over, sliding her hand into the one outstretched to her. She released a squeak of surprise when she was pulled into a tight embrace. She grumbled a protest but melted into it.   
  
“I love all of you.” Honoka’s voice was still clogged with tears. “And Maki-chan and Nico-chan and Umi-chan and Rin-ch-”  
  
“Wait.” Eli pulled away suddenly, fixing Honoka with a shocked, bordering on angry look. “Why the hell would you care about Umi after what she did to you?”  
  
Honoka shifted uncomfortably. “Umi-chan has her reasons. She was…”  
  
“Trying to kill you! You hate her, you told me so yourself!” Eli exclaimed loudly. “You have no reason to forgive her, nevermind love her after the crap she pulled!”  
  
“She did it to protect me. And herself. She knew the consequences if she went against her mother so she did what she had to do.” Honoka mumbled. It still hurt and she still felt betrayed but she understood to some degree. “She…”  
  
“She destroyed you!” Eli was practically shouting, her hands clenched into fists at her sides. “Don’t stand there and defend her to me after what she did. I was there through it all, remember?”  
  
“Elichi, calm down.” Nozomi said firmly, reaching out to place a hand on Eli’s arm. She was just as confused as Eli about Honoka’s change of heart but she knew that yelling wasn’t going to help at all. “This isn’t helping.”  
  
Honoka averted her eyes for a moment. She shouldn’t have been surprised that Eli was angry. She just wanted what was best for her too and she hated Umi almost as much as Future Honoka herself had.   
  
“I’m sorry, Eli-senpai…” Honoka muttered. She felt like a teenager again, like she was being berated for something. She moved closer to Nozomi, her heart thudding rapidly against her chest as she gripped the empath’s sleeve.   
  
Eli softened at the response but she didn’t know what else to say. Instead she watched as Honoka seemed to shrink further against Nozomi. It wasn’t all that unusual, to see Honoka seek out Nozomi for comfort but the way she was doing it seemed different. Like it was second nature, like she used to with her. Even Nozomi seemed a little bit surprised, but pleasantly so.   
  
“Honoka, come here.” Eli relented, her shoulders slumping in defeat. She didn’t know what was wrong with Honoka but she would figure it out. It came as a relief when it didn’t take Honoka more than a few seconds of hesitation before she slipped into her arms. “Just promise me you won’t go after her. I couldn’t stand to see you hurt again. Not like last time.”  
  
“I-I won’t…” Honoka whispered, doing her best to fight back the lump building in her throat. There was no denying that this was her Eli. Everything about her was real, from her temper when it came to Umi and her habit of being overprotective to the gentle way she was stroking Honoka’s back. It was all real, or at least it felt that way. It felt like she was finally home and yet Honoka couldn’t shake the feeling that something was wrong. Maybe it was just a dream but if she was honest she couldn’t bring herself to care.   
  
She closed her eyes tightly, trying to commit to memory the way it felt to be back in her best friend’s arms. Instead she felt them slip away from her, Eli’s warmth disappearing completely. When she opened her eyes she was somewhere different altogether.   
  
—-  
  
Eli wasn’t sure what to do with her time. She couldn’t leave because she could easily be attacked if she left but at the same time she didn’t have anything to do around the house either. Honoka was busy with Umi now and she was still a bit apprehensive about facing Nozomi. She would, that night, but she had to muster up the courage first.  
  
She settled for wandering back to the garden where she’d spoken to Umi the previous night. It was peaceful there, she remembered, at least as long as she didn’t have to listen to the second year complaining any longer. She understood why Umi felt the need to complain. She was sure she would too if someone was pursuing her girlfriend as relentlessly as she was pursuing Honoka. She felt a twinge of guilt.   
  
She had been lost in her thoughts when she’d stepped out into the garden. So lost in her thoughts that she’d taken at least five steps away from the door before she’d spotted the body lying on the grass. She flinched at the sight, having not expected it but when she recognized the person as Honoka she was spurred into action. She hurried forward, her stomach plummeting. She sank to her knees next to Honoka. She was almost glad it was Future Honoka and not her Honoka but she didn’t let herself think about that too much.   
  
“Honoka.” Eli drew Honoka gently toward her. “Hey, Honoka. Wake up.  _Honoka_!”  
  
“Kotori-chan…” Honoka mumbled in her sleep, a faint smile tugging at her lips.   
  
Eli breathed a sigh of relief. Maybe Honoka had just passed out from exhaustion or something like that. She seemed to just be sleeping.   
  
“Honoka, wake up.” She shook the young woman firmly to wake her but Honoka didn’t even stir. “Come on. You need to get up.” She lightly slapped Honoka’s cheek but again the woman didn’t wake. “ _HONOKA_!”  
  
“Eli-senpai…” Honona muttered, her brow furrowing once again.   
  
“Yeah, it’s me.” Eli lied, brushing her fingers against the cheek she had not too long ago tapped. She felt bad for trying to tear Honoka away from what was obviously a good dream but she was genuinely worried now. “It’s time to wake up, Honoka. Come on. I’m right here, just wake up…”  
  
Honoka showed no signs of waking up and Eli felt her chest growing tighter by the second. She didn’t know how to help her or what to do.  Her panic rising by the second, she shook Honoka’s shoulder, trying to wake her but she didn’t get any response to that either. “What do I do…?” She glanced around the garden as if expecting someone to show up and help but of course nobody did. Nobody knew they were out there. She didn’t want to leave Future Honoka and doubting her own ability to carry the older girl to the house she squeezed her eyes shut.   
  
“Nozomi…” She muttered under her breath, her thoughts flitting to her ex. She’d never found it hard to reach out to her. Nozomi always knew when she was in need though Eli knew that didn’t apply to anyone but her. She didn’t know if it would work now though, with their relationship in shambles. She focused on someone she knew would hear hear instead. “ _Maki, I need help. Honoka needs help. Please…_ ”  
  
Maki was always reliable and always showed up when she was needed so when Eli heard footsteps approaching she didn’t even bother to look up from Honoka. It was only when the footsteps were practically on top of her that she glanced up, ready to plead with Maki to do something to help Honoka. The words died on her lips when she didn’t see Maki but rather someone else, someone who clear meant her harm. The girl’s skin seemed to be oozing some kind of sizzling green liquid. Like acid, Eli supposed as the girl got closer. Her eyes widened at the thought and she quickly threw herself over Honoka, shielding her as the liquid hit her back.   
  
The second it hit her, pain erupted over her skin. It felt like burning, like her own flames usually felt but hot and painful. Her own flames never really hurt her but the acid was agonizing, burning through layers of clothes and skin. Her own screams echoed in her ears as she hovered over Honoka.   
  
“ _Maki_ …”  
  
Over the sounds of her screams she could hear shouting but she couldn’t gather herself long enough to look up at what was happening. It was only when she felt her arm being gently grasped, pulling her away from Honoka that she saw what was actually happening.   
  
Maki was there, facing off against the strange girl who’d attacked her. Kotori was behind her, flicking anxiously in and out of visibility as she watched the fight. What concerned her more was that Nozomi was next to her, a hand resting gently on her arm.   
  
“Nozomi…”   
  
“I’m here. It’s okay, I’m here.” Nozomi’s gaze shifted between Eli’s tear stained face and her back. The acid had burned through her clothes and skin, the burnt tissue bloody and raw. She inhaled slowly through her nose to calm herself but instantly regretted it as the smell of burning flesh caused her to gag. She swallowed against the bile in her throat, her eyes prickling with tears.   
  
“I called for you…” Eli mumbled, her voice slightly slurred as she slumped forward against Nozomi’s chest.   
  
“Elichi?” Nozomi’s voice rose with panic as Eli didn’t move. “ELICHI!”  
  
Maki’s gaze flitted toward Nozomi and Eli, her heart seizing in her chest as she noticed the burns on Eli’ back. They were bad, she could see that from where she was standing. She looked back to the girl in front of her, trying to ignore how much she looked like Nico. It was downright distracting if she was honest.   
  
Setsuna smirked as she watched Maki eyeing her. “So you’re the telepath Tsubasa told me to watch out for?” She couldn’t say she was all that impressed. “Your silly little mind games won’t work with me. I know how to block you.”  
  
Maki gritted her teeth together. She’d known that something was wrong when she hadn’t been able to force her way into the girl’s mind. “I don’t need my ability.” She retorted, moving forward as quickly as she could. She threw a punch that Setsuna easily sidestepped and stumbled from the momentum. She felt a solid kick hit her back and fell to her knees.   
  
“Maki-chan, be careful!” Kotori called anxiously, taking a step closer.   
  
Maki quickly got to her feet. “Stay where you are!” She wished that Kotori had done as she’d asked the first time and stayed in the room, where she would have been safe. She ducked out of the way as a spray of green liquid was thrown toward her. She didn’t have time to retaliate though before Setsuna was right in front of her, one hand grabbing a handful of her hair while the other was pressed to her eyes.   
  
The pain was instantaneous and stronger than anything Maki had ever felt. It felt like her eyes were on fire.   
  
Both Nozomi and Kotori cringed at Maki’s sudden screams, the former trying to block out the sudden pain she felt from the first year. It was bad enough having to feel Eli’s pain.   
  
Setsuna shoved Maki away from her, a loud laugh passing her lips as the telepath she’d heard so much about fell to the ground, her hands covering her face. “So this is the great Nishikino Maki…how disappointing.”  
  
“Maki-chan!” Kotori fell to her knees next to Maki, grasping her arms and pulling her hands away from her eyes. Her eyes and the skin surrounding them was red and swollen. “Open your eyes, Maki-chan.”  
  
Maki tried to open her eyes but when she did it only hurt more. “I-I can’t, it hurts…” She tried again though, grasping at Kotori to ground herself. “I can’t…I can’t see…”  
  
“Oh my god…” Kotori stared at Maki’s barely open eyes in disbelief. They were lighter than usual, her pupils blown large and unfocused.   
  
Nozomi struggled to focus as Kotori’s anger hit her suddenly, the force of it causing her to gasp in surprise. She hadn’t expected it, though she supposed it made sense. Hearing footsteps approach, she looked up and found Setsuna walking toward her, a smirk playing at her lips.   
  
Setsuna couldn’t help but feel amused at the pure fury on Nozomi’s face. “She shouldn’t have gotten in my way. And neither should you if you know what’s good for you.” She reached for Eli only to have Nozomi slap her hand away.   
  
“Don’t fucking touch her again.” Nozomi carefully lay Eli on the ground, on her front, making sure to keep her eyes on Setsuna. She could feel Kotori’s anger, mixed with her own, the feeling overwhelming in it’s intensity. She glanced briefly to Kotori, noticing that she’d drawn Maki into her lap, holding the sobbing redhead close to her.   
  
Nozomi reached past Eli, taking Honoka’s knife from her belt and getting to her feet. She stalked toward Setsuna, her anger growing with every step she took toward her. “We didn’t do anything to you.” She growled angrily. “Elichi, Honoka-chan and Maki-chan didn’t do anything to you!”  
  
“I’m just following orders, Tojo. You know how that is, don’t you?” Setsuna asked cockily though she was visibly unnerved by Nozomi approaching her. “You can’t do anything to me. You don’t feel anything from me, do you? That’s because I don’t feel anything either. Maybe I’ll feel some satisfaction when I kill the blonde though. And taking one of the telepath’s sense was pretty fun too…”  
  
Nozomi’s grip on the knife tightened.   
  
“Shut up!” Kotori snapped, gently cradling Maki’s head to her shoulder. “I’ll…I’ll kill you for hurting Maki-chan!”  
  
Nozomi was sure she’d never felt so much anger toward another person before. She couldn’t think past her own anger combined with Kotori’s. The motionless forms of Eli and Honoka coupled with Maki’s soft sobbing wasn’t helping at all. In fact she was getting angrier by the second. She lashed out with the knife but Setsuna dodged the slash easily by leaning back.   
  
Setsuna grabbed Nozomi by the sleeve but the empath pulled away from her, her sleeve disintegrating in wake of Setsuna’s touch. Nozomi didn’t hesitate to go after her again though, her anger blinding her.   
  
Setsuna was about to point out that she could easily dodge every one of Nozomi’s slow attacks but when her gaze met the other girl’s she stopped short, gasping as pain overwhelmed her. It wasn’t her own pain though, it was Maki’s and Eli’s. Even Future Honoka’s.   
  
Nozomi grabbed Setsuna’s shoulder and thrust the knife in her hand forward, feeling it slide through flesh.   
  
“Nozomi, don’t!” Yume’s horrified voice rang out around the garden as she, Honoka, Umi and Rei appeared.   
  
It was too late. Nozomi could already feel her hand being coated with blood. She shoved Setsuna away from her, breathing heavily.   
  
“Eli-senpai!” Honoka rushed to Eli, falling to her knees next to her. She didn’t know what to do though, her hands hovering over her friend’s badly burnt back. “E-Eli-senpai?” She leaned down, brushing Eli’s hair away from her face but the blonde didn’t open her eyes. She didn’t even stir. Tentatively, she reached out to Eli’s back only to feel a hand on her arm, stopping her.   
  
“Don’t touch her.” Umi said sharply though she quickly softened at the shocked look on Honoka’s face. “You might make it worse or hurt yourself.”  
  
Honoka gave a shaky nod and turned back to Eli, allowing her hand to drift to the blonde’s cheek instead. “You’ll be okay, Eli-senpai…” She whispered, the corners of her eyes prickling with tears. She should have known that something was wrong but hadn’t realized until Maki had started screaming.    
  
She drew her gaze away from Eli for a moment, her eyes darting around the garden. Rei had made her way over to Maki whose head was resting in Kotori’s lap as her mother healed her eyes. Slowly, Rei lowered her hand and told Maki to open her eyes. Honoka watched as the redhead opened her eyes though she couldn’t really see Maki from where she was sitting. She didn’t miss Rei’s reaction though as the older woman’s eyes widened and she stumbled back a bit, her hand going to her mouth.   
  
On the contrary, Kotori looked numb, tears streaking their way silently down her cheeks.   
  
Honoka watched with a lump in her throat as Maki blindly reached up, her hand seeking out Kotori. The ashen haired girl grasped the hand seeking her out, pressing it to her cheek.   
  
“You’re crying.” Maki’s voice sounded shaky and choked with emotion. “I-I can’t see, Koto-nee. Mama, I can’t see…”  
  
Kotori barely managed to bite back a sob as she held Maki’s hand close to her. She couldn’t bring herself to say anything.   
  
“Koto-nee?” Maki called out, fear seeping into her voice when Kotori didn’t answer her.   
  
Next to them, Yume crouched down behind Rei, her hand going to the other woman’s shoulder.   
  
“Yume?”  
  
“I’m here.” Yume soothed, troubled by the emotional tone of Rei’s voice. “I’m right here.”  
  
“I-I can’t heal her…I can’t heal her eyes, my ability doesn’t go beyond healing flesh wounds.” Rei stared at her daughter, watching as she desperately grasped at the silent girl holding her. She couldn’t see anything. Still, the usually vibrant color of her eyes was duller than usual. She wasn’t focusing either.   
  
Umi reluctantly left Honoka’s side, making her way over to Nozomi who was staring down at the knife in her hand. She didn’t look as horrified as Umi had thought she would. In fact she just looked furious and hurt, tears streaking their way down her cheeks.   
  
“Nozomi.” Umi carefully took the knife, tossing it down on the ground next to Setsuna’s body. Nozomi wasn’t looking at her so she intentionally put herself in the older girl’s line of sight. “Hey. Eli is fine. She’s alive, you know?”  
  
“She hurt Elichi.” Nozomi said, finally meeting Umi’s eyes. Her anger seemed to leave her in an instant, replaced with desperation instead. She gripped Umi’s arms. “She wouldn’t have stopped until she’d killed her. All of them. A-And she did something to Honoka. And Maki-chan can’t see…”  
  
Umi looked toward Honoka, watching her awkwardly drawing Eli’s torso into her lap, keeping her on her side so as not to hurt her further. She looked angry but not as angry as Kotori did. Umi was sure she’d never seen her best friend look so furious.   
  
Honoka felt Eli stir in her lap and look down in time to see Eli’s eyes open slowly. “Eli-senpai!”  
  
“I couldn’t let her hurt you. Even your future self…” Eli muttered weakly before the pain in her back seemed to hit her all at once. She tensed up, crying out in pain.   
  
“Senpai…” Honoka leaned down slightly, concern on her face but then hands were hurriedly pushing her away. “No, wait…what…” She looked up, pausing when she found Nozomi in front of her. “Nozomi-chan…”  
  
Nozomi placed her hands on Eli’s arm and focused intently on her ex-girlfriend’s pain, trying to take it from her. Honoka moving to keep hold of Eli jostled her though, breaking her concentration and she looked up sharply. “Stop moving her!”  
  
“I’m not!” Honoka growled, despite drawing Eli closer to her as she spoke.   
  
“Damn it, Honoka!” Nozomi’s voice rose in exasperation though she wasn’t really angry with the girl in front of her, she was just worried about Eli. “You need to let go of her so I can see what I’m doing!”  
  
“No, I won’t! I’m…” Honoka gasped as she felt arms hook around her own, drawing them away from Eli and keeping them behind her back. She tilted her head back to see who was holding her. “U-Umi-chan, why…”

“I’m sorry but you need to let Nozomi help her.” Umi said softly, resting her chin atop Honoka’s shoulder.   
  
“Honoka…” Eli groaned in pain, her hand gripping Honoka’s leg tightly as she tried to think past how much her back was burning.   
  
“I’m still here, Eli-senpai. It’s…” Honoka’s voice broke as she felt tears soak into her pants. “You’re going to be okay…” She looked up at Nozomi, silently pleading with her to do something but the empath was already focusing on drawing Eli’s pain into herself. It seemed like she was succeeding as she’d started to grit her teeth in pain.   
  
“We need to get them inside.” Rei’s voice was suddenly steady as she stood up from the ground. “In case anyone else comes. Yume, could you deal with…?” She motioned toward Setsuna’s body and Yume nodded solemnly.   
  
“Come on, Maki-chan.” Kotori tried to get up but Maki wouldn’t let her, the arms around Kotori’s neck tightening instead. Kotori’s heart wrenched in her chest. She remembered when Maki used to cling to her as a child when she was afraid. Usually she would find it cute but not given the circumstances. “I’m not leaving you, I promise.”  
  
“Koto-nee, I can’t see you.” Maki’s fingers dug into Kotori’s shoulder as the second year, with a great deal of effort, hauled them both to their feet.   
  
“I know.” Kotori soothingly rubbed Maki’s back. “Just keep your arms around me and I’ll keep talking so you know I’m here. Come on.”  
  
Yume watched with a small smile as Kotori led Maki toward the house though it didn’t take long for her expression to change to troubled as she looked to Rei. She could tell her friend was barely holding herself together as she tried to heal Eli. She hovered nearby and watched as Rei gently swatted Nozomi out of the way, telling the three teenagers to go inside and that she’d take care of Eli and Future Honoka.   
  
Predictably Honoka and Nozomi put up an argument but it didn’t take long for them to give in.   
  
—  
  
“Who just has an infirmary in their house?” Umi exclaimed, glancing around the spacious room. It wasn’t exactly an infirmary but it was large enough to be. There were three beds in the room, only two of which were occupied, and there was no shortage of medical equipment.   
  
“Doesn’t your estate have one, Umi-chan?” Honoka asked tiredly as she stroked the back of Eli’s hand.   
  
“No! Not even we have one of these. I mean…not that I’m saying my family is…well, you know what I mean.” Umi said, slightly flustered. “I just don’t understand why Kotori’s mom has one. If anyone was going to have an infirmary in their house I’d have thought it would be Maki…”  
  
The room fell silent at the mention of Maki’s name. Nozomi, who had been alternating between sitting by Eli and sitting by Future Honoka, looked up from her position next to the time traveller. “Where is she?”  
  
“She’s with Kotori-chan.” Honoka answered softly. “She wouldn’t let go of her. Well neither of them would, I guess.” She nervously bit down on her lower lip. “Maki-chan is blind now…what will she do?”  
  
“Her mom said she couldn’t do anything.” Nozomi whispered, her gaze fixed on Honoka’s face. She almost looked like she was sleeping but she obviously wasn’t.   
  
“She can’t be like that forever though, right?” Honoka turned to Umi, her eyes wide and fearful. “Maki-chan will get her sight back, won’t she? She can’t be a doctor if she can’t see, Umi-chan!”  
  
“Honoka.” Umi walked over to Honoka and leaned down, gently wrapping her arms around her from behind. “It’s going to be okay. We’ll figure something out, I promise. Don’t worry.”  
  
Honoka shook her head in response. “It’s not fair! She’s younger than all of us and we’ve just…we’re supposed to be her senpais and we’ve failed her. And Rin-chan and Hanayo-chan too. We don’t even know where they are. I-I’m meant to protect them. All of you and I can’t even…”  
  
“Honoka, shut up.”   
  
Honoka looked up sharply, finding Eli staring at her through half opened eyes. She was lying face down but she’d turned her head to look at her. Honoka couldn’t do anything but stare. Eli had passed out again before she’d been brought inside. Rei had said she wouldn’t be waking up for a while.   
  
“How many…times do I have to tell you not to blame yourself?” Eli spoke raspily, her grip on Honoka’s hand tightening. “Not everything is your fault…”  
  
“You got hurt because of me too…” Honoka shook her head, stray tears forcing their way from her eyes thanks to the movement. She looked at Eli’s back, at the closed up wounds. Rei had only been able to close the wounds rather than heal her fully so it would scar, most likely.   
  
“Come down here.” Eli patted the pillow next to her and Honoka tentatively lay down, breaking away from Umi in the process. She flinched slightly when Eli’s hand came to rest on her head though she wasn’t sure why. It wasn’t as though Eli would hurt her. On the contrary the blonde merely began to stroke her hair. “It’s nobody’s fault that I got hurt. Especially not yours.”  
  
Umi sat down next to Honoka, her hand coming to rest gently on her girlfriend’s back. Trying to focus on something other than Eli’s interaction with Honoka, she looked toward Nozomi and found her gently placing a fresh washcloth on Future Honoka’s forehead. It didn’t escape her notice that Nozomi was still keeping a close eye on Eli though.   
  
“Eli-senpai…” Future Honoka groaned out in her sleep, her brow furrowed. “Kotori-chan…”  
  
“I think she’s talking about hers.” Honoka said softly as Eli tensed. “I wonder what’s going on in her head right now…” She wasn’t sure what was happening with her future self. None of them were.   
  
“What’s wrong with her, Nozomi?” Eli shifted, pushing herself up on her elbows with a wince of pain. Her back still hurt but not as badly as it had earlier.   
  
“We don’t know. Nobody does, she just won’t wake up.” Nozomi said quietly as she stared down at Honoka. The young woman’s cheek was still red from earlier. “We fought earlier and…I hit her. I didn’t know… maybe she wouldn’t have been out there if I hadn’t pushed.”  
  
“Nozomi.”  
  
Nozomi looked up from Honoka and through misty eyes saw Eli reach out to her. She went to her without hesitation, clutching her hand in both of her own.   
—-  
  
Kotori held her breath as Maki’s fingers roamed over her face, over her cheeks and her brow then down again until soft fingers slid against recently dampened lips. Maki’s brow was knitted in concentration. Her eyes were open but unfocused, her usually bright violet eyes now a dull lavender.   
  
“Koto-nee?”  
  
“I’m still here.” Kotori whispered though she doubted Maki could think that she’d left her. “I’m not going anywhere without you.”  
  
A faint smile appeared on Maki’s lips, for just a second. “I want to see you again. I can’t even picture you with my ability. I wish…” She trailed off, her bottom lip trembling. “I’m going to be stuck like this, aren’t I? What if…what if I forget what you look like?”  
  
“You won’t. I know you won’t.” Kotori’s voice trembled slightly despite the confidence she tried to force into her words. “Tell me. What I look like. I know you can do it. Come on, Maki-chan…”  
  
Maki swallowed thickly and tried to muster up a mental image of Kotori. It wasn’t difficult to do. “You have ashen brown hair…you wear it up in a bun at the side. You have since you were young. Since you became friends with Honoka and Umi but before then it was always down.”  
  
“Honoka and I decided together. She thought it looked cool.” Kotori said softly, her fingers drifting over the hand on her cheek. “Go on.”  
  
“You have amber eyes. Almost gold when the light shines on you but even when it doesn’t they’re still the color of honey.” Maki continued quietly, recalling shimmering amber eyes staring back at her. “I-I’ve always loved your eyes.”  
  
Kotori opened and closed her mouth a couple of times but she didn’t know what to say. She wanted to tell Maki that she loved hers just as much but she worried that it would only hurt the redhead.  
  
Maki inhaled slowly, drawing Kotori’s attention back to her. “You smell like cookies. And fabric softener.” A smile graced her lips. “Do you remember when I used to stay over at your house when my parents were working? Your mom would always give me cookies even though she knew I wasn’t really allowed sweets…”  
  
“Yeah.” Kotori murmured, taking Maki’s free hand. She led it up to her chest, pressing it there firmly. “I would have killed her myself you know…if Nozomi-chan hadn’t. I was so angry with her for what she was saying about you and…what she did. I think my anger affected Nozomi-chan and that’s why she killed that girl.”  
  
Maki wasn’t sure what to say to that so she settled for staying silent, focusing on the unsteady beating of Kotori’s heart beneath the palm of her her hand. “Hey…” She clenched Kotori’s shirt in her hand. “I know what I said about…us when we talked but you don’t have to be with me like this. I mean…I don’t want you to think you have to be just because I’m like this now. I know you still have feelings for Honoka. I’m not going to get in the way of that, especially now.”  
  
Kotori’s eyes widened at the defeated comment. “What are you talking about?!” She raised her voice to a normal volume for the first time in a while and Maki flinched. Quickly, Kotori lowered her voice back to a whisper. “Of course I want to be with you. I wouldn’t say it if I didn’t mean it and I would never be with you out of pity.” She leaned down, pressing a gentle kiss to Maki’s lips. “I’ve already told you that I love you. Don’t you believe me?”  
  
Maki closed her eyes tightly, a choked sob escaping her. “I want to see you.” Her grip on Kotori’s shirt tightened and she pulled her down closer. “I just want to see you…”  
  
“I know.” Kotori got as close as she could, gently stroking Maki’s cheek with her fingers. “We’re going to get through this. I’m not going anywhere and we’ll figure this out. And you still have everyone else too. Honoka-chan and Nico-chan and…”  
  
“Kiss me again.” Maki drew Kotori back to her and leaned up, seeking out her lips.   
  
Kotori moved to accommodate Maki’s sudden movement, positioning herself so Maki could reach her. Her fingers slid into deep red hair and she leaned down, kissing Maki deeply.   
  
Maki’s hand was still gripping Kotori’s shirt and she wrapped her other arm around the other girl’s neck to keep her close as she kissed her back. She whimpered as Kotori’s tongue brushed against her bottom lip. Tentatively, she parted her own lips, allowing Kotori to deepen the kiss. It was intense, somehow much more intense than their usual kisses but it didn’t last long as Kotori pulled away after a few seconds.   
  
“Get some sleep, Maki-chan.” Kotori whispered, kissing Maki’s forehead. “You look tired.” She noticed Maki looked reluctant. “What is it?”  
  
“When I wake up everything’s still going to be dark.” Maki admitted in a small voice. “You’ll stay with me, won’t you? When I wake up and I can’t see…” She shuddered at the thought of that moment.   
  
Kotori was glad Maki couldn’t see her as she felt her eyes growing damp. She made a small sound of agreement instead. It wasn’t much but it seemed as though it was enough to reassure Maki who moved to lay her head in Kotori’s lap again.   
  
—  
 _  
Future Honoka’s chest seized with panic as she found herself staring at a familiar ceiling. One she’d had to spend hours upon hours staring at so as not to see what the doctor’s surrounding her were doing.  
  
She struggled against the restraints binding her, her heart pounding frantically in her chest. A moment ago she’d been securely in Eli’s embrace. To go from that to where she was now was unthinkable. After a few minutes, she settled, her breathing heavy. Over the sound of her own gasps for air, she heard a door open across the room and looked in that direction. The doctor’s face was covered by a mask but that didn’t mean she didn’t recognize him.  
  
“No…no…” Future Honoka struggled despite her weary limbs as the doctor got closer to her, brandishing a needle in his hand. He’d done this many times, usually ending in hours of physical and mental torture as he pushed her pain threshold to it’s limit. “ELI-SENPAI!”_  
  
Nozomi had almost been dozing off when Future Honoka had began to struggle, the hand she’d been holding onto wrenching from her own. She leaned back just in time to avoid being hit in the face by Honoka’s flailing arm.   
  
“Honoka?!”  
  
The bedside table wasn’t as lucky as she had been as Honoka’s hand struck it with surprising force for someone who was asleep. Nozomi was more concerned about how much it would hurt Honoka though. Hurriedly she scrambled onto the bed, grasping for Honoka’s hands in an attempt to pin them down.   
  
“Nozomi, be careful!” Eli exclaimed from her position on the bed. She winced as she tried to push herself to her knees.   
  
Nozomi was too focused to pay any attention to what Eli was saying. She managed to pin Honoka’s left hand to the bed but she was a bit too slow for the right and received a hit to the head for her troubles. She barely felt it though the way the room spun in the wake of it told her she would be feeling it later. She supposed she should be grateful that it wasn’t really a punch.   
  
“Don’t touch me! DON’T…ELI-SENPAI!”  
  
Nozomi was distracted for a second by the sight of tears on Future Honoka’s cheeks. Her chest tightened in response. The moment of distraction was just enough for Future Honoka to hit her again, this time in the jaw. It hurt more than the last time and Nozomi felt her own eyes watering too.   
  
“Damn it…”Seeing no other option, she straddled Future Honoka’s waist, seizing her other hand and pinned it firmly to the bed at the side of her head. She tasted blood in her mouth but she could hardly bring herself to care.   
  
Out of the corner of her eye she could see Eli struggling to get up to help her though both Honoka and Umi were keeping her on the bed. Usually she would have been touched by the gesture but she was too busy with what she was doing.   
  
“Senpai, calm down!” It was a struggle to keep the flailing girl held down on the bed and Nozomi was forced to lean down, holding Honoka still with her body. “Elichi is right here with you. We’re not going to let anyone hurt you, I swear.”  
  
A choked sob escaped Honoka as she continued to struggle. “Eli-senpai, Nozomi-chan…” Tears slid free from her eyes, streaming down her cheeks. “Umi-chan…please save me.”  
  
 _As the doctor leaned over her, preparing to slide the needle under her skin, tears gathered in the corners of her eyes. He’d always carried the scent of old cigarettes on his breath and clothes though sometimes it was overshadowed by the stench of alcohol.  
  
She squeezed her eyes shut as she always did, trying to put herself into a place where she’d mentally be prepared for the pain. She’d learned from experience that at times like this it didn’t help to picture the people she loved in a positive light. Thinking of Kotori, Eli, Nozomi and the others would only make her feel worse. She thought of Yukiho instead, of Arisa and everyone else who’d died because of her. If she managed to force herself into thinking she deserved the pain it was easier to tolerate. She did deserve it, at least for Arisa. _  
  
Nozomi pressed her forehead to Honoka’s, struggling to keep her own tears at bay. “I’ve got you.” She whispered, feeling Honoka’s grip on her hands tighten. “I’m right here. Just please wake up.”  
  
 _She braced herself for the feeling of the needle piercing her skin but it never came. Instead she heard the door being flung open and footsteps approaching rapidly.  
  
“What…?”   
  
She heard the doctor start to cry out but he was silenced just as quickly. Honoka opened her eyes in time to see him slump to the floor. What caught her attention though was the young woman standing in front of her. Much like Kotori, Umi had chosen to cut her hair. It was shorter than it had been in the past, reaching shoulder length.   
  
“Umi-chan…”  
  
Umi’s eyes widened briefly as Honoka said her name without any hint of contempt. It had been a long time since she’d said her name so softly. “I’m here.” She slid her blood coated katana back into it’s sheath and reached forward, gently stroking Honoka’s hair. She swallowed thickly as Honoka closed her eyes and turned into the touch. “I’m…” She was cut off by the sudden blare of alarms. Others would be coming soon. Quickly, she set to unstrapping Honoka from her binds.   
  
“Umi-chan, I’m sorry.” Honoka’s voice caused Umi to pause for a moment, looking up. “I know why you’re doing this. I know the truth.” She reached out, grabbing Umi’s hand. “Come back with me. I can protect you.”  
  
Umi stared at Honoka, perplexed by her response. “You know I can’t do that. Even if I could come back Eli hates me after what I did. They all do.”  
  
“I don’t care, I just want you back!” Honoka exclaimed loudly. “Please, Umi-chan…”_  
  
Future Honoka had finally fallen still though she was still restless even beneath Nozomi. “Umi-chan…” She whimpered softly. “I’m sorry…come back.”  
  
Nozomi gently shushed Future Honoka, trying to soothe her as best she could. It wouldn’t be the first time she’d had to reassure Honoka when she was in the throes of a nightmare and she was sure it wouldn’t be the last.   
  
“I just want you back…please.”  
  
Nozomi looked up when someone approached her, expecting to see Eli but instead found Umi approaching.   
  
“It’s okay.” Umi knelt down next to the bed. She reached out, gently stroking Future Honoka’s hair. “I’m here, Honoka. I’m right here.”  
  
“They’re good with her….with you.” Eli murmured, her gaze fixed on Nozomi and Umi as they worked to calm Future Honoka down.   
  
“I’m not her.” Honoka responded automatically though she didn’t sound especially angry about Eli’s comment.  She felt Eli draw her close to her, having managed to push herself into a sitting position. Automatically, she leaned into the older girl’s warmth. It annoyed her somewhat, to see Umi acting in such a way with her future self but she supposed that was just because she didn’t especially like the older version of herself. “I don’t want to be her.”  
  
“Good.” Eli whispered, her arms going around Honoka from behind. She wanted to get up and help but she knew that Honoka wouldn’t let her. “I don’t want you to be either.”  
  
 _“Let’s just focus on getting out of here. If…” Umi hesitantly looked over her shoulder as if expecting someone to burst into the room. “I’ll come back with you. If you’re sure you want me to. But you know Eli’s just going to try to kill me again the next time she sees me…”  
  
“I won’t let her.” The last strap fell away and Honoka stumbled to her feet, throwing her arms around Umi.   
  
Umi tensed for a split second, half expecting Honoka to attack her but she slowly relaxed into the embrace. Her eyes prickled with tears as she let herself melt into Honoka’s warmth. She’d thought she would never get to do this again.   
  
“I just wanted you to be safe. From me and everyone else.” She said, squeezing Honoka tightly. She would never have killed her, even if it had seemed like she was ready to at times. “Even if you hated me for it…”  
  
Honoka shook her head in response, unable to speak. She had hated Umi for what she’d done but that hardly mattered anymore now. She buried her face in Umi’s shoulder, closing her eyes as her own tears threatened again. She wasn’t prepared for everything turning black once more.   
_  
Honoka had fallen still quite some time ago. Now she was just whimpering in her ‘sleep’. That alone had Nozomi staying where she was though now that there wasn’t the same level of urgency she had to admit that even she was a little bit embarrassed about her position atop Honoka. She could feel everyone’s eyes on her, Eli’s most importantly. She didn’t want her to get the wrong idea like she had the previous night but there was little she could do. She didn’t want to risk Future Honoka hurting herself again.   
  
Umi was still kneeling next to the bed too, still gently brushing her fingers through Honoka’s hair while murmuring softly to her, something that nobody else could hear. If Umi wasn’t moving Nozomi didn’t see any reason she should.   
  
She gently adjusted her grip on Honoka’s hands, realizing that at some point she had slid her fingers between the other girl’s so it was less like she was holding her down. As if reacting to the movement, Honoka jerked beneath her, her eyes shooting open.   
  
Nozomi inhaled sharply, having not expected the movement. “Honoka?”  
  
Honoka looked panicked before her eyes focused on Nozomi. “Nozomi…” She mumbled, a tiny smile gracing her lips for just a second before she looked confused again. “What’s happening to me?”  
  
“I…” Nozomi watched as Honoka’s eyes slid shut again. “Honoka! Honoka, wake up! HONOKA!”  
—  
  
Yume quietly slipped into her office, trying to ignore her own rising nausea. She wasn’t surprised to find Rei behind her desk, her gaze fixed on the laptop in front of her.   
  
“What did you do with the body?” Rei briefly took her eyes from the computer screen to look up at Yume. “Whatever it was, I don’t want anyone tracing it back to us.”  
  
“They won’t. I know what I’m doing.” Yume closed the door behind her with a gentle click. “Rei…”  
  
“Your daughter said something about that girl using two kinds of poison.” Rei said without waiting for Yume to continue. “I suppose she must have used one on Future Honoka and the other on…” Her voice cracked and it seemed to take a moment for her to steady herself again. “One seemed to be aimed moreso at causing physical harm. More like an acid than a poison, I assume. The one that hit Honoka…I haven’t figured that out yet. It seems to be a hallucinogen from what she’s muttering in her sleep but I’m not sure why she’s not waking up.”  
  
Yume listened, faintly nodding in response. “You need to get some rest.”  
  
“I’m a doctor, I don’t need sleep. Besides, I have coffee.” Rei answered distractedly. “And I need to research if I want to get Maki’s sight back.”  
  
“Rei, you can’t get her sight back. It’s not possible. If your healing couldn’t bring it back, nothing will.”  
  
“There’s still the immortal girl. She can help, I’m sure of it. As soon as she gets back from her mission with Takashi…”  
  
“Her name is Nico.” Yume replied, trying to keep her voice even.  
  
“I know that.” Rei said with a wave of her hand. “Her blood is valuable. If we could take some of it…”  
  
“Of course. While we’re at it why don’t we keep her under for a while and see exactly what makes her tick?” Yume’s voice was sharp. Sharper than she intended. “If we’re going to treat her like a lab rat anyway we may as well go all out.”  
  
Rei rose from her seat at the desk, suddenly feeling defensive. “You know it’s not like that. We’re not doing it without her consent. If we ask her she’ll agree. She seems to care about Maki quite a bit…”  
  
“I’ve noticed. But that doesn’t mean we’re going to emotionally blackmail a kid into something like this. I can’t let you…”   
  
“MY DAUGHTER IS BLIND!” Rei slammed her hand down on the desk, causing Yume to jump in surprise. “You saw how afraid she is. I’m going to fix this. I don’t care what it takes, I’ll do it. If you get in my way…”  
  
“What? You’ll take me down too?” Yume walked around the desk, gripping Rei’s arms and gave her a desperate shake. “Rei, you need to calm down. You sound like…them. Like Jin. How long ago was it that people thought of you the way you’re thinking about Nico right now?!”  
  
Rei’s eyes widened at the forceful question, realization sinking in. “I have to do something.” She said, her voice thick with emotion. “She’s my baby, I can’t…I can’t stand by and do nothing while she’s…” Her legs seemed to give out from underneath her and she fell to her knees, taking Yume with her. “I don’t know what to do, I can’t help her. She’s been through far too much already…”  
  
“I know.” Yume didn’t know, not really. Rei had mentioned a few times how much Maki had been through but it had never felt right to press her for information. She gently drew the crying woman into a hug, holding her tightly. “I know…”


	27. Chapter 27

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks so much for the comments etc. They really inspire me to keep writing! :)  
> Warning for violence and some sexual scenes.

It was early in the morning, Honoka bit her lip as she meticulously rubbed the ointment on her fingers into the wounds on Eli’s back, doing her best not to hurt her. She’d never been the best at doing things like this but she hadn’t wanted to entrust the task to anyone else either.   
  
“This is embarrassing.” Eli mumbled suddenly, breaking the silence that had settled between them.   
  
“Huh?” Honoka looked up in time to see Eli turn her head slightly toward her. Though she was facing away Honoka could still see the blush tinging her cheeks. “Why?”  
  
“It’s not exactly pretty to look at, is it?” Eli asked sheepishly, her voice low. She’d been glad when Honoka had offered to help her but for Honoka of all people to see her in such a way made it even worse. She hadn’t looked at the scars on her back yet but she could imagine what they looked like just from how much it had hurt. “It must be kind of ugly…”  
  
“Don’t be silly.” Honoka said with a roll of her eyes. “Nothing about you is ugly. I don’t think so anyway, even with…well…” She stumbled over her words, feeling her cheeks burn with embarrassment. “Sorry.”   
  
She went back to what she had been doing, silently cursing herself for not being more reassuring. She knew what she wanted to say but she couldn’t force the words past her lips. Her attention strayed and she accidentally pressed down a bit too roughly on one of the wounds on Eli’s back, causing her to wince and shrink away. “S-Sorry!”

“It’s fine.” Eli said though her voice was clearly pained as she leaned back toward Honoka. “Just keep going.”

Honoka gave a hum of agreement and continued with rubbing the lotion into Eli’s back. For a few minutes they sat in silence until Honoka stopped what she was doing. She wiped her hands on a cloth on the small table next to her, signalling that she was done.   
  
Eli turned toward Honoka, crossing her arms in front of her bra-clad chest. She had intended to cover herself but she hardly managed to do so.   
  
Honoka’s gaze dropped for a couple of moments, resting briefly on Eli’s ample cleavage before she tore her eyes away, swallowing thickly. “Do you ever get jealous?” She asked quietly. “Of how Nozomi-chan is with my future self?”  
  
Eli thought about that for a moment before giving a sheepish shrug of her shoulders. “I get jealous of how close they are, I guess. Nozomi used to be that close to me until I…messed everything up. I suppose I get jealous a lot when I see them together.”  
  
“So do I.” Honoka admitted, her voice low as though somebody might overhear them talking. “I keep thinking…she’s my Nozomi-chan, not hers so why does it seem like she always wants to be with her instead? And you too. When you told me what you’d done with her…”  
  
“I’m sorry.” Eli said solemnly, lowering her eyes. “I didn’t mean to hurt you by doing that. You or her. I just wanted to feel wanted by someone and I knew that she loved me…or her version of me at least. It didn’t seem like Nozomi wanted me. I…you have to understand, I thought that everything she’d told me had been a lie.”  
  
Honoka nodded silently though she wasn’t sure she really understood what Eli was trying to tell her. “Do you wish you hadn’t? Been with me…or her like that I mean? Everything might be okay with you and Nozomi if you hadn’t.”  
  
“I-I do regret it, I guess.” Eli answered sheepishly. She bit her bottom lip for a moment, barely able to make eye contact with Honoka. “It’s not what you think. I regret doing it with her but I-I guess I almost wish it could have been you instead. Not that I’d want to hurt Umi or would have made a move but…” She rubbed at her arms, not because she was cold but more as something to do. As a way to distract herself.   
  
Honoka felt her face heat up in response to Eli’s answer and the tub of ointment slipped from her fingers. Thankfully she had began to screw the lid on so the contents didn’t spill but she rushed to reach the tub anyway. So did Eli at the same time and their fingers brushed. They both flinched away in response. It took a moment but when they finally made eye contact they chuckled sheepishly at their nervousness.   
  
“This is weird.” Eli reached out and gently took Honoka’s hand in her own. Her thumb brushed lazily over the other girl’s fingers. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to embarrass you.”  
  
Honoka looked down briefly at their joined hands. Eli’s were warmer than hers, hot in fact but not unpleasantly so. “I-It’s fine, I’m not embarrassed…”  
  
“Honoka.”  
  
Eli’s voice was soft and close, the words breathed out against Honoka’s forehead. Surprised, Honoka looked up, her breath catching when she noticed just how close Eli was. She felt Eli tug on her hand and a moment later she had fallen forward against the blonde, her lips meeting much warmer ones. She melted into the kiss, feeling Eli’s arm wrap around her waist, pulling her securely into her lap. She stumbled a bit, bracing herself with her hands on Eli’s shoulders.   
  
“Honoka,” Eli muttered reverently against Honoka’s lips as they parted briefly to take a breath. She didn’t give Honoka time to respond before she leaned in again, kissing her deeply. Her hands went to Honoka’s cheeks, holding her firmly to her but they quickly descended again, grasping the hem of her shirt and pulling it up. “Take this off…”  
  
Honoka lifted her arms, allowing Eli to tug her shirt off, discarding it somewhere to the side of them. Eli leaned in to kiss her but Honoka leaned past her, kissing her neck. She scraped her teeth along the sensitive skin there before sucking firmly, drawing a soft moan from the blonde. She felt fingers curl into her hair, pulling her closer. She couldn’t help but feel smug about that.   
  
Eli gasped as Honoka grasped her shoulders, pushing her gently down onto her back. Her arms went around the other girl in turn, holding her tightly to her though Honoka’s actions almost had her convinced that she didn’t have to worry about her running away. Teeth scraped firmly against her shoulder again and this time she hissed, her nails digging into Honoka’s back. It hurt, but not unpleasantly so.   
  
Honoka pulled away briefly only to capture Eli’s lips once more in a hungry kiss the blonde was powerless to resist. Not that she would want to if she had the choice. Her hands roamed over Honoka’s body, down her shoulders and back until she was gripping the back of her thighs to pull her down closer.   
  
“Eli-senpai…” Honoka groaned at the sensation of being pressed firmly against Eli. She pushed down further against her, her grip on her tightening. “Damn you.”  
  
Eli’s eyes flew open as the lips that had been brushing against her own disappeared. “W-What?!”  
  
“You always worry me. You and Umi-chan too, you’re both so reckless!” Honoka berated, her head falling to Eli’s shoulder. “I hate when the two of you get hurt! I hate when everyone else gets hurt too but with the two of you it’s different. I don’t know why.”  
  
Eli was still for a moment, overwhelmed by Honoka’s out burst but finally she raised her arms, gently hugging the girl close to her. “I think I do.” She mumbled, gently rubbing Honoka’s back. “I hope I do.”  
  
—-  
  
Umi wasn’t sure of how long it had been since Honoka and Eli had left the room together, all she knew was that it had been quite a while. She couldn’t help but think about what they were doing as she sat there, gently stroking Future Honoka’s hair. She knew that Eli wanted Honoka and Honoka in turn felt something that was more than friendship towards Eli. Personally she couldn’t imagine having feelings for anyone but Honoka herself. She wasn’t even sure she had feelings for the future version of her girlfriend. She cared about her of course, given that part of her was still Honoka, but she wasn’t sure it went beyond that.   
  
She supposed that was part of the reason it hurt that Honoka was confused over her feelings for Eli. She couldn’t imagine being in the same position as her, with feelings for someone else. Despite Future Honoka’s protests she had to wonder whether she’d had feelings for her Eli in the future too. Out of all of them, it was Eli and Kotori she seemed to be most distraught about losing.   
  
She was distracted from her gentle stroking of Future Honoka’s hair by the girl in question shifting, the arms that had wrapped their way around Nozomi’s back drawing her closer to her.   
  
Umi’s brow furrowed. It seemed that the two of them had gotten much closer lately too, closer than Umi would have expected them to get. “You know, you could get off her now.” She teased lightly as she watched Nozomi squeeze Honoka’s hands. It seemed that as time passed Nozomi had almost dozed off multiple times, her head falling to Honoka’s shoulder but she had jerked awake again just as quickly. Still, she had refused to move even though Honoka was only muttering under her breath every now and again.   
  
Nozomi shrugged in a way that was almost casual but there was an evident red tinge to her cheeks. “I don’t want to risk it. Besides she needs this when she gets like…this.” She looked down at Honoka, noting how relaxed her features seemed to be now. It was like she was just sleeping now. Umi’s silence let her know that the second year wasn’t entirely convinced. “I know her. I’ve been with her for a while now so…”  
  
Umi was taken aback by that. “B-Been with?” She stuttered speechlessly. Even if she didn’t have feelings for this Honoka she wasn’t sure how she should feel about her girlfriend’s future self being with someone else. “So you and her are…?”  
  
“What?!” Nozomi felt her face heat up at the insinuation and she quickly shook her head. “No! Of course not! She’s like…well…I love her but it’s not like that. She’s my best friend, my…” Nozomi paused, struggling to describe the dynamic of her relationship with Future Honoka. “It’s complicated.”  
  
Umi heard Honoka whimper and realized that she’d stopped the gentle movement of her hand. She continued quickly but continued to focus on Nozomi. “I thought Eli was your best friend?”  
  
“She is. Well maybe not right now.” Nozomi’s eyes lowered at the thought of Eli. Everything was such a mess between the two of them. “It’s complicated.”  
  
“So you’ve never kissed her or anything?” Umi asked, her own cheeks tinging red as she voiced the question.   
  
“Elichi?” Nozomi raised an eyebrow in response but received a rather unimpressed look from Umi, coupled with a shake of the head. Her thoughts drifted to the last kiss she’d shared with Future Honoka. It had been different from their other kisses. “I have kissed her.”  
  
Umi rolled her eyes, having expected the answer. “I’m not surprised. It seems like everyone wants to kiss her.”  
  
“Well she’s hot.” Nozomi pointed out matter of factly though she instantly regretted it.  
  
“So you are attracted to her!” Umi exclaimed, probably a bit too loudly. “So what are you going to do?”  
  
“Do?” Nozomi asked, clearly flustered. “Nothing! There’s nothing to do. I’ve told you, it’s not like that.”  
  
“Maybe she feels the same way about you though.” Umi said quietly, giving a shrug of her shoulders. “I-I mean…she’s different around you. She’s only happy when she’s around you and Kotori. I can understand why she would be with Kotori but well…you’re not dating her in the future. She doesn’t act the same with you as she does with everyone else. With Eli…I can tell that seeing Eli hurts her because she makes her think of her Eli. And I just make her angry and hurt because of what my future self does. I-I guess what I’m trying to say is she thinks of our future selves when she’s with us but with you…I think she just sees you as you are now.”  
  
Nozomi listened intently to Umi’s observations, a small smile gracing her lips. “It makes me happy that you would think that I’m special to her in some way. I suppose I want to be. She’s special to me, she’s not just the future version of our Honoka.” She took a shuddering breath. “It doesn’t matter. I’m going to lose her either way.”  
  
“Lose her?” Umi’s brow furrowed in concern. “Why?”  
  
“I can’t tell you.” Nozomi was well aware of Honoka’s plans after she finished what she’d come back to the past to do. The idea of it terrified her if she was honest. She wasn’t sure she could imagine her life without Future Honoka now. She gripped the hands in her own tighter. She had to stop her when the time came though she wasn’t sure she could. “I’m sorry…”  
  
She felt a hand gently touch her shoulder and looked up to see Umi giving her a soft smile. “If you want to stop her maybe the best thing to do is to give her something to live for?”  
  
Nozomi’s eyes widened briefly at Umi’s understanding. “What…?”  
  
“I’ve been where she is. I tried to push Honoka and everyone else away but then after I got my memories back I realized that she is worth living for. Her and Kotori.” Umi said softly. “I’m sure that you are to her, what Honoka and Kotori are to me.”  
  
Nozomi could only stare at Umi for a moment in shock. “I-I don’t know what you’re talking about Umi-chan.”  
  
Umi chuckled at how red Nozomi’s face was. Usually their roles were reversed.   
  
“Nozomi…” Future Honoka mumbled, drawing Nozomi closer to her. The third year felt her body being pulled forward towards the young woman and felt her chest press gently against Honoka’s. Her forehead was pressed upon the older girl’s sweaty bangs. She could feel her cheeks heat up even more at the hot breath hitting her reddening skin.

Nozomi felt her heart pounding rapidly, and slowly realized there was no honorific that came after her name.  A small indicator that Honoka was calling out to her, not her future self.

“Please don’t cry, don’t make me regret my decision.”  Honoka muttered softly, her eyes still closed and body still moving unconsciously. Her hands rubbing Nozomi’s back soothingly.

Umi, who had stopped stroking Honoka’s hair midway, could see that it was getting too intimate for her to keep moderating the future version of her girlfriend. She also caught the subtle clue that future Honoka was calling out to Nozomi and Nozomi only. “I’m going to check on Honoka and Eli, will you be able to keep yourself under control when I’m gone?”

Nozomi who was distracted a little by Future Honoka’s action jerked up to meet Umi, eyes narrowed. “O-Of course! Jeez, I’m not Elichi or Honoka-chan. “  
  
“Thanks for that.” Umi muttered, rising from her position on the floor. She winced at the ache in her knees. She must have been sitting there for longer than she thought. “God, I hope they’re not doing anything stupid…”  
  
Nozomi couldn’t help but release a small scoff at that. She was glad, for once, that she was so preoccupied that she couldn’t feel what Eli was feeling as strongly as she usually would. She watched as Umi left the room before she turned her attention back to Honoka. “I wish you would just wake up…”  
  
—  
  
It was eerily quiet as Maki shakily made her way out of Kotori’s bedroom, one hand gripping the doorframe to balance herself. Taking a deep breath, she paused to listen for Kotori waking up behind her. She didn’t hear the rustle of the sheets so she supposed she’d gotten away with it.   
  
Slowly, she inched down the hallway, pressing herself as close as she could to the wall, one hand out in front of her to feel her way down the hall. It was slow progress, mostly because she didn’t know the house all that well anymore. Maybe when she was younger she could have navigated her way around without a problem but it had been too long since she’d been there and things had moved around. She paused when she reached a corner, trying to remember where she needed to go from there.  
  
As far as she remembered the stairs should have been right ahead. Maybe seven or so steps. She took a deep breath, deciding to trust her instincts and stepped forward, letting go of the wall. After five steps there was suddenly nothing beneath the foot she put forward and she felt her stomach plummet with the realization that she was about to tumble down the stairs. She had just begun to fall forward when she felt a hand grasp her bicep and a moment later she was pulled close to a warm body.   
  
She didn’t recognize the body she was pressed against, only that the arms around her were holding her firmly and the long hair that brushed her nose held the scent of ocean breeze shampoo.   
  
“You should be more careful.” Umi said with a sigh of relief as she loosened her hold on Maki just a little bit. “What were you thinking? Where’s Kotori?”  
  
“She’s asleep.” Maki mumbled, slightly embarrassed that Umi had witnessed her almost fall down the stairs. “I didn’t want to wake her.”  
  
“You should be more careful.” Umi stressed, more firmly than she had the first time. “You can’t just wander around the house by yourself so soon after…well you know.”  
  
Maki’s hands curled into fist. She knew that. “I know. Thank you for…” She gestured to where she thought the stairs were. “I just got lost.”  
  
Umi hummed softly in acknowledgement and reached up, grazing her fingers lightly over the bandages over Maki’s eyes. “It still hurts?”  
  
“The light does.” Maki answered, self-consciously touching the bandages herself. She supposed they looked out of place on her but they kept the light at bay at least. “Koto-nee put them on for me before I went to sleep. Do they look weird?”  
  
“No.” Umi said quietly. “Of course not. You look fine. Kotori did a good job of putting them on. You just need to be more careful. None of us want to see you hurting yourself….”  
  
Maki gave a stiff nod in response, uncertain as to what to say to that. Both of them were saved from having to say anything else to each other by someone walking around the corner. The person in question had been walking quickly but stopped short at the sight of them.   
  
“Maki-chan!” Kotori exclaimed in relief. “Where have you been? I was so worried when I woke up and you weren’t…” She paused, noticing how close Umi and Maki were, the former’s hand on Maki’s arm. “What happened?”  
  
“She almost tripped.” Umi answered honestly. “I was just making sure she was alright.”  
  
Kotori felt a little guilty for the jealousy she’d felt. It was true that Umi had taken away one of the people she loved but she knew Umi only had eyes for Honoka. “Why didn’t you wake me?”  
  
“I just wanted a glass of water.” Maki stepped away from Umi, shakily making her way toward the source of Kotori’s voice, her hands out in front of her.  She felt warm hands gently close around her own. “I’m sorry…”  
  
Kotori sighed softly as she pulled Maki close to her. When she let go of her hands, she felt Maki’s arms go around her waist. “I wish you would have woken me.”  
  
Umi’s eyes widened as Kotori shot her a strange glare. “Don’t give me that look! I know that look, I give that look to Eli all the time. I didn’t do anything with her and I don’t plan to!”  
  
Kotori softened slightly as Maki pressed her face into the crook of her neck. “I know. I wasn’t saying you would, I was just…frustrated. I’m sorry. Thank you for helping her, Umi-chan. We’re going to go back to bed. Goodnight.”  
  
She vaguely heard Umi wish her a goodnight in response but she was more focused on leading Maki back to the bedroom. “You’re shivering.” She said, feeling the gentle tremble of Maki’s body beneath her hand. As soon as they were in the bedroom, she led Maki back to the bed and wrapped the white blanket on the bed around her shoulders.   
  
“Koto-nee?” Maki’s voice shook with nerves when Kotori stepped away. She didn’t feel her nearby anymore. “Where are you?”  
  
“Right here.” Kotori’s voice sounded too far away, like she was across the room. There was a slight pause before she continued. “Where do you want me?”  
  
“Over here.” Maki answered hopefully. “Please.” She heard Kotori cross the room and a moment later hands were pressed against her knees. “What are you doing?”   
  
“Kneeling in front of you.” Kotori took Maki’s hands and placed them on her own shoulders. “See? I’m right here. I’m not going anywhere.”  
  
Maki breathed out a sigh of relief and shakily lifted her hands to Kotori’s face. “I can’t use my ability all that well now. I can’t tell what you’re thinking. Even if I wanted to.”  
  
“You can’t?” Kotori gently grasped Maki’s hands, moving them up until the redhead’s fingers were pressed against her temples. She felt the hesitation in Maki’s touch and gently squeezed her wrists. “Try again.” She closed her eyes, taking a slow breath inwards. “What can you see?”  
  
Maki hesitantly tapped into her own power, jolting in surprise when she barely had to try to get into Kotori’s mind. “I see…” She hesitated, a lump forming in her throat. “Why are you letting me see so much?”  
  
“Because I trust you. I thought you knew that by now.” Kotori answered honestly, rubbing her hands up and down Maki’s arms. “You can read as much of my mind as you want.”  
  
“As much as I want?” Maki echoed unsurely, surprised by Kotori’s willingness to let her in. She mimicked Kotori’s slow intake of breath from a moment again, trying to focus on the other girl’s thoughts and memories. It was perplexing, how much Kotori trusted her. Maki wouldn’t have trusted herself. Her brow furrowed as Kotori’s thoughts flitted to Honoka. It was only brief before Maki found herself being pushed out again.   
  
“You learnt quickly. From Honoka.” Maki’s hands slid from Kotori’s face, her arms falling back to her sides.  
  
Kotori winced at the gentle observation. “I don’t want to hurt you, that’s all. What I think about Honoka is…”  
  
“Private.” Maki finished understandingly. “I understand. I wouldn’t want anyone else to know what I think about the person I like either.” She bowed her head slightly, her cheeks reddening. “About you, that is.”  
  
Kotori smiled warmly at the admission though she couldn’t help but feel guilty that she couldn’t tell Kotori she was the only person she liked. “What is it you think about me, Maki-chan?”  
  
“It’s embarrassing.” Maki muttered without raising her face. She felt Kotori’s fingers gently push up her chin a moment later, followed by the faint press of lips against her own. “Kotori…”  
  
“Tell me. Please. I want to hear all of Maki-chan’s thoughts.” Kotori pressed her forehead against Maki’s and closed her eyes, focusing on the gentle warmth.   
  
“Tell me what you think about Honoka and I’ll tell you what I think about you.” Maki challenged though she regretted it right after. She felt Kotori tense for a split second before a gentle laugh escaped her.   
  
“I’ll be fair. I’ll tell you what I think of you instead. I do think about you, you know. A lot. I always have but it’s different now. I started thinking differently about you when Nico-chan thought…what she thought. I started thinking you as…more than a friend. Not like a sister either. I thought about…you know.”  
  
Maki flinched slightly in surprise. “S-Sleeping together?! I-I’m not ready for that, I…”  
  
“I know!” Kotori exclaimed hurriedly, opening her eyes. “I’m not either. But…it’s okay to think about, right? I mean we kiss sometimes so…” She worriedly bit her lip. “Do you hate the idea?”  
  
Maki was silent for a moment before she slowly shook her head in response. She didn’t hate the idea, it just wasn’t something she was ready for. “I do sometimes too, I-I think…”  
  
Kotori breathed a sigh of relief. “Don’t worry, Maki-chan. I would never do anything like that with you until I’m sure about what we are to each other. And what Honoka and I are to each other.”  
  
Maki nodded slowly, both relieved and pained by Kotori’s response. She’d known that Kotori had feelings for Honoka long before they’d started whatever it was they currently seemed to be doing.   
  
“Don’t look so worried.” Kotori said softly, noticed Maki’s lips turn down into a frown. “I love you…as more than a friend. I just want to be sure about who I want before I give you an answer.”  
  
Maki couldn’t say that made her feel any better about the situation. She couldn’t compete with either Honoka, certainly not for Kotori. She shouldn’t even be trying. Kotori deserved a lot better than someone like her.   
  
“Maki-chan?” Kotori whispered, trying to get Maki’s attention back.   
  
“I know I’m not the best choice.” Maki spoke finally, her voice low. “Especially now I’m like this. But I love you just as much as Honoka’s future self does, I think. I know what it’s like to lose you, not like she’s lost her Kotori but I do know. That has to count for something, right?”  
  
Kotori gave a soft sigh and reached over, gently stroking Maki’s hair. She pressed a gentle, lingering kiss to her forehead. “I love you too, Maki-chan. I don’t doubt that, I just want to be sure that you’re the one I love the most. I have to be sure before I make my decision.” She watched as Maki gave a brief nod but didn’t say anything. “You know, back then when we were kids Honoka reminded me a lot of you. When you…well when we parted ways, she filled a void you left. You two were so similar. You were both driven, energetic and passionate. You still are.”  
  
Maki gave a shake of her head. “I’m nothing like Honoka. You know how I am now. I’m the opposite of her.”  
  
“That’s not true.” Kotori argued, brushing her fingers lightly through Maki’s hair. “You’re still like her even if you don’t want to be. You still have that drive and passion I love so much about the two of you.”  
  
“Is that why you have feelings for me?” Maki asked quietly, her voice trembling with nerves. “Because I’m like her?”  
  
“Maybe I’m in love with her because she’s like you.” Kotori pointed out softly. “I don’t know. I really don’t. All I know is that you’re both important to me. You, Honoka-chan and Umi-chan are my precious best friends…”  
  
Maki sighed and leaned forward, resting her forehead against Kotori’s shoulder. “I know you can’t give me an answer. But that doesn’t keep me from wanting one.”  
  
Kotori didn’t know what to say so she settled for pulling back and kissing Maki instead, the redhead’s face cradled gently in her hands. She felt Maki’s arms go around her shoulders, pulling her closer and willingly melted into the other girl.   
  
—-  
  
It didn’t take long to find Honoka and Eli. It seemed that Honoka had thought it best to take Eli back to their room, grabbing a first aid kit on the way. When Umi stepped into the room though, she froze at the sight of them sitting together, embracing each other tightly. Neither of them were wearing shirts and Honoka’s hands were planted on Eli’s chest, either because she hadn’t wanted to hurt Eli by placing them on her back or because she simply wanted to touch her chest. Umi suspected it was a mixture of the two reasons.   
  
“What the hell is going on here?!” Umi’s voice rose slightly as she closed the door behind her. “Honoka, put your shirt back on!”  
  
Honoka jumped away from Eli like she’d been burned. “O-Okay!” She scrambled to grab her shirt, tugging it on.   
  
Umi watched as Eli’s gaze inevitably raked over Honoka’s unclothed form. “Keep your eyes to yourself, Ayase!”  
  
Eli huffed and grabbed a blanket, covering herself quickly.    
  
“S-Sorry, Umi-chan.” Honoka, now wearing her shirt, albeit backwards, bowed her head to Umi. “I didn’t do anything.”  
  
“I don’t believe you. You can’t help yourself.” Umi glared at Eli. “I’m assuming you started it?”  
  
Eli bit her lip though she couldn’t quite hold back a smug smile. “If she sits that close to me, what else can I do?” She looked to Honoka, her gaze heated. “I can’t help myself when it comes to her either. She’s just so…you don’t know how lucky you are.

“I do.” Umi said with a roll of her eyes. It wasn’t as though she didn’t feel the same way when it came to Honoka.   
  
Eli smiled as she watched Honoka blush under their attention. “You’re cute when you blush. And when you squirm…” She mindlessly reached out, touching Honoka’s knee. “What is it? Am I making you uncomfortable?”  
  
Umi paced forward, teeth clenched. “Could you not touch my girlfriend?!”  
  
Eli gave a shrug of her shoulders. “It doesn’t seem like she minds it.”  
  
“Well I do!” Umi exclaimed irritably as she watched Eli’s hand creep up Honoka’s leg. “Hey!” She grabbed the hand in question, accidentally tugging Eli closer to her. “I-I’m sorry.”  
  
Eli gave a soft laugh. “If this is what you wanted you should have just said so.”  
  
“No, I-I…”  
  
Honoka watched as a blush spread across Umi’s cheeks. “Umi-chan, will you kiss Eli-senpai?”  
  
“What?!” Eli and Umi exclaimed in unison, turning toward Honoka.   
  
Honoka gave a sheepish smile. “I just think it would be…um…hot. Really hot. Please?”  
  
Umi felt the blush on her cheeks intensify. “Shameless…”  
  
Eli laughed, her surprise having faded. “Well she’s your girlfriend.”  
  
Umi narrowed her eyes. “This is your fault! You’ve been a bad influence on her and…and are you saying you’d actually kiss me? You can’t be serious.”  
  
“Anything for Honoka. Besides, you’re cute when you blush. I wouldn’t mind kissing you. Come on, Umi.” Eli leaned in, dragging her fingers gently over Umi’s cheek. Hearing Honoka’s breath hitch she cast a quick glance at her. She lowered her voice to a whisper, leaning close to Umi’s ear. “Look at her. You can’t tell me it isn’t worth it.”

  
Umi looked toward Honoka, noticing the eager look on her face. “Damn it, Honoka. F-Fine but just once and you can’t tell anyone about this.” She turned her gaze to Eli, narrowing her eyes. “You either.”  
  
Eli gave a gentle laugh. “Fine, fine. Come on then. Let’s not keep her waiting.” She leaned in, chuckling softly when Umi automatically leaned away in response. “Unless you’re going to chicken out?”

  
Umi growled in annoyance at Eli’s smugness. It was downright irritating. She closed the remaining distance between them, kissing the other girl’s lips. Eli’s lips were softer than she’d imagined and as the blonde kissed her back, she found that she was much gentler than she’d thought she would be too. Feeling Eli’s hand go to the back of her head she leaned in closer, her own hand moving to rest anxiously on Eli’s knee.   
  
“Umi-chan likes it deeper than that, Eli-senpai…”  
  
Eli hummed gently against Umi’s lips in response to Honoka’s observation. Sliding her fingers into dark hair, she brushed her tongue against Umi’s lips, earning herself a gentle squeak of surprise. The lips parted though and she deepened the kiss, her free hand going to the small of Umi’s back.   
  
Umi flushed at the moan that somehow escaped her. Eli’s mouth was hot. Her hands were too but her mouth and tongue were almost burning in their intensity.   
  
“She’s hot, isn’t she?” It was as though Honoka could hear her thoughts. Umi felt Honoka move toward her, followed by her hair being gently brushed from her shoulder. She shivered as a kiss was pressed to the nape of her neck. “Eli-senpai’s always warm. Like my own personal hot water bottle…”  
  
Umi wasn’t listening and it seemed like Honoka was talking more to herself anyway. Before she could get too distracted by her own thoughts though, the door opened and Rei walked in, stopping abruptly at the sight of the three of them.   
  
“Wha…?” The redhead quickly slapped her hand over her eyes, turning away. At the same time, Umi and Eli pulled away, the former’s face a furious shade of red as she spluttered out her innocence. “You know what, I’m not even going to ask. Just…I came to talk to you about the future version of Honoka. I think I know what’s wrong with her.”  
  
Eli and Umi straightened up while Honoka just looked vaguely uninterested by the turn in conversation.   
  
Rei waited for a moment but when none of them pressed her, she continued. “She’s in a dreamlike state. Almost a coma but not quite. It seems she was exposed to a poison that triggers hallucinations. From her mutterings it’s obvious what she’s thinking about. We just have to wait and see whether she’ll wake up. I’m hoping it won’t be long before the drug wears off but she’ll need a strong connection to this reality to force herself out of the hallucinations.”  
  
“Nozomi…” Umi mumbled thoughtfully. She looked up at Rei who had only just mustered up the courage to turn back to them. “Nozomi can do it.”  
  
Eli frowned at the observation, a familiar jealousy settling in her stomach. She leaned back, trying to force it away. Nozomi wasn’t hers to get jealous over anymore.   
  
Honoka scoffed and Umi looked toward her in confusion. “I’m just saying. The rest of us remind her of what she’s lost but Nozomi’s different. Your future self sees her differently, they’re closer.”  
  
“What do you mean by that?” Honoka questioned though she supposed she knew in a sense.   
  
“I mean they’re friends.” Umi answered with a sheepish shrug of her shoulders. “Nozomi knows your future self and she grounds her. If anything connects her to this time, it’s Nozomi.”  
  
Honoka stared at Umi for a moment before she turned back to Rei. “How is Maki-chan?”  
  
Rei tensed at the question, the urge to turn and run almost overwhelming her. She stopped herself though as three pairs of concerned eyes settled on her. “She’s as well as can be expected.” She answered slowly, forcing herself to stay calm. “She’s overwhelmed but she has Kotori.”

  
She was relieved the two had each other. She had no doubt that Maki would put up a strong front in front of the others but she wouldn’t do that with Kotori. She supposed it made sense, considering the two seemed to be dating. She frowned slightly at the thought. She wasn’t used to the idea of Maki dating anyone but Kotori was good for her. They were good for each other.   
  
“I want to go and see Maki-chan soon.” Honoka said, her features clouded over with an emotion Rei didn’t recognize. “I have to see if there’s anything I can do for her. And apologize.”  
  
“Apologize?” Umi echoed in surprise She gently nudged Honoka’s shoulder with her own. “Apologize for what?”

Honoka shot Umi a sceptical look. “I’m the leader of Muse. I’m supposed to protect the rest of you and I wasn’t even there when Maki-chan was hurt. I’m never there when any of you need help.”  
  
“That’s not true.” Umi quickly reasoned while Eli let out a much more vehement ‘That’s crap!’.   
  
Honoka didn’t say anything in response to that but it was clear she didn’t believe the two of them.   
  
Rei raised an eyebrow at the downcast girl. “They’re right. You shouldn’t take all of the responsibility yourself. All of that guilt is just going to distract you and probably get you killed one day.”  
  
“Maybe that wouldn’t be the worst thing.” Honoka tensed as soon as the words left her mouth. Laughing nervously, she waved her hands in front of her while the others gaped at her. “Sorry, I said something weird! I-I just mean um…I don’t know what I mean. Just that there are worse things that could happen.”  
  
Rei stared at Honoka for a long moment, catching a glimpse of the girl’s future self. She hadn’t been sure how Honoka could turn into her future self but now she could see it clearly. “I should go and call Takashi. Make sure you get some sleep. All of you. I know that none of us got much last night…”  With a warning look, she left the room, closing the door behind her.   
  
The three of them sat in silence for a moment and Honoka looked anxiously between Umi and Eli. They were both staring at her, their expressions vastly different. Eli’s jaw was clenched with annoyance while Umi’s expression was open and worried. “Uh…”

“Honoka.” Eli’s voice was low and dangerous as she spoke. “If I ever hear you say anything like that again I will kick your ass. I’m not kidding around. I don’t care what you meant, I don’t want to hear it, okay?” When Honoka didn’t respond, Eli reached forward and gripped Honoka’s arms tightly. “Honoka, I’m serious! Why the hell would you even say that?!”  
  
Umi watched with wide eyes as Eli gave Honoka a light shake. “Eli, calm down!” She grabbed Eli’s arm, tugging her toward her and away from Honoka.   
  
Eli fell back against Umi’s shoulder, her gaze fixed on Honoka’s bowed head. She froze as Honoka’s shoulders suddenly shook.  
  
“Honoka?” Umi whispered, watching carefully. As Honoka turned away, Umi caught the glimmer of tears on her cheeks. “Hey…”  
  
“My mom is dead. I know my dad is probably dead too.” Honoka spoke, her voice slightly choked with emotion. “All I’m saying is that there are worse things than dying. Like everyone else around you dying. I’m allowed to think that. If you ask my future self she’ll tell you.”  
  
Eli swallowed thickly, surprised by her own outburst. “I-I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to upset you.” She should have been more sensitive to Honoka’s feelings than she had been, especially after everything that had happened with her parents. “I’m sorry.” She leaned toward Honoka, pausing when Honoka moved away from her in favour of making her way to Umi’s side.   
  
Honoka gave a sigh of relief as her girlfriend’s arms went around her and she leaned into her automatically, her forehead coming to rest neatly on Umi’s shoulder.   
  
Eli reached out toward Honoka, hesitating after a moment and looking to Umi uncertainly. The second year tilted her head, directing Eli to move closer to the two of them.   
  
Hesitantly, Eli did so, touching Honoka’s shoulder gently before she moved closer and embraced her from behind, pressing her forehead against the younger girl’s shoulder blade.   
  
Honoka tensed for just a moment before she unwittingly relaxed into the warmth behind her. “I don’t want anyone else to die…”  
  
Eli’s heart wrenched at the tone of Honoka’s voice. “Nobody else is going to die. I won’t let that happen.”  
  
“Neither will I.” Umi said quietly, gently stroking Honoka’s hair. As Eli looked up to meet her eyes, she stared intently back. “We’re not going to let anything else happen.”  
  
Eli nodded in response and leaned down, kissing Honoka’s shoulder. She felt a soft breath leave the girl as she slowly relaxed.   
  
—-  
  
Even though it was only Honoka, it still felt awkward to be lying on top of someone the way Nozomi was. She was tempted to move off of her friend but a part of her was nervous that if she did Honoka would slip even further away from her than she already was. Besides that it had been a struggle to free even one of her hands from Honoka’s tight grip on her. Every time she’d moved the fingers curled between her own had held onto her tighter, making it almost impossible. Eventually she’d managed to free one of her hands though, just to gently brush away the hair that had fallen into Honoka’s face.   
  
Her hand lingered there now, fingers gently stroking Honoka’s cheek as she watched her sleep. Honoka’s muttering had slowed. Whereas before it had been almost nonstop she only spoke every few minutes now, usually a quiet utterance of Nozomi’s name. She called for her Eli and Kotori every now and again but more often it was Nozomi she was seeking out.   
  
It was getting frustrating, just having to sit there and watch while Honoka was clearly in so much inner turmoil. Rei had stopped by a while ago, cryptically telling her that while there was no guarantee that Honoka would wake up, having her close would make it easier for her to do so. Nozomi didn’t know what that even meant. She wished she did. If there was anything she could do to get Honoka back she would already be doing it.   
  
“Come on, Senpai.” She whispered pleadingly, giving Honoka’s hand a gentle squeeze. “I know you can hear me. You just have to wake up, okay? I’ll be right here when you do.” She paused for a moment but Honoka didn’t even shift. She supposed she shouldn’t have expected her to.   
  
She bit her lip, trying to come up with a solution. She needed Honoka to wake up. “Okay…” She took a deep breath and leaned in slowly, gently pressing her lips to Honoka’s. The lips beneath her own were slightly chapped but she didn’t mind. Especially if it would make Honoka wake up. When she leaned back after a moment though there was no change. “Well it was worth a try, I suppose.”  
  
“Nozomi…” Honoka muttered, her brow knitted in dismay as Nozomi began to pull away from her.   
  
Nozomi stared at the young woman beneath her, surprised by how vulnerable she suddenly looked. “I’m here. I’m right here.” She moved back, pressing her forehead to Honoka’s. “Just wake up. I know you can, you just have to try. Please…” She squeezed her eyes shut, feeling the corner’s sting with oncoming tears. “You can’t just leave me.”  
  
—-  
  
_“You can’t just leave me.” Eli said, her tone almost accusing as she crossed her arms in front of her. “We’re a team, remember? You can’t just go out looking for something and leave me behind. Especially when you won’t tell me what you think you’ve found.”  
  
Future Honoka heard herself laugh in response though internally she felt chilled to the bone. She remembered this conversation with Eli. It had been just before she’d left on a solo mission. Just before she’d been taken by A-Rise.   
  
“I’ll be fine, you don’t have to worry about me. Besides if I’m right you’ll be happy about it.” Honoka heard herself answer, her tone much happier than usual. The idea of bringing A-Rise down seemed to be all she could think of. She had to help Eli get her revenge, for Arisa. That was the reason she had leapt at the chance to kill Tsubasa. If she could take her down, maybe it would help to ease Eli’s inner torment.   
  
“You saying I don’t have to worry about you doesn’t help, it just makes me worry about you more.” Eli paced back and forth in front of Honoka, her hands in her hair. “If you’re going at least let me go with you. Or take someone else with you. Take Nico or Nozomi. I just need you to have some kind of backup with you, even if you don’t want me there.”  
  
Looking back, Honoka could easily hear the hurt tone of Eli’s voice as she spoke though she had missed it at the time. She hadn’t thought much of it at that point.   
  
Future Honoka gave a firm shake of her head. “I can’t, I’ve already told you. I…”  
  
“Damn it, Honoka!” Eli finally turned toward Honoka, her expression annoyed yet panicked at the same time. “For once in your life can you stop being so damn stubborn and just not go? That’s an order!”  
  
Honoka blinked at Eli in surprise. “I outrank you. You can’t…”  
  
“Fine then don’t take it as an order.” Eli walked forward, her hands coming to rest on Honoka’s shoulders. “For my sake. Don’t go, please. I can’t take losing anyone else. Especially you. I’m begging you, just…don’t do whatever you’re going to do. You might think it doesn’t matter but none of us could bear losing you.”  
  
Honoka swallowed thickly, noticing the faint sign of tears in Eli’s eyes. As easy as the effect of her own trauma was to see, it was hard to see how everything Eli had gone through had affected her aside from moments like this. “I’m sorry.” She wanted to tell her that she had to go but she didn’t. She lied, something she hardly ever did to Eli. “I won’t go. I’m sorry. If I need to, I’ll take Nico-chan with me.”   
  
She stepped forward and wrapped her arms around Eli tightly. She muttered another apology, for her lie this time, and felt Eli shake her head against her shoulder, like all was forgiven.   
  
She gritted her teeth together, overwhelmed by guilt. If she’d just taken Eli with her none of them would have had to die. She took a shuddering breath and felt herself clutch Eli tightly as if she was afraid to let go. In a way she was. She remember how excited and nervous she’d been before she’d set out alone.   
  
Suddenly she felt Eli disappear from her arms and the area around her was thrown into darkness.   
  
“Eli-senpai…?” She had control over her own body now at least. “Eli-senpai!” She turned quickly in search of Eli, seeing nothing. Slowly the area around her lost the tiny bit of light it had and she found herself unable to see even her own hand in front of her face.   
  
“Senpai, please.” Honoka tensed as she heard a soft voice that somehow echoed all around her. It was clearly taut with tears but she recognized the person speaking easily. Nozomi. “Just wake up. I swear I’ll never ask you for anything else again, I just…I can’t do this alone. I can’t lose you, you’ve made yourself essential to me. I…I need you.”  
  
“Nozomi.” Honoka muttered, her gaze still shifting around. She wished she could see Nozomi. “Nozomi, where are you?!” She burst forward into a run, her teeth clenched and her eyes wide in an attempt to see. She needed to get to Nozomi. She needed to see her again and apologise for being so stupid.   
  
“Please wake up…” Nozomi’s voice was further away this time, like Honoka had ran in the wrong direction.   
  
“NOZOMI!” Honoka’s movement forward stopped suddenly and she found herself falling through the air instead. She closed her eyes, bracing for impact but instead found herself suddenly upon her feet again. Opening her eyes, she instantly wished she hadn’t. Her blood ran cold as she looked around the abandoned classroom. It was just as it had been then, blood on the floor and walls, the bodies of two of her underclassmen already on the ground.   
  
It was like it had been before, when her body had been moving by itself. She couldn’t do anything to stop herself from playing out what had happened just as it had that day. She barely acknowledged any of it until Kotori was lying on the ground before her, clutching tightly at her.   
  
Kotori looked more scared than Honoka remembered her looking, though she supposed she had mentally blocked that out somewhere along the way. She vaguely heard herself beg Kotori not to die but again it was like she had no control over her own mouth.   
  
“Umi…” Their best friend’s name left Kotori’s mouth in a relieved sigh and then Umi was suddenly at their side. Her begging matched Honoka’s as she implored Kotori to stay with them. It was too late though and Honoka watched as Kotori’s eyes closed. The next few minutes were a blur as she felt Umi stand up next to her. She couldn’t tear her eyes away from Kotori to look at her friend. Eventually the sight overwhelmed her and she managed to look away, finding Umi fighting nearby against an invisible Tsubasa.   
  
A familiar fury rose in her chest as she watched Kotori’s ability being used against them. Kotori would have hated that.   
  
“How dare you!” Umi mimicked her outrage as she continued to fight, slashing at the air in hopes that she could land a blow. Umi’s skill with her blade had always taken Honoka by surprise but she knew it wouldn’t do her any good now.   
  
She watched as Umi seemed to pause in her fight, her katana held in front of her. There didn’t seem to be any kind of attack coming her way, at least for the moment.   
  
Honoka, having been watching Umi intensely, noticed right away when Umi’s eyes widened, a cut appearing across her throat.   
  
Desperately Umi clutched at the wound, trying to stem the flow of blood but it wasn’t enough. She fell to the ground and Honoka felt herself scramble over Kotori, gripping Umi’s hands to try to look at the wound. It was already too late though and Umi was gone within seconds.   
  
She felt like she could scream with anguish. It was so much worse now, knowing that Umi had only ever been trying to protect her, in her own way. She was broken from her thoughts by Eli throwing herself at her, knocking her out of the way of an incoming attack. Just like Honoka remembered, she felt Eli’s warmth from her flames for only a moment before Eli was on her feet in front of her again.   
  
“I’ll kill you!” Eli snarled furiously. Honoka wondered if she had noticed last time that Eli had looked so devastated as she looked around at their friends. That fact hadn’t stood out to her before but now it did. She forced her gaze away somehow, remembering Nico and Maki. She could only look at them out of the corner of her eye but it was in time to see Nico get caught with a shot to the leg, taking her down to one knee. It left Maki wide open and Honoka watched as she was hit three times in the chest, throwing her backwards.   
  
Nico screamed and dragged herself over to Maki, unable to move her leg all that well for the time being.   
  
“I won’t let you touch her!”  
  
Honoka turned her attention back to Eli, just as Erena used her ability on her, extinguishing her flames and sending her to her knees. She felt herself move to join Eli on the ground again, gripping tightly at her arm.   
  
Nozomi was yelling in the background for Eli, trying to get past Tsubasa to get to them.   
  
Honoka’s heart caught in her throat as she remembered what was next. She wanted to push Eli out of the way and take the blow herself but she couldn’t. She could only watch what had happened play out again as Erena hurled a shadow at her and Eli threw herself at her, her body igniting with flames.   
  
She steeled herself for the familiar burst of comforting warmth she always associated with her best friend but nothing could have really prepared her for it. She barely had time to bask in it though before the flames went out and Eli slumped against her, lifeless.   
  
Nozomi screamed across the room but Honoka was too focused on the vacant eyes staring back at her and the feeling of cool metal in her hand. Suddenly Eli’s body was wrenched away from her and she watched as Nozomi held Eli to her, begging her to wake up.   
  
Her stomach twisted uncomfortably. Those two loved each other so much, it really baffled her that they had broken up in the new timeline. She stared numbly as Nozomi cried fiercely, holding Eli close to her. There was nothing she could do but watch until a loud laugh filled the air. Just as she remembered, Nozomi’s crying stopped abruptly. She rose to her feet after a moment and strode toward Erena, clearly focusing her power.   
  
Erena cried out in pain and sank to the ground, clutching her chest.  
  
_

_“Hurts, doesn’t it?” Nozomi walked forward toward Erena, doing nothing to block out the emotional pain she felt.  
  
“Erena!” Tsubasa’s voice sounded panicked to Honoka’s ears. S  
  
_

_“Stop!” Honoka watched as Anju held her hand out, stopping Tsubasa in her tracks. “I’ll deal with this.” She flashed Tsubasa a coy smirk before she closed her eyes, concentrating on changing her form.  
  
_

_Honoka felt sick as she watched Anju transform. As close as she was to Nozomi now, it was so much harder to watch her being taken advantage of. “No.” She heard herself mutter, shaking her head. She watched Tsubasa chuckle and hand over the dagger she’d used on Umi. “No! Nozomi! Nozomi, don’t listen to her!”  
  
Nozomi wasn’t paying attention. She was too focused on making Erena feel every bit of pain she felt.  
_ _  
“Nozomi, stop.  
_ _  
Honoka watched, doing her utmost to cry out to Nozomi to warn her but she couldn’t. She could only watch as Nozomi froze at the sound of Eli’s voice, her attention straying from Erena. “E-Elichi?” She turned her head toward the person next to her and gasped sharply at the sight of Eli. Her tears started afresh and she threw herself into Eli, embracing her tightly. “I thought…I thought…”  
_ _  
“Shhh.” ‘Eli’ hushed Nozomi gently, her hand gently coming to rest on the back of Nozomi’s head. “It’s alright. I’m right here.” She cast a smirk toward Tsubasa who looked on in amusement. After a moment she felt Nozomi begin to pull away and forced herself to look sincere._

_“Nozomi.” She reached up, placing a hand on Nozomi’s cheek. She watched in satisfaction as Nozomi leaned into the caress.  
  
Honoka was powerless to do anything once again and she could only watch as Nozomi cried out at the sudden pain.   
  
Nozomi’s eyes widened in surprise at the sudden pain. “E-Elichi…No…Anju.”  
  
Honoka knew from experience what it was like to be tricked by Anju, with Eli’s face at that. They both loved the blonde. It was easy to fall for Anju’s tricks.   
_ _  
Anju laughed darkly and pushed the knife deeper. “You caught onto me. I think this look is more fitting right now though, don’t you? Who else would you want to be the last person you see before you die?”  
_ _  
Honoka could only watch numbly as Nozomi fell limp in Eli’s…no, Anju’s hold. She felt like her chest would burst with pain as Anju pushed Nozomi’s lifeless body to the floor and stood up, turning back into herself.  
_ _  
Honoka’s eyes lingered on Nozomi’s lifeless body, her eyes burning with fresh tears. She couldn’t remember crying before she’d teleported back to the past last time. She had been too in shock. Now watching the deaths of her friends again, everything was fresh and raw. Like it was completely new.  
_ _  
“Honoka…” Nico’s voice echoed around the room and Honoka looked over, seeing her standing from her position next to Maki’s body. “You have to fix this. You have to go back!”_

_  
“I won’t.” To her surprise the words actually left her lips rather than the weak protests from the last time she’d lived the moment. “I won’t leave you!”  
  
Nico’s eyes widened in shock at Honoka’s words. The momentary hesitation was enough to give A-Rise room to attack again and Erena pulled her arm back, sending a shadow flying toward Honoka. It hit her in the shoulder, knocking her back a few feet. She landed next to Umi, hitting her head on the solid floor. She was dazed for a moment before she felt someone drag her to her feet by the collar of her shirt.   
  
“I’ve wanted to do this for a long time.” Tsubasa smirked, brandishing her knife from her belt.   
  
“So do it.” Honoka whispered, her venomous words a stark contrast to the tears sliding relentless down her cheeks. “Put me out of my misery.”  
  
Tsubasa’s smile slipped away for a moment but she didn’t let Honoka’s words stop her. Instead she thrust the knife forward, feeling it slide through Honoka’s flesh as though sliding for butter._

  
—  
  
For a while now, Future Honoka’s dreams had seemed to be getting more intense. She had grown more distressed by the second until Nozomi had been forced to use her body weight to keep her pinned down to the bed as she kicked and struggled against something invisible, calling out for her friends. She shuddered to think of what Honoka was dreaming about.   
  
“No…it’s not really Eli-senpai, Nozomi-chan. Don’t listen…” Honoka mumbled, whimpering softly as she clutched at Nozomi’s hands.   
  
Nozomi’s brow furrowed at the words. She wasn’t sure what Honoka was dreaming about now.   
  
Honoka had relaxed for just a moment but suddenly her body seized again and Nozomi gasped, quickly adjusting her grip to keep Honoka still.   
  
“Do it.” Honoka muttered in her sleep, pain etched into her expression. “Put me out of my misery.”  
  
Nozomi’s eyes widened in alarm at Honoka’s words but she didn’t have much time to think upon them as Honoka’s grip suddenly went loose. Looser than it had been all night. “Senpai?!” Nozomi drew one hand away from Honoka’s, pressing it briefly to the unconscious woman’s chest. There was no heartbeat. “No. No, no, no…”  
  
Hurriedly, she got off Honoka and frantically opened her friend’s shirt without so much as pausing to unbutton it. She quickly began CPR, recalling the brief training Maki had given them not so long ago. Just in case they ever needed it, she’d said.   
  
“One, two, three, four…” She muttered between compressions, her gaze fixed on Honoka. She wasn’t sure when she would know if the girl’s heartbeat came back. She settled for pressing her ear to Honoka’s chest briefly after the first round of compressions. There was no sign of life and she leaned up to Honoka’s face, pinching her nose and tilting her head back to blow two breaths into her mouth.   
  
Another round of compressions and nothing had changed. “No, you can’t do this to me…” Nozomi leaned down and blew two breaths into Honoka’s mouth again, vaguely aware of tears trickling down her cheeks. “You can’t do this to me, damn it!” It must be her fault, she decided. She wasn’t doing the CPR properly. “MAK…” She caught herself before Maki’s name could leave her mouth. Maki couldn’t do anything. “REI-SAN! REI-SAN!”  
  
She went back to frantically performing chest compressions, not wanting to risk pausing for a moment. After a couple of minutes she heard the door open and looked over her shoulder, finding a shocked looking Rei standing there.   
  
“Please…” Nozomi uttered, her voice choked with emotion.   
  
Rei spurred herself into action, moving over to the bed and clambering onto it. She nudged Nozomi out of the way and took over compressions, counting them out in her head. “I need you to do mouth to mouth. Now.”  
  
Nozomi nodded and leaned down, repeating her earlier actions. She stopped when Rei told her to, watching her go back to compressions. Her eyes shifted back to Honoka’s face. She looked calm now. At peace, even.   
  
“Oh god…” She was really going to lose her. She probably had already.   
  
“AGAIN!” Rei exclaimed, stopping what she was doing. She waited for Nozomi to give the rescue breaths she’d requested before she went back to desperately performing CPR. She was fighting a losing battle, she could tell. Nozomi could tell too, it seemed, considering her reaction. Still she continued, fighting through another round of compressions.   
  
Nozomi watched as Rei suddenly stilled. “What are you doing?!” She exclaimed tearfully. She moved toward Rei, gripping her arm. “You can’t just STOP! You need to save her, she has to…”  
  
“She’s breathing.” Rei, breathless, leaned back. “She’s back. For now.” She slid off the bed, watching as Nozomi seemed to collapse in relief. “I’ll be back after I get some more equipment. I’m going to keep a close eye on her from now on.”  
  
Nozomi didn’t hear what Rei had said, she was too relieved. “Damn it, Senpai…” She pressed her face into Honoka’s chest, hot tears still spilling from her cheeks onto Honoka’s skin. Looking up, she caught the slight sheen of drying tears on Honoka’s cheeks too. She gently wiped them away with her fingertips and leaned close, hesitantly kissing her lips.   
  
“I’m going to wake you up, I swear. Even if I can’t do it with a fairytale kiss.” She brushed Honoka’s hair from her face before she laced their fingers together, feeling Future Honoka grip her hand back firmly. 


	28. Chapter 28

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Second part of today's double chapter post!  
> Hope you guys enjoy!  
> Warning for sexual scenes and violence.

“Sure you’re ready for this?” Eli testingly allowed her fingertips to spark, just the briefest of flickers. “Flames and all?”  
  
Umi nodded in response, her eyes narrowed and focused as she shifted from foot to foot. “It wouldn’t really be sparring if we held back would it?”  
  
Eli raised an eyebrow. “But still, you know if I hurt you Honoka will…” She trailed off as Umi moved forward, faster than she had anticipated. She hastened to move back though Umi’s knuckles caught her right in the chin. She grimaced in pain. “Okay, fine. If you want to be like that.”  
  
Umi watched as Eli shook her hands out in front of her. Not a moment later they burst into flames, blue fire spreading up her arms to her elbows. She was still holding back somewhat. Umi realized it was for her safety but it still irked her. She wasn’t weak, she was just as strong as Eli. She was certainly more skilled than her. She growled low under breath and swung another punch toward the blonde, this time missing completely when Eli moved out of the way. Recklessly, she hit out again only for Eli’s arm to block the hit that was heading toward her face.   
  
“The hell, Umi?!” Eli harshly shoved Umi away, her eyes alight with anger. “Get some control.”  
  
“Control?!” Umi whipped off the burning shirt she was wearing, tossing it to the floor. “You don’t know what control is.” She didn’t waste any time in going after Eli again, her fists raised. She threw another punch but Eli caught her hand, wrenching it harshly behind her back.   
 **  
**“Neither do you right now.” Eli shoved Umi to the ground.

Umi briefly realized that Eli had extinguished her flames so as not to burn her. Before she could get back up the blonde was on top of her, pinning her hands to the ground at either side of her head.   
  
“You’re not on top of your game today.” Eli said gruffly while Umi glared at her. “Usually you can get at least one hit in.”  
  
“Damn you.” Umi struggled beneath Eli, trying to break free from her hold but it was futile and finally she grew still. “I just want to…” She gritted her teeth irritably. “I just want to hit something.”  
  
“Well you kind of already did.” Eli smiled softly though Umi merely stared up at her. “Fine, fine. Get up. Let’s go again but I’m not using my ability this time. You’re too unpredictable.”  
  
Umi waited until Eli got off of her and backed up a bit before she got to her own feet. “You know I have to use my ability. I can’t help it.” She raised her fists again, exhaling slowly to calm herself. The two began to slowly circle each other and Umi smirked as she noticed a shean of sweat on Eli’s brow. “Tired?”  
  
“My flames make me hot.” Eli answered simply, wiping her brow with her forearm. She grinned faintly over at Umi. “You don’t need to worry about me. You should be worrying about yourself.”  
  
“Just stop talking and fight m-” Umi was cut off as Eli stepped forward, throwing a punch. It hit her square in the jaw and as she stumbled back she cursed her own distraction. Eli was right, she wasn’t focusing properly. “Damn it!”  
  
“You know what your problem is?” Eli asked as she moved back, letting Umi straighten back up. She didn’t give her a chance to answer though. “If you’re not focused you can’t fight. Sometimes you just need to give into what you’re feeling instead of trying to hold it back. If you’re angry use it, if you’re afraid use it, if…”  
  
Umi growled low in her throat and rushed forward suddenly, using her shoulder to tackle Eli to the ground. The blonde let out a gasp as the air was knocked from her lungs. Suddenly a fist was flying toward her face and with a yelp she closed her eyes, bracing herself for the impact. The blow to her cheek hurt more than she’d anticipated but she supposed she deserved it after telling Umi to give into her anger. She half expected another blow to follow the first but when it didn’t she hesitantly opened one eye, finding Umi staring down at her.   
  
“I’m sorry.” Umi was still straddling her hips, seemingly unable to move. “Oh god, I’m…” She pressed her hand to her forehead in exasperation. “I didn’t mean to hurt you.”  
  
Eli opened and closed her mouth a couple of times, grimacing at the pain. “It’s fine. I hit you first.” She pushed herself up, using her hands against the floor as leverage. “It’s Honoka, isn’t it?”  
  
“It’s everything.” Umi disagreed with a shake of her head. “I hate seeing everyone hurting. Even you. It bothers me when I see any of you going through something I can’t help with.” There was a brief beat of silence. “You’re right. It is Honoka, mostly. You heard what she said about herself earlier. About it being easier if…”  
  
“Alright, I get it.” Eli interrupted, not wanting to hear Umi say it. She bit her lip thoughtfully. “I think I get it. She loves her mother, not like you and me. And she’s lost her dad too so…I understand when she says she can’t lose anyone else. But do you really think I’d ever let anything happen to her?”  
  
Umi shook her head. “But…” She felt her eyes sting with oncoming tears. “I just want to help her. All of you. Look at what you all did to save me even when I pushed you all away. I just want to help.”  
  
Eli sighed and drew Umi close to her, her arms going around the second year. She supposed it should be somewhat awkward considering the situation they found themselves in but it wasn’t. “You’re helping by just being there. Trust me. Honoka just needs you to be there with her.”  
  
Umi leaned into Eli despite her reluctance. “I’m not there right now.”  
  
“Everyone needs to let off steam sometimes.” Eli said with a small smile. “Besides, Honoka would be glad we’re doing this. She doesn’t want the two of us to stop being friends because of everything that’s going on.”  
  
Umi winced at the thought. She didn’t want to stop being friends with Eli but she knew their feelings for Honoka left their friendship a bit strained. “Can you please not tell her that I punched you?”  
  
“We were sparring, it’s different.” Eli said with a roll of her eyes. “I guess she won’t see it like that. I won’t tell her as long as you don’t tell her I hit you first. If she finds out she’ll end up not speaking to either of us.”  
  
“Deal.” Umi drew back, wiping at her still watery eyes. When Eli’s fingers carefully joined her own in wiping her tears away, she stilled, locking eyes with the blonde. “I’m worried she’s going to self-destruct if anything else happens. She blames herself for everything and you’ve seen how self-destructive her future self is. I’m scared I…we won’t be able to do anything to stop it.”  
  
“I am too.” Eli whispered solemnly, her hand falling back to her lap. She worried about the same thing, she just couldn’t say it out loud like Umi could.   
  
—  
  
Nozomi gently brushed her thumb over the back of Future Honoka’s hand, her gaze fixed on the time traveller’s face. A steady beeping sound filled the room now, thanks to the heart monitor Honoka was hooked up to. Rei had said they needed it now, to make sure what had happened earlier didn’t happen again.   
  
Nozomi had long since moved off of Honoka in favor of sitting in the chair next to her bed. Rei had stayed after what had happened and being so close to Honoka while she was there would have been awkward. The older woman had only left a short while ago, declaring that she was going to check on the others.   
  
Honoka wasn’t showing any signs of waking up. She was no better than before. “Come on.” Nozomi muttered, leaning down. She closed her eyes, resting her forehead gently against Honoka’s knuckles. She just needed her to wake up.   
  
She wasn’t sure how much longer had passed until she heard the door behind her creak open. She didn’t bother to look up, certain that it would be Rei once again. Kotori was too busy with Maki to stop by and it seemed like the others were preoccupied too.   
  
It was only when hands came to rest on her shoulders, gently kneading at the knots of stress that she realized it wasn’t Rei. “Elichi…” She breathed out.   
  
“How did you know it was me?” Eli asked warmly as she stopped what she was doing.   
  
“I know the feeling of your hands…” Nozomi answered softly. She remembered it well. She hadn’t forgotten it just because there was distance between them now. “She still hasn’t woken up. I don’t know if she will. She…She almost died earlier and I thought…I thought I’d really lost her.”  
  
“What?!” Eli’s eyes widened at the revelation. Her hands, which had been resting on Nozomi’s shoulders slipped away and she moved around to stand in front of her. “What happened?!”  
  
“She stopped breathing and Rei and I had to do CPR. She’s okay now, I think but I don’t know how long for…” Nozomi paused, letting her words sink in but when no response followed she raised her eyes to Eli’s. “While we’re still talking, I want you to know…I-I kissed her. Honoka, I mean. I have a few times. I just thought you should know.”  
  
Eli was silent for a moment, taking the information in. “We all screw up sometimes.” She sat down on the edge of the bed and reached up to brush her fingers against Honoka’s cheek. “I kissed our Honoka. A lot. And now I think I might be in a weird relationship with her and Umi…”  
  
Nozomi grimaced at the idea but quickly hid it with a smile. “In love with two girls at once? I would never have thought…”  
  
“I’m only in love with Honoka.” Eli disagreed with a shake of her head. “Umi is a friend and I find her attractive but…it’s not like that.”  
  
“I see.” Nozomi bowed her head. She couldn’t deny that Eli’s answer stung. “And what about me? Are you still in love with me?”  
  
Eli stared at Nozomi long and hard as if contemplating the question but she didn’t have an answer. “You’ve kissed Honoka’s future self. How do you see her now? As more than a friend?”  
  
Nozomi shrugged her shoulders. “Umi thinks so. I don’t really though. I just love her, I don’t know how else to explain it. She’s broken and she needs me but it’s more than that. She’s more than that, she…she reminds me of your old self in a way. Sometimes she’s just so stubborn and all she wants to do is push me away but then other times she lets her guard down and it’s like…she’s Honoka again. Past how broken she is she’s just the same old Honoka. But I don’t love her because of that, I love her because…she’s her. I love her for who she is now, not who she was then. And she feels the same way about me, I think. She sees me as me, not her version of me. “  
  
Eli cleared her throat. “Sounds like you might be in love with her.”  
  
Nozomi shook her head in response, her gaze returning back to Honoka. “She annoys the hell out of me sometimes. We fight constantly and she can be angry and stubborn and unnecessarily mean and…she brings out the same in me. I’m so mean and pushy with her sometimes and yet she just laughs it off and tries to make me feel better. Even though she’s so…” Her voice cracked and she lowered her gaze again, struggling to compose herself. “She’s so damn broken, Elichi. She’s lost all hope and yet she still tries to comfort me when I’m upset. And she lets me comfort her. Even though she’s terrified she lets me in. I’m the only person she lets in.”  
  
“She has to be strong for everyone. Except you.” Eli summarized, her thoughts flitting to when Honoka had finally given into her emotions with her and Umi earlier.   
  
“Nozomi…” Honoka breathed out, her brow furrowing. “Where are you? I can’t see you…”  
  
“I’m right here.” Nozomi got up quickly, pressing one knee to the bed near Honoka’s side to get closer to her. She gently cupped the young woman’s cheek in her hand. “I’m right here, Senpai. Just come back to me.”  
  
“I want to see you…you and Eli-senpai and Kotori-chan, I just…” Honoka’s voice trailed off sleepily until she seemed like she was sleeping once again.   
  
Eli forced a smile as she watched the two of them. “It seems like you really are special to her. As special as she is to you maybe. You’ll have to hurry and tell her when she wakes up or someone else might steal her from you. Not that I can see that happening right now…she only seems to have eyes for you.”  
  
Nozomi rolled her eyes. “At least my Honoka is monogamous.”  
  
Eli gave a short laugh. “You were listening to that list earlier, right?” She stood from the bed and reached forward, placing her hand on Nozomi’s shoulder again. “Seriously though, Honoka is…good for you, I think. Just make sure you don’t get hurt. I’d hate to see that.”  
  
She leaned down and pressed her lips to Nozomi’s cheek, lingering there for a moment before she forced herself to break away and head toward the door.   
  
“Elichi!” Eli froze at the sound of Nozomi’s voice. “About my question…I need to know…”  
  
Eli took a deep breath. “You were my first love. I thought you’d be my last.” She tucked her lower lip between her teeth for a moment, the corners of her eyes stinging. “If you think I could just stop loving you you’re not as smart as I thought. But you have Honoka and I have…my Honoka. And Umi maybe. I’m…not sure about that yet.” She closed her hand around the door handle. “If I didn’t love someone else and I hadn’t already hurt you I would be back with you in a heartbeat. If you’d take me back.”  
  
“I…”  
  
Eli didn’t let Nozomi finish her sentence, slipping quietly out of the room instead. She closed the door gently behind her and took a deep breath. Having to keep Nozomi’s at arm’s length hurt her more than she wanted to think about or admit. “I hate this.”  
  
“Hate what?”  
  
Eli’s eyes sprung open and she visibly deflated when she saw Honoka. “You have really bad timing.”  
  
Honoka raised an eyebrow. “You’re not happy to see me? That hurts, Eli-senpai…”  Playfully pouting she joined her hands behind her back and rocked back on her heels. “What’s wrong?”  
  
“Wrong? Nothing.” Eli slowly relaxed into a smile. “Nothing at all. I am happy to see you. I’m always happy to see you. Especially when I see you looking like that.”  
  
Honoka’s cheeks flushed as Eli’s gaze raked over her. She wasn’t even wearing anything special, she had just thrown on some denim shorts and a shirt. “Eli-senpai, stop teasing me…”  
  
“But I love teasing you.” Eli said with a shake of her head. “You’re so cute when you get flustered, it just makes me want to…” She paused, realizing her thoughts were much too inappropriate to voice. “Anyway um…have you seen Umi? She was still training when I left. She’s determined to get strong to protect you, you know. You should make sure she doesn’t work too hard though.”  
  
“She’s not the only one.” Honoka stepped forward and reached up, gently pushing against Eli’s chin to tilt her head to the side so she could properly look at the bruise there. She winced at the painful looking area. “Did Umi-chan do this? You two shouldn’t be hurting each other, I’m going to talk to her later and…”  
  
Eli silenced Honoka by stepping forward and embracing her tightly. “Just be quiet for a minute.” She mumbled, burying her face in Honoka’s shoulder. She inhaled deeply, trying to calm herself as she felt Honoka’s arms wrap around her back.   
  
Honoka wasn’t entirely sure what she’d done to deserve such treatment but she relaxed into it anyway, reaching up to gently rub Eli’s back. She vaguely wondered if Eli’s behavior had anything to do with the fact that she’d obviously just been speaking to Nozomi. Her breath hitched as she felt a kiss being planted on her shoulder. “Eli-senpai, we’re in the middle of the hallway…”  
  
“Stop talking.” Eli whispered, scraping her teeth against soft skin. She sucked gently, causing Honoka to tighten her grip on her. “I just want to feel you for a minute.”  
  
Honoka couldn’t argue, barely able to string a thought together with Eli’s mouth on her neck. Heated hands slid under her shirt, coming to rest on her lower back. “E-E…”  
  
“Shhh.” Eli shushed gently, her fingers sliding beneath the hem of Honoka’s jean shorts at the back. “Just a minute, alright?” She pulled back to look at Honoka but as soon as she did Honoka seized her face in both hands and pulled her into a deep kiss. Surprised by the gesture, it didn’t take more than a moment for her to respond, her hands slipping further under the denim of Honoka’s shorts. She squeezed at soft flesh, inadvertently drawing Honoka even closer to her.   
  
“L-Let’s at least go somewhere else…” Honoka panted softly as she pulled back to speak. “My room?”  
  
Eli shook her head in response. “I only have so much restraint when it comes to you. If we’re alone I…”  
  
“I don’t care.” Honoka dragged Eli back into a deep kiss, her arms going around the blonde’s neck. She felt Eli’s hands slide up further and suddenly found herself pushed against the wall behind her, pinned there by the older girl’s body. She whimpered against Eli’s lips, her fingers threading into soft blonde hair. She felt Eli push her shirt up, a hand slipping underneath her bra a moment later. She arched helplessly into the touch, a gasp escaping her lips. As fingers somewhat clumsily traced the globe of her breast she felt goosebumps explode over her skin. Heat flooded south when said fingers lightly pinched. Growling under her breath she reached down and gripped the backs of Eli’s thighs, lifting her with a forced burst of strength. She spun them around, pushing the blonde against the wall and felt legs wrap smoothly around her waist. Her lips moved to Eli’s neck, teeth scraping against her pulse point.   
  
“God, Honoka…” Eli bit her lip, her head thumping back against the wall behind her. She shuddered as hands slipped down her back, into her sweatpants, mimicking her previous actions. “Hooonoka…”  
  
Honoka grinned against Eli’s skin, preparing to tease her. “Serves you ri-”  
  
“Ahem.” Honoka and Eli both froze in what they were doing, the latter slowly looking up. Her eyes widened at the sight of Kotori’s mom standing there, an awkward look on her face.   
  
Honoka seemed to tensed to even move.   
  
“Honoka, put me down!” Eli hissed, lightly hitting Honoka’s shoulder until the girl dropped her and stepped back. “Y-Yume-san, I um…it’s…”  
  
“We’re sorry!” Honoka blurted out, turning around quickly to face Kotori’s mom. “We’re really sorry, right Eli-senpai? We know this is your house and we shouldn’t, we just…”  
  
“You’re teenagers. I suppose I should expect this kind of thing.” Yume sighed and rubbed the back of her neck. “Just keep it in your pants unless you’re in your rooms, okay? As I said, I know you’re teenagers but…” She trailed off as a thought occurred to her. “Oh my god, I hope Kotori isn’t…” She shook her head, trying to rid herself of the thought. “I’ll have to talk to her about it before she does.”  
  
Honoka raised an eyebrow. “To Kotori? I think she would know more about it than any…”  
  
“Honoka!” Eli interrupted loudly, her gaze snapping toward Honoka.  
  
Honoka looked confused for a moment before her cheeks reddened in embarrassment. “Sorry.” She turned back to Yume. “Sorry, Yume-san. But I don’t think you need to talk to Kotori-chan, she’s more responsible than me and Eli-senpai. And she’s with Maki-chan. Maki-chan cares too much about Kotori-chan to take advantage.”  
  
Yume wasn’t sure that made her feel any better but she supposed it was a comfort to know that her daughter was involved with someone who cared about her as much as Maki obviously did. “Did you call Nico-chan?”  
  
Honoka nodded morosely. “Yeah. I asked her what’s happening and she said they’re still looking. She says she’ll get back to me when they find them. Hopefully it’ll be soon. I don’t like to think of Rin-chan and Hanayo-chan out there on their own…”  
  
Eli slipped her hand into Honoka’s and squeezed gently, earning herself a small smile in response. She knew that Honoka felt somewhat responsible, or at least guilty that she wasn’t out there looking for them. “Let’s go and find Umi, okay?”   
  
—  
  
Hanayo stared at Rin, concerned as her friend bent over, her hands on her knees. She was panting heavily, her face clearly flushed with exertion. They’d stopped in a dingy looking alleyway, for the first time in over an hour and Rin was clearly worn out. What Hanayo was more concerned about though was the hurriedly bandaged wound on Rin’s shoulder. Blood was already soaking through that and her shirt.   
  
“Let’s go.” Rin muttered after a moment, straightening up. “We need to outrun them…”  
  
Hanayo shook her head. “No, we need to stop…”   
  
Rin gritted her teeth and moved forward, taking Hanayo’s wrist in her hand. “No, we need to run. Now…”  
  
“NO, RIN-CHAN!” Hanayo exclaimed loudly, tears lacing her eyes. She was tired and hungry and emotionally exhausted. She could only imaging Rin felt worse. “We can’t keep running. You’re exhausted and you can’t keep carrying me with your arm like that. I’m too heavy.”  
  
“I’ll carry you for as long as it takes to get away from them, nya!” Rin retorted desperately. “Please, Kayo-chin. We have to move, we have to find the others.”  
  
“The others might be dead!” Hanayo’s voice thickened with emotion, her lower lip trembling. “This is my fault, I shouldn’t have cut myself off from everyone, I shouldn’t have dragged you with me…” She slid down the wall, burying her head in her hands. “This is all my fault.”  
  
Rin made to take a step forward but a sudden bang from the opening of the alley had her whirling around. Seeing the outlines of two figures, she backed up to stand in front of Hanayo and adopted a defensive stance.   
  
“Rin?” The shorter figure finally stepped into the alleyway, revealing herself as Nico and Rin allowed herself to slowly relax. “Finally! Where the hell are you running to?”  
  
“Language, Nico.” Takashi warned, narrowing his eyes at her. It was clear he meant the warning lightly. “Is this where my daughter gets it from?”  
  
“Maybe I get it from her. Eli curses more than I do.” Nico muttered with a roll of her eyes.   
  
“N-Nico-chan?” Hanayo stumbled to her feet and dashed across the alleyway to Nico, throwing her arms around her. “I’m so glad you’re not dead!”  
  
“I can’t die, you idiot.” Nico answered though she returned Hanayo’s embrace anyway, her hand coming to rest on the back of the crying girl’s head. She shot a glaring Rin a questioning look when Hanayo merely shook her head and hugged her tighter. “Hey, I’m fine. See? There’s nothing wrong with me.”  
  
Hanayo shook her head and pulled back to look at Nico, her eyes filled with tears. “You’re covered in blood! Did you get hurt?”  
  
Nico smiled faintly at the worried question. She couldn’t be hurt, not seriously. They all knew that and yet still Hanayo bothered to ask if she was hurt. “No. I’m okay. I’m just glad you’re both safe.”   
  
Rin gritted her teeth together. She didn’t like the way Hanayo was clinging to Nico as if someone had finally come to rescue her or something. She’d been trying her best to keep Hanayo safe. Maybe it wasn’t enough but she was doing everything she possibly could to make sure nothing happened to her friend. She noticed the man next to Nico shift slightly and tensed up again. “Who the hell are you?”  
  
Recognizing the panic and anger in Rin’s eyes, Takashi held his hands up to show he meant no harm. “I’m Eli’s father. Relax, I’m not going to hurt any of you, I’m just trying to help.”  
  
“Adults never want to help!” Rin argued angrily. “Kayo-chin, get away from them!”  
  
“Hey, don’t include me with ‘them’. I’m on your side!” Nico maneuvered Hanayo to her side so she could see Rin but so that Hanayo didn’t have to let go of her. “Or did you forget that when you were dragging Hanayo around with you?”  
  
“I was protecting her!” Rin’s eyes widened at the accusation but her surprise quickly gave way to anger again. “Screw you, Nico-ch…” She winced suddenly as burning pain shot through her arm from her shoulder. Her knees buckled and she staggered, feeling suddenly faint. She expected to stumble to the ground but instead she fell into strong arms. She looked up, finding Takashi looking down at her, her brow furrowed with worry. “Let go of me…”  
  
“No, you’re hurt.” Takashi said, his voice soft and kind. His eyes mirrored the same kindness back at her and Rin couldn’t help but notice they looked exactly like Eli’s. It didn’t make her trust him though. She tried to run but she couldn’t. She was too physically exhausted to move, let alone use her ability to get anywhere.   
  
“Nico-chan?” Hanayo’s voice was small as she lifted her head from Nico’s shoulder to look at her. “Is everyone else okay? Nobody is…hurt, are they?”  
  
Nico took a deep breath. “Before I left…Honoka’s mom was killed and her dad was taken so he’s probably dead too now. Everyone else was okay though. When Honoka called me she said that something bad had happened to her future self and…and…” She struggled to get the last name out, the familiar desperation to run to Maki’s side overwhelming her. “And Maki.”  
  
“Maki-chan is hurt?!” Hanayo looked like she was about to burst into tears all over again. “What happened?!”  
  
“I still don’t know.” Nico said somberly. “From what I’ve heard she’s in stable condition, just like Honoka’s future self. Kotori is taking care of her so I guess she’s in good hands. Kotori knows I’ll punch her if she doesn’t protect Maki.”  
  
Seeing that Nico was getting distracted by her thoughts of Maki, Takashi cleared his throat. “Nico…” He was about to suggest that they start moving while they still could but he was interrupted by the sound of screeching tires. Looking back, he found a car tearing down the alleyway toward them and quickly scooped Rin into his arms, leaping out of the way into the air. He hovered there after, using his ability to keep himself and Rin levitated.   
  
He looked toward Nico just in time to see her throw herself against Hanayo, pushing her out of the way of the incoming car. The force pushed Hanayo hard and she stumbled over a loose paving slab, falling to the floor. She cried out loudly in pain as Nico landed on top of her, her hair ties loosely coming undone, allowing her black hair to freely fall upon her shoulder blades.  
  
“KAYO-CHIN!” Rin yelled, struggling against Takashi’s hold even in her weakened state.   
  
Nico was on her feet in seconds, positioning herself in front of Hanayo who was clutching at her ankle in agony. “Get her out of here!” She called to Takashi who hesitated before nodding his agreement.   
  
“NO! NO, I WON’T LEAVE KAYO-CHIN!” Rin fought against Takashi with everything she had left. It wasn’t much. “KAYO-CHIN!”  
  
Takashi didn’t find it all that difficult to keep hold of the weakly struggling teenager. With a deep breath and one look back, he focused on his ability and flew off with Rin, ignoring her screams for Hanayo.   
  
“Don’t worry.” Nico slid the hair band that had fallen from her hair earlier from her wrist to her hand and reached up to tie her hair into a high ponytail. “I’ll protect you with my life. Or at least with my body.”  
  
Hanayo gaped at Nico in shock, surprised by how adult she suddenly looked. Her eyes were narrowed with anger, her fists clenched at her sides. “Nico-chan…” Her voice was quivering with nerves as she watched four men pile out of the car, their guns trained on them.   
  
“I’d like to see them try.” Nico glanced back at Hanayo, flashing her a quick smile. “Stay behind me and keep your head down.”  
  
Hanayo watched as Nico turned back to the men but she quickly did as she had been asked, ducking her head. She couldn’t take her hand from her ankle though. It was throbbing too much with pain. She involuntarily cried out in alarm as gunshots echoed around her. She looked up through her fingers to see that Nico had spread her arms out at each side to take the bullets.   
  
“How many times do I have to tell you idiots?” Nico growled angrily. Her clothes were sticky with blood now, annoying her further but the wounds caused by the bullets were already healing. “I’m immortal. Bullets don’t do anything to me.”  
  
“Your friend behind you isn’t immortal though, is she?” A man at the front challenged smugly, trying to aim past Nico at Hanayo. “I bet she’d die real easily. A shot to head and she’s dead, just like that.”  
  
Nico gritted her teeth but forced a cocky smile to her lips. “Clearly you don’t know me. If you hurt any of my friends you’ll be wishing for death after I’m through with you.”   
  
One of the other men, clearly lower in rank, cleared his throat. “Shuu-san, we have to take them both back alive.”  
  
“Unless they put up a fight.” The first man, who Nico now knew to be ‘Shuu’ announced. “In which case we’re free to use lethal force. The girl isn’t important anyway.”  
  
Nico took the opportunity to glance at Hanayo while the men were distracted. “Can you run?” She asked quietly though she already knew the answer. It didn’t even look like Hanayo could stand. Indeed, the first year answered with a solemn shake of her head.   
  
“Nico-chan…”  
  
“It’s okay, I’ll think of something.” Nico turned back to the four men, focusing her attention on the man she assumed to be the leader. “Why have you been ordered to take us back?”  
  
Shuu rolled his eyes. “For your powers. Obviously. Sonoda-san is very interested in your ability especially, Yazawa.”  
  
Nico huffed out an angry sigh and looked back at Hanayo. She was sniffling quietly, her gaze locked on her. “Fine!” She announced, turning back to the men. “How about a deal then? You know you’ll never take me in alive. If I go with you voluntarily, you have to let my friend go. You don’t need her, her power is weak. Sonoda probably didn’t even mention her, did she?”  
  
One of the men from the back ambled forward, looking a bit anxious.   
  
Shuu glanced at the other men and they shook their heads in response. “Fair enough. We’ll let you friend go. Kohaku, secure the prisoner.”  
  
“NO!” Hanayo cried out. “Nico-chan, NO! You can’t go with them, you don’t know what they’ll do to you! P-Please, just leave me and run!”  
  
Nico scoffed and turned to Hanayo. “What kind of senpai would I be if I just abandoned you?” As her hands were dragged behind her back it took every bit of willpower she had not to attack the man cuffing her.   
  
Hanayo shook her head, tears in her eyes. “Nico-chan, they’ll kill you! O-Or they’ll hurt you, I-I don’t want to…” She bowed her head, her shoulders shaking with sobs. “I don’t want to lose you too.”  
  
Nico shot Hanayo a sympathetic look but there was little else she could do given the situation they were in. If she didn’t go they would certainly hurt Hanayo, maybe even kill her. “I’m sorry.”  
  
Kohaku looked over at Hanayo, a smirk playing at his lips. “Do you want to come? It’s your choice. There’s no need to let her go alone if you don’t want to.”  
  
“What?!” Nico turned her head sharply to the left though she couldn’t see much of the dark haired man behind her. “No way. No fucking way, that wasn’t the deal!” She turned back to Hanayo. “Hanayo, don’t listen to him. As soon as we leave you need to get out of here. As fast as you can. I’m not kidding around here, I…”  
  
“I-I want to stay with Nico-chan.” Hanayo sniffled softly. The idea of going wherever the men wanted to take Nico terrified her but she couldn’t just leave her friend. “I can’t leave you with them.”  
  
“Of course you can! I’m…it doesn’t matter!” Nico exclaimed loudly. “Hanayo, you can’t do this! I won’t let you do this!”  
  
“I WILL!” Hanayo yelled in frustration. “I will do it! Don’t tell me what I can’t do. I don’t always have to be the one who’s protected! I-I want to be the one to protect someone for a change. I want to protect you!”  
  
“Alright, alright. If she’s coming, handcuff her!” Shuu ordered loudly. It seemed to spur another of the men into action as he hurried forward and dragged Hanayo to her feet. She cried out in pain, lifting her injured foot off the ground.   
  
Nico growled angrily, low in her throat. “If you hurt her…”  
  
“You’ll what?” The man laughed carelessly. “Kill me? You’re not so scary anymore, all tied up and helpless. I can do anything I want. Like…” He reared back his fist and punched Hanayo in the stomach, earning himself a cry of pain. Her knees buckled but he dragged her back to her feet.   
  
“BASTARD!” Nico threw herself forward, trying to get to the smug looking agent but she was quickly pulled back toward her captor. “GET OFF ME, YOU…” She trailed off as she felt a prick at her side. She looked down in time to see a needle. It only took a moment for her vision to begin to swim and before she knew it everything had turned black.   
  
—-

Kotori’s heart was in her throat as she hurried down the hallway, frantically searching for Maki. The redhead had wandered off yet again without her noticing. She had only been in the bathroom for a few minutes, having decided to take a quick shower but Maki had disappeared again, from right under her nose. She was supposed to be watching her, to make sure nothing happened to her and she couldn’t even do that right.   
  
She paused in the middle of the hallway, catching the sound of a piano playing nearby. Her brow furrowed slightly at the sound but she didn’t waste any time in following it to one of the nearby rooms. The door was opened a crack and the room was dark, the only sliver of light that shone through coming from the window. It spilled over the top of the piano Maki was sitting at, the gentle glow making parts of Maki’s hair strikingly bright.   
  
Kotori leaned against the doorway, breathing a gentle sigh of relief. She stood there for a few minutes, letting the sound of Maki’s playing wash over her. It was exquisite, as always, but she shouldn’t have been surprised by that. It always was when Maki played. It was only when the younger girl’s hands stilled on the keys that Kotori awkwardly cleared her throat.   
  
Maki flinched and Kotori hurried to reassure her. “It’s just me!” She stepped further into the room, hoping Maki would calm down. “I thought…” She hesitated, not wanting to tell Maki what she’d really thought.   
  
Maki’s hands curled into fists. “I don’t want to see anyone right now.”  
  
“Nobody knows where we are so…”   
  
“Especially you.” Maki cut Kotori off again, her tone sharp. She clenched her jaw, feeling a lump forming in her throat. “Please just go away.”

Kotori stared at Maki intently for a moment. It hurt to hear her say that, even knowing Maki didn’t really mean it. At least she didn’t mean it as an insult. “Do you really want me to go?”  
  
Maki’s lips formed a thin line as she nodded. There was a beat of silence before she spoke. “I just want everyone to leave me alone and stop treating me like a child. I don’t need you. Any of you.”  
  
Kotori mimicked Maki’s nod, as if she understood what she was saying. “I’ll leave you alone in a minute but before I go, I want to give you something.” She moved toward the piano bench and straddled it so that she was sitting down, facing Maki. “Look at me.”  
  
“I can’t look at anything, remember?” Maki asked scornfully. When Kotori merely sighed in response, Maki turned her head toward her. “Fine…”  
  
“Thank you.” Kotori whispered, leaning in. She reached behind Maki’s head and carefully untucked her bandages, only pausing when Maki flinched in surprise. “Just trust me, okay?” She waited for a hesitant nod before she went back to what she was doing, slowly unravelling the bandages from around Maki’s head. She set them on the piano when she was done. Maki still had her eyes screwed shut. “Can you open your eyes for me, Maki-chan? It’s dark in here.”  
  
Maki took a shuddering breath and hesitantly opened her eyes.   
  
“There we go.” Kotori’s voice was soothing, as if she was talking to a child. Somehow it just made Maki’s chest tighter.   
  
Kotori stared into Maki’s eyes, longing to see them focused and back to their usually vibrant color. They were a dull lilac now, not focused on her at all. She felt her eyes sting with oncoming moisture and stubbornly blinked. “Okay…” She took out the pair of dark shades in her pocket and carefully put them on Maki. “They should help with the pain. And you won’t feel as odd if you don’t have bandages on.” She watched as Maki touched the sunglasses warily. “You know I’m always going to be here for you, Maki-chan. We’ve spent enough time apart already, don’t you think so?”  
  
Maki’s lower lip trembled. “You should be with someone who you’re in love with. Someone…not like me, someone you don’t have to babysit all of the time.”  
  
Perplexed, Kotori frowned at Maki. “But I do love…” She released a squeak of alarm as Maki reached out and grabbed the front of her shirt, dragging her into a hard kiss. Her eyes widened but it didn’t take her more than a moment to relax into the kiss. Maki’s hands were cupping her face, soft lips moving against her own, a tongue parting her lips for deeper access. Her arms went around Maki’s neck as the younger girl pulled her close to her.   
  
“Mmph, Maki-chan…” Kotori put up a weak protest but she didn’t resist when Maki pulled her into her lap. She melted back into the kiss instead, her fingers sliding into deep red hair. She suddenly felt too warm, even in the slightly chilly room. She was disappointed when Maki pulled away from her although it didn’t last long as Maki’s lips found her neck. She inhaled sharply but Maki merely pressed a gentle kiss to the skin of her neck. It was almost chaste but Kotori’s heart raced at the feeling.   
  
“Stop talking to me like I’m a child.” Maki said, her voice small. For the first time Kotori noticed how tight Maki’s grip on her shirt was. “I’m not a child. I’m your gir…your…your lover and that’s how I want you to treat me. Not like I’m your kōhai..”  
  
“M-My lover?” Kotori’s face heated up at the terminology. Against her neck she could feel the warmth of Maki’s blush too. “B-But we’re not…”  
  
“We are.” Maki intentionally scraped her teeth against Kotori’s neck, drawing a surprised moan from her. The sound had her shuddering in response, holding Kotori tighter to her. “We’re together until you decide we’re not, right? Until you decide I’m not the kind of person you want or you go back to Honoka.”  
  
Kotori’s silence led her to believe the second year agreed. She couldn’t see that Kotori was busy trying to gather herself. “Kotori?” Still Kotori didn’t answer and Maki feared she might have spoken too soon. Maybe Kotori was thinking of how to end things right then and there. “Koto-nee?”  
  
The plea filled murmur of Maki’s childhood nickname for her broke Kotori free from her distraction and she quickly shook her head. “Huh?” She pulled back, her hands going to Maki’s shoulders. She rubbed comfortingly, trying to soothe her. “Oh, don’t worry, Maki-chan. I just spaced out for a moment.” She leaned in, kissing Maki’s forehead. “Promise me you’ll come and find me if you need me?”  
  
Maki bit her lip to hold back what she really wanted to say and nodded instead. She let her hands fall to her sides, letting Kotori slide off her lap. Catching the sound of Kotori’s breathing, she tilted her head slightly. “Your breathing is off…”  
  
“O-Oh really?” Kotori laughed nervously. “H-How do you know?”  
  
“Now that my sight is gone, my other senses are…amplified. I can hear better, smell better, taste better…” Maki answered quietly. It was hardly something she was happy about. She’d rather have her sight back. She licked her lips at the thought. Her gaze was unfocused but trained on where she knew Kotori to be standing. Her brow furrowed slightly. “I can hear your heartbeat too, even from here. It just skipped a beat.”  
  
“How…?” Kotori pressed her hand to her chest. “Your ability…?”  
  
“I don’t know.” Maki said honestly. It had crossed her mind that her ability might be adapting to her sudden impairment. “Maybe. My other senses just seem to be taking over. Whenever I smell you or taste you I can almost see you in my mind. Whenever I think about you, I can almost…almost feel you and taste you. Like you’re right here with me.”  
  
Kotori released a sound that was somewhere between a squeak and an embarrassed moan. “I-I really have to go!” Bowing her head, she quickly fled the room, trying to ignore the tension in her lower stomach. “Damn it, Maki-chan…”  
  
She hurried down the hall, almost bumping into Umi as her friend was leaving the bathroom Kotori was trying to enter.   
  
“Whoa! Where are you going in such a hurry?” Umi asked with a small laugh. “Didn’t you just shower this morning?”  
  
“Shut up, Umi-chan!” Kotori growled frustratedly. She was forced to a stop when a hand grabbed her wrist.   
  
“Hey, what did I do?” Umi asked, surprised by Kotori’s comment. “I was kidding.”  
  
“I’m sorry, I’m just…” Kotori blushed and looked guiltily to her feet. “I-I was just with Maki-chan and she kissed me and well…” She looked up to see if Umi was understanding her but her best friend just looked confused. “I need a cold shower.”  
  
“Oh…Oh!” Umi’s eyes widened when she finally seemed to understand. “I uh…right. I…”  
  
“Don’t say anything, it’s embarrassing!” Kotori protested when Umi paused to find words. “I just can’t help it!” She was clearly flustered by her own feelings and Umi couldn’t help but smile at the thought. Usually it was the other way around. “Maki-chan used to be so cute! How does someone grow into that after being so cute?!”  
  
“Uh…” Umi wasn’t sure what she could say to help but it was too late anyway as Kotori had turned and rushed into the bathroom, closing the door behind her.   
  
Chuckling to herself, Umi leaned back against the wall next to the door and resigned herself to waiting for Kotori to finish. She listened to the sound of the shower running for a few minutes until she was distracted by two people turning the corner. She brightened at the sight of Honoka, her mood only a little bit dampened by the fact that Eli was with her.   
  
The blonde was sticking close to Honoka, playfully trying to flatten her hair down as they walked.   
  
“Leave my hair alone.” Honoka complained though she didn’t seem to be making much of an attempt to duck out of Eli’s way.   
  
“It’s such a mess though.” Eli sounded happier than she had in a long time, Umi couldn’t help but notice as she watched the two of them. “Just let me fix it for you, come on…”  
  
“It’s your fault.” Honoka complained feebly. “If you’d keep your hands out of my hair, maybe it wouldn’t be a mess.”  
  
“I can’t help it, your hair is just so soft.” Eli answered with a grin. “Besides, you look hot with sex hair.”  
  
Honoka blushed at the wink the blonde shot her. “Senpai!”  
  
Umi sighed loudly as the two approached. “You really can’t keep your hands off her, can you?” She asked Eli. She reached out and took Honoka’s hand, drawing her close.   
  
Eli pouted at the gesture and crossed her arms in front of her chest as she stopped with them.   
  
“I think we need to talk to Kotori.” Umi said to Honoka. “She’s um…well she said that she’s having some issues with Maki. I think um…when it comes to wanting to do uh…” She winced, feeling her cheeks flush. “Wanting to do sexual things with her but having to hold back.”  
  
“I know how she feels.” Eli muttered, her gaze lingering on Honoka.   
  
Honoka felt the stare and glanced over at Eli, flashing her a small smile. “We’ll talk to her together. The three of us. If Eli-senpai knows how Kotori-chan feels she can help.”  
  
Umi, though slightly begrudgingly, nodded and turned to Eli. “What do you think we should do?”  
  
Eli was surprised but she hid it well. “We should talk to her later. If she’s…worked up she won’t want us crowding around the bathroom, waiting for her.”  
  
Umi hesitated before giving a nod of her head. “Let’s go back to our room then.” She noticed Honoka looking worriedly at Eli and sighed in response. “You’re welcome to join us, Eli.”  
  
“Really?” Eli asked in surprise, having not expected the offer. “Um… I have nothing else to do so I guess I will. Thanks Umi.” She glanced between Umi and Honoka before she left for the bedroom.   
  
Umi was about to follow but she was stopped by Honoka stepping close and kissing her hard. When Honoka pulled away slightly she barely managed to open her eyes before her girlfriend was kissing her again. They were only brief but they still left her lips tingling.   
  
“Thank you.” Honoka said gratefully, her eyes sparkling with happiness for a change. “You’re the best girlfriend ever.” She kissed Umi again before she moved off after Eli, calling for her to wait.   
  
“More like a pushover where you’re concerned.” Umi muttered before she followed the two of them. She watched as Honoka caught up to Eli, wrapping her arms around her from behind as they walked. Eli laughed in response and glanced back at Honoka, reaching up to gently ruffle her hair.   
  
Umi couldn’t help but smile. It was complicated, given that they both had feelings for Honoka, but she didn’t want Eli to be unhappy. She didn’t want any of her friends to be unhappy.   
—  
  
Hanayo woke to a heavy feeling in her limbs, as though she was being pushed down on whatever she was lying on. She tried to turn her head but paused when pain shot through it. Deciding it would be best to just lie still and wait for the pain to pass, she focused on breathing. Trying to figure out what hurt the most, she quickly deduced that her ankle was throbbing with pain. Her side hurt too but not as much as her ankle did.   
  
She focused, trying to remember when she had managed to get hurt. She had been running, with Rin and then they had found Nico again. The remaining memories of the encounter flooded back to her and her eyes shot open in alarm.   
  
“Nico-chan…” She gasped, finding herself staring at a darkened ceiling. “What…?” She tried to move but cried out as pain shot through her ribs. It hurt too much to even move. “Nico-chan…” She curled in on herself, deciding it would be the best way to ease the pain in her side . It didn’t help and she struggled to catch her breath as hot tears leaked onto her arm.   
  
“Hanayo.” Nico’s gravelly voice was suddenly right near her ear and Hanayo focused on it as though it was the only thing that could keep her going. There was a hand gently stroking the top of her head and she fixated on that too, trying to gather herself. “Hanayo. I’m here, I’ve got you.”  
  
“Nico-chan…” Hanayo murmured.   
  
“How could you be so damn stupid?!” Nico asked, her voice trembling with both anger and fear. “You should have just run like I told you to. Now they’re going to…”  
  
Hanayo heard Nico’s voice crack, the sound taking her mind completely off her pain. Nico never got emotional. She wiped her eyes against her forearm and looked up, ready to tell Nico that she would never have left her. That if she had there was no way she wouldn’t have hated herself for it. Her words caught in her throat when she caught sight of the older girl, leaning close to her.  
  
Nico’s face was bruised and bloody, her lip alarmingly swollen. She was wearing some kind of sleeveless hospital gown and Hanayo could see her arms were bandaged. Where there were no bandages, there was cuts and bruises, some of them deep and some of them superficial. The neckline of the gown was quite baggy too and Hanayo could see yet another bandage covering her chest, going up to her neck.   
  
She stared at the cuts, waiting for them to disappear but they didn’t. “N-Nico-chan, you’re not healing. H-How…?”  
  
Nico shrugged her shoulders. “Guess who got to try out the so called ‘cure’ first? It’s funny, they said that their test animals die immediately when given it. Guess they knew my ability would hinder it, at least for a little while.”  
  
Despite her previous efforts to brush them away, tears formed in Hanayo’s eyes. “Nico-chan, I’m scared. What’s going to happen to us? To you?”  
  
“Don’t worry.” The hand, which had stilled upon Hanayo’s head, resumed it’s gentle stroking of her hair. “I’m going to get you out of here.”  
  
“You mean us, right?” Hanayo asked shakily. “Nico-chan? This isn’t going to…you’re not going to die, right? W-We’re both going to get out.”  
  
“Sure.” Nico clenched her jaw and turned her face away, trying to hide how she really felt. She wasn’t going anywhere, she knew that. She just had to get Hanayo out before she ran out of time. 


	29. Chapter 29

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for the comments and reviews guys, they really mean a lot! Hope you enjoy this chapter. 
> 
> Warning for...angst? I think that's it.

Umi tapped her foot against the floor, her gaze lingering on the door across the room. It felt like it had been an age since Kotori had decided to take a shower but she supposed it couldn’t have been more than fifteen minutes or so. It was just her worrying that made it seem to be taking longer, she told herself.   
  
If she was honest she wasn’t even sure why she was worrying so much. There was nothing serious wrong with Kotori. She supposed it was because she hadn’t been there for her best friend all that much lately. She had been too busy with her own problems to pay much attention. Even when Kotori had been trying to help her she hadn’t paid attention. It seemed it was guilt that was making her so hellbent on helping in some way.   
  
With a sigh, she glanced over at Honoka and Eli. They didn’t seem quite as concerned as she was. In fact Eli didn’t seem to be worried at all. With her head in Honoka’s lap, she looked completely carefree. It irritated Umi though she supposed that she should be glad to see Eli so happy. It made a change from her usual attitude. 

She spotted Eli peppering kisses over Honoka’s bare thigh where her shorts ended and narrowed her eyes slightly. Honoka giggled in response to the gesture and halfheartedly swatted Eli’s shoulder to get her to stop. “Do you mind? I’m sitting right here.”

Honoka’s eyes darted to Umi, her expression quickly turning guilty. “I’m sorry Umi-chan. You can come over and sit with us if you want to. Why are you all the way over there?”  
  
“Yeah, why are you?” Eli chimed in, raising an eyebrow. “I don’t have a problem with you being over here, you know?”  
  
Umi gave a heavy sigh but obediently crawled over the bed to sit next to Honoka. She rested her head on her shoulder and spoke in a whisper so Eli couldn’t hear. “I’m your girlfriend.”  
  
“I know.” Honoka ran her fingers gently through Umi’s hair to soothe her. “I’m sorry. I just like being close to both of my girls.”  
  
“We’re not your girls.” Umi said with a roll of her eyes even as she pressed closer to Honoka. She didn’t want to admit it but she was worried that if she backed off too much she really would lose Honoka as her girlfriend. “You need to stop saying that.”  
  
“Speak for yourself.” Eli pushed herself up on her elbows and smirked at an unimpressed Umi. “I kind of like it.”  
  
“Of course you do.” Umi muttered, aggravation evident in her voice. Eli couldn’t feel the same jealousy that she felt. Honoka was her girlfriend, not Eli’s.   
  
“Calm down, I’m just joking, you know.” Eli reached out and curled her hand around Umi’s wrist, giving a light tug to pull her closer to Honoka. “It’s true though. We are hers.”  
  
Honoka gave a sheepish laugh. “It sounds odd when you say it, Eli-senpai. I didn’t mean to make it sound like I own either of you or anything…”  
  
Umi blushed at Honoka’s words and looked down at her lap. Eli’s hand was still gently holding onto her wrist but she did nothing to pull away. She swallowed thickly, trying to figure out what to say but before she could, the door across the room opened and Kotori walked in. Her hair was wet, held up in a loose bun. Her eyes widened when she noticed the three of them.

  
“O-Oh, I’m sorry! I can come back if…”  
  
“No, it’s fine!” Umi said quickly, patting the space in front of her. “Sit down.”  
  
Kotori hesitated for a moment before she shuffled her way into the bedroom and sat down where Umi had gestured for her to sit. She was silent for a long moment, glancing between the three of them. She couldn’t help but feel slightly jealous as she watched Eli sit up but stay close to Honoka. That was her space. She was Honoka’s other best friend. Her girfriend, even, in the future. She quickly shook the thought off. Now that she had Maki she wasn’t sure how that was going to work. The idea of ever losing the redhead terrified her. “Um…”  
  
“So Umi was saying you’re having sex issues?” Eli asked bluntly.   
  
“ELI!” Umi exclaimed while Kotori visibly recoiled, her cheeks flushing a dark shade of pink in response to the question. “Why would you…? We’re suppose to be gentle!”  
  
Eli smiled sheepishly. “Sorry.” She muttered before she turned to Kotori. “It’s nothing to be embarrassed about, you know?”  
  
“It is! Maki-chan is…well she’s younger than me a-and…” Kotori looked appalled with herself, burying her head in her hands. “Neither of us are ready for that and I don’t want to mess everything up. I want to take things slowly to make sure I do this right and I’m not thinking about someone else when I’m with her. I want to just…I want to keep it innocent but it’s hard when Maki-chan…”  
  
“Looks the same age as me, despite being fifteen.” Eli concluded with a knowing nod of her head.   
  
Kotori nodded miserably. “I don’t want to do it either. I know it’s something I’ll do when I’m ready and I know I’m with the right person but Maki-chan is…I can’t help myself when she makes moves on me.”  
  
“Makes moves?” Honoka leaned forward slightly, clearly intrigued. “What did she do?”  
  
Kotori bit her lip. It wasn’t exactly pleasant to have to talk to Honoka about this. She needed her best friends though. “Sh-She pulled me into her lap a-and…well…”  
  
“You can stop.” Umi said quickly, seeing Kotori’s discomfort. She motioned to her neck. “I think it’s kind of obvious…”  
  
Kotori’s eyes widened as she realized what Umi was referring to. “Don’t look, Umi-chan!” She quickly clamped her hand down on the mark on her neck and slumped down a bit, whimpering pitifully. “It’s so embarrassing…”  
  
Honoka untangled herself from Eli and Umi and moved forward, wrapping her arms around Kotori instead. “Don’t worry, I felt the same way with Umi-chan.” She remembered vividly how afraid she’d been of her own feelings when she’d had her first real encounter with Umi in her bedroom. She gave a gentle laugh at the thought. “I’ll tell you about it when she’s not listening. That’s just embarrassing…” She turned her gaze to Umi who was watching her with wide eyes, clearly trying to pinpoint when she had made Honoka feel that way.   
  
Honoka shrugged in response before she glanced at Eli, finding the blonde staring at her with a slightly troubled expression. She thought of Eli’s words to her earlier and shuddered despite herself. Umi wasn’t the only person who could make her feel like that. “I…”  
  
Honoka trailed off but Eli knew what she wanted to say. She gave a short nod, a gentle smile tugging at her lips as she allowed herself to relax. She opened her mouth to reassure Kotori again but she was cut off by the sound of raised voices.   
  
She shared a worried look with Umi as Eli quickly shuffled off the bed in response to the sound.   
  
“Stay here.” Eli warned, glancing back at Honoka, Umi and Kotori. “Umi, let’s check it out.”  
  
Umi nodded and briefly placed her hand on Honoka’s shoulder, giving it a gentle squeeze before she headed to the door with Eli.   
  
“Like hell am I letting you go out there alone.” Honoka announced, sliding off the bed. “I’m the leader, remember? You can’t tell me what to do.” She held her hand out to Kotori who took it, allowing herself to be hauled off the bed. “And splitting up is a really dumb idea.”  
  
“…Don’t know why you can’t just let me protect you for once.” Eli muttered though she didn’t argue as the four of them made their way out of the room and moved quickly toward the stairs. They moved down them carefully, wary of what they would find at the bottom.   
  
Eli was somewhat relieved to find her father and Rei arguing in the foyer. “Dad, what’s goin…Rin?!” Her eyes widened at the sight of the girl struggling in Takashi’s arms.   
  
“LET ME GO!” Rin was doing nothing to keep her voice down, nor was she holding herself back physically. Despite her shoulder she was struggling fiercely in Takashi’s arms, kicking and hitting at anything she could reach. “I NEED TO FIND KAYO-CHIN!”  
  
“How the hell could you just let them take her?!” Rei was asking, her voice loud, both with anger and to be heard over Rin’s none stop yelling. “If there’s one of them we need it’s Nico, don’t you understand that?!”  
  
Takashi was finding it hard to focus on anything while Rin was fighting him. “What?! Rei-chan, what’s wrong with you? We need to get the kid some medical attention and then we can go and find Nico-chan and her friend.”  
  
“What happened to Nico-chan and Hanayo-chan?” Honoka asked anxiously, taking a step forward. She couldn’t bear to lose anyone else. “Are they on their way?”  
  
“How is Maki going to get her sight back if we don’t have Nico?!” Rei’s voice was getting progressively louder as she stepped closer to Takashi and a struggling Rin. “We NEED HER!”  
  
Takashi gave Rei a perplexed look. “Rei-chan, come on. She told me to leave!” He grunted when Rin managed to strike him in the ribs with her elbow. “Damn it…are you going to help me with her or not?!”  
  
“WHAT HAPPENED TO HANAYO-CHAN AND NICO-CHAN?!” Honoka yelled, momentarily silencing everyone in the room. They quickly went back to arguing though.   
  
“Damn it, we need her!” Rei was reiterating. “Maki needs her! How are we meant to find her if…” She trailed off suddenly, her gaze focusing beyond Honoka, Umi and Eli. “Yume? Are you okay?”  
  
Honoka looked over her shoulder, finding Kotori’s mom standing a few feet away, her hands grasping her head. “Yume-san…”  
  
“Mom?!” Kotori exclaimed frantically, stepping toward Honoka. Behind her mother she could see Yukiho and Arisa hovering nervously. “What’s going on?”  
  
Yume didn’t seem to hear. She forced her eyes open to look at Rei and spoke in a gruff, forced tone. “They’re in a facility. I saw them…I don’t know where. Just that…Nico’s being tested or something…”  
  
“WHAT?!” Honoka’s voice rose again in panic, her eyes darting back to Takashi. “H-How…HOW COULD YOU LET THAT HAPPEN? WE HAVE TO GO AND GET THEM. RIGHT NOW!”  
  
Eli and Umi each grabbed one of Honoka’s hands, dragging her backwards as she tried to dart for the door.   
  
“That’s what I’ve been saying!” Rin finally fell still in Takashi’s arms, apparently glad someone was agreeing with her. “Let’s go, nya!”  
  
Honoka nodded and tried to pull away from Umi and Eli to go to the door.   
  
“Damn it, Honoka.” Eli let go of Honoka’s hand and grabbed her around the waist instead, pulling her flush against her. “You’re not going anywhere without me.”  
  
“Or me.” Umi piped up seriously, tightening her grip on Honoka’s hand.   
  
“Where is everyone going?”  
  
Kotori turned quickly at the sound of Maki’s voice, finding her coming down the stairs, clutching the handrail as she descended. “Maki-chan…”  
  
“We’re going to get Kayo-chin and Nico-chan, nya!” Rin answered forcefully. “Sensei says they’re in a facility so we need to get them! We can’t just leave Kayo-chin behind.”  
  
Maki’s brow furrowed slightly in confusion as she paused on the stairs. “Are you hurt?”  
  
Rin stubbornly shook her head. “I’m just sore, it’s nothing, nya!” She finally fell still. “Let me down!”  
  
Takashi sighed and set Rin down on her feet though he stayed poised to catch her in case she stumbled. “She was shot and she fractured her shoulder earlier. I think she was running around carrying your friend.”  
  
Rei, who had fallen silent, trying to absorb the information, finally spoke up. “Get her to one of the infirmary rooms. I’ll look her over in a while.”  
  
“No!” Rin exclaimed quickly. “I have to go and save Kayo-chin, she’s hurt!”  
  
“You can’t go like this, you’re hurt.” Kotori answered with a shake of her head. “I’ll go instead.”  
  
“NO!” Maki and Yume protested in unison. Maki hastened down the stairs toward Kotori, stumbling on the last two steps. She lurched forward and Kotori reached for her, catching her before she could end up on the floor.   
  
“You can’t.” Maki said, not looking up at Kotori. “You can’t go, you’ll get hurt or killed o-or captured! You can’t seriously be thinking about going with them.”  
  
“I agree.” Yume chimed in despite finding it hard to focus on anything.   
  
“I need to protect Honoka.” Kotori gave a shake of her head. She regretted her answer when hurt flashed across Maki’s face. “And you know someone needs to get in there unseen to let the others in. Only I can do that.”  
  
“I don’t want you to go.”  
  
Kotori winced slightly as Maki’s grip on her arms tightened. “Maki-chan, you’re hurting me.” The tight hold instantly loosened but Maki didn’t let go completely. “I’ll be fine. I’ll be with Eli-chan, Honoka-chan and Umi-chan.”  
  
“That’s what I’m worried about! I don’t…” Maki bowed her head, biting her lower lip. “I don’t trust them to keep you safe. You’re too important, you’re…” A lump former in her throat and she forcefully swallowed against it. “I want to go with you but I can’t. I would just be a liability like this.”  
  
“Don’t worry.” Kotori cupped Maki’s chin, gently lifting her face. “I’m going to come back home to you, no matter what. I swear.” She leaned in and gently pressed her lips to Maki’s, allowing them to linger for a long moment. She felt Maki’s hands clench the sleeves of her shirt as the redhead kissed her back. It was fleeting, before Kotori slowly pulled away. “I will be back. I promise.”  
  
Takashi raised an eyebrow while Yume visibly twitched at the display. Rei was too busy muttering to herself to notice what had happened. Rin looked confused but she didn’t seem to be in a rush to question what was going on.   
  
“Can we go now?!” Honoka exclaimed impatiently, trying to draw away from Eli’s embrace.   
  
“Of course you can’t go!” Takashi finally spoke up, He glanced between Rei and Yume. “We’re not letting them go, they’re teenagers!”  
  
Honoka growled low in her throat at the disruption. She felt rather than heard Eli shush her as the blonde pressed her nose against her neck.   
  
Yume nodded in agreement. “I don’t think it’s a good idea either, Rei.”  
  
“We need Nico.” Rei spoke reluctantly. She sighed, running a frustrated hand through her hair. “We don’t have any choice. My ability’s too passive to get us in. So is yours. And his.” She jerked her head in the direction of Takashi who glared back at her. “They can go. They need to go even if we don’t want them to.”  
  
“Easy for you to say when it’s not your daughter in the line of fire!” Takashi retorted without thinking about what he was saying. He watched as Rei’s expression twisted into anger. “Rei-chan, I…” He took a faltering step back as Rei started toward him, her fists clenched. The redhead was cut off by Yume jumping into her path though, holding her hands out to stop her.   
  
“Rei, don’t! Fighting isn’t going to help anyone.” Yume grimaced, one hand hand moving back to her head. “He’s just worried. I can understand that…”  
  
Takashi breathed a sigh of relief. It was just like Yume to take the role of mediator between him and Rei. She’d done it so many times before. “I’m just saying, it’s not just about us losing them. Who knows what might happen if they get captured. Especially the time manipulator.”  
  
“I don’t care if I do!” Honoka retorted, still trying to squirm away from Eli. “I’d rather my friends were safe.”  
  
“Shush, Honoka.” Umi gave Honoka’s hand a warning squeeze. “Don’t say things like that.”  
  
It didn’t seem like any of the adults were listening though as Takashi continued, more confident now. He knew Rei wouldn’t hurt Yume to get to him, especially when she was clearly in so much pain already. “Do you really want them to go through what we did?! The only reason we got out was because of Yume-chan, Jin and Irina!”  
  
“Don’t talk to me about those two.” Rei briefly clenched her teeth as she stared daggers at Takashi. “They might have helped us get out but it was my damn arranged marriage that stopped us being test subjects! Clearly you see it as a good thing but…”  
  
“Bullshit!” Takashi’s voice echoed around the room. “You don’t think I wanted to hurt the bastard every time I saw him touch you o-or look at you?!”  
  
Eli flinched at her father’s tone. It wasn’t like him to get angry and yell. She felt Honoka finally fall still in her arms for just a moment before the younger girl turned around and pressed into her, her arms going around her in a loose embrace.   
  
“Then why DIDN’T YOU?!” Rei yelled angrily, her fists clenched at her sides. “Why did you let me go!? Why did you let him…” She trailed off, her eyes narrowing. Her voice was lower when she spoke next. “You’re a damn coward. You always have been.”  
  
Maki flinched and pressed close to Kotori, grasping at the girl’s shirt to hold herself to her. The mental image of her mother, quite a bit younger and wearing a wedding dress as Takashi let go of her hand, filled her mind. She pressed her face into Kotori’s neck, trying to rid herself of the memory. She didn’t know which of them was thinking about it.   
  
“Rei-chan…” Takashi’s voice was soft, a stark comparison to his earlier yelling. “If you’d…”  
  
“I need to be alone.” Rei shook her head and moved forward, shoving her way past Takashi as she went. Her eyes brimmed with tears she refused to let fall. “We’ll talk about the plan to save Nico tomorrow!”  
  
“And Kayo-chin!” Rin called after her angrily. The door to Yume’s office slammed shut right after, the sound seeming to reverberate through the house.   
  
There was a moment of silence before Takashi spoke, his voice a defeated whisper. “I need to be alone too.” He walked away, keeping his gaze downcast to the ground.   
  
When Eli made to follow, Honoka reluctantly let go of her, letting her go after her dad.   
—-  
  
Hanayo woke to the sound of someone crying softly across the room. She lay still, listening to the unfamiliar sound as she stared at the white wall she was huddled close to. She did it for warmth mostly. While they had been given beds and blankets, the blankets were only thin so she’d taken to curling into a ball when she slept.   
  
It had been three days, she thought, since they had been taken. She was sure that was how long it had been but with nothing to do all of the days blended together. There wasn’t much of a schedule either besides when Nico was taken. It seemed to happen at the same time every day. Nico would be led out of their ‘room’ and taken somewhere. Hanayo wasn’t sure where and Nico didn’t seem to want to tell her. She was always injured and spaced out when she got back to the room. More often than not she would collapse onto her bed and refuse to speak to Hanayo until the next morning.   
  
She was sure it was the middle of the night now. It was completely silent save for the sobs she was listening intently to. They belonged to Nico, she knew, though that scared her more than not knowing where they were coming from would have. Nico never gave into her emotions. Until now it seemed.   
  
Unable to listen any longer, Hanayo turned over and inched to the edge of the bed. She swung her legs over the edge and stood up with some difficulty. Her ankle still hurt, almost as much as it had just after she’d fallen. She limped over to Nico’s bed, wincing the entire way.   
  
“Nico-chan?”  
  
Her whisper caused Nico to freeze completely, just for a second before she burst back into tears again. Much like Hanayo had been, she was pressed against the wall too, her forehead pressed firmly against it and her hands covering her face.   
  
Hanayo felt her own eyes prickle in response. It wasn’t right. She slid onto the bed and scooted close to Nico until she was lightly pressed against her back. She held her precariously, worried that she would touch one of her many cuts and bruises and hurt her in some way.   
  
Nico didn’t seem to care though. The hand that had been covering her face fell away and she gripped Hanayo’s arm tightly, drawing it around her. She held it close in front of her, like she was afraid to let go.   
  
“Nico-chan.” Hanayo’s voice trembled with emotion.   
  
“It hurts.” Nico choked out, holding onto Hanayo’s arm as tightly as she could. “God, it hurts so…” She trailed off, choking on emotion. “I’m gonna die. And I-I don’t even care, I…” She seemed to take a moment to try to compose herself. “I’m so messed up. I’m dying and all I care about is that Maki doesn’t know how much I care…no, how much I love her. I’m such a fucking coward.”  
  
“Shhh, Nico-chan. Don’t say that.” Hanayo pressed herself closer to Nico, burying her nose against the nape of the girl’s neck. She didn’t smell like she usually did when Hanayo hugged her. She smelled like blood. Hanayo’s stomach churned at the scent but she didn’t consider drawing away from her. With the way Nico was now, she just wanted to protect her. “I’m not going to let you die. We’re going to get out of here together. You and me. As for Maki-chan…you can tell her yourself when you see her.”  
  
Nico didn’t even seem to hear her. “I know it doesn’t even matter. If I’m going to die, it…it’s the least important thing.” She drew Hanayo’s hand close to her face, pressing her flushed forehead against cold fingers. “I just want to tell her. I’m such a fucking idiot. I try to be selfless but I can’t. I want her to be happy but I-I want to be the one who makes her…” She hiccuped on a sob, cutting herself off.   
  
Hanayo realized that Nico wasn’t going to listen to her so she resigned herself to listening, vaguely aware of the tears spilling into her palm and down over her wrist. It seemed as though Nico was done though as she didn’t speak again after that. Nor did she let go of Hanayo though. If anything her grip was becoming tighter by the second.   
  
Hanayo sighed softly, troubled by how much Nico was shaking. She wasn’t sure if it was because of how cold it was or because she was still crying. “You’re not used to feeling like this, hmm?” She felt Nico shake her head against her hand. “It’ll pass. I promise.”  
  
“It hurts.” Nico choked out, squeezing Hanayo’s hands. “This is…I…”  
  
“Shhh. Just breathe.” Hanayo soothed gently. She nuzzled Nico’s shoulder, unable to move her arms to comfort her instead. “I’m here.”  
  
Nico squeezed her eyes shut against her tears, trying to stem the flow. It didn’t matter how much she tried, she couldn’t stop them. The ache in her chest was too strong and she wasn’t used to it given how her ability dampened her emotions. Having Hanayo there helped though and she focused on the rapid thudding of Hanayo’s heart against her back, counting the beats as a way to focus on something else.   
  
Hanayo breathed a sigh of relief as she felt Nico slowly calm down, her tears seeming to slow until they stopped completely. “There.” She whispered gently, giving the hand in her own a gentle squeeze. “You’re okay now.”  
  
Nico sniffled softly and nodded her head. “I’m sorry. This is all…”  
  
“New. I know.” Hanayo murmured quietly. She knew how Nico felt. She wasn’t sure she would get out of there either. It seemed like there was no escape. She couldn’t even phase through the walls because they were made of lead. “It’s okay. Let’s just get some sleep. Is it okay if I stay here? You’re warm and I don’t want to be alone…”  
  
Nico nodded again and turned over to face Hanayo. Her eyes were red from crying, her cheeks tearstained. “I won’t let you die.” She vowed, confident of that much at least. “I’m going to get you out of here.”  
  
“I won’t let you die either.” Hanayo whispered back. She huddled close to to Nico, sniffling softly. “We’re going to leave here together, okay?”  
  
Nico gave a vague nod but didn’t answer verbally. She knew it wasn’t going to happen like that.   
  
—-  
  
Kotori took a deep breath as she looked herself over in the mirror. In dark jeans and a black jacket she couldn’t say that she looked like herself, or even felt like herself. She supposed that she wasn’t acting like herself either, considering what she was about to do. She smoothed her hands down her front and nodded resolutely. She was doing this for her friends. So that she could be useful to them for a change instead of depending on everyone else.   
  
“You can do this.” She whispered to herself despite her uncertainty. She wished Maki was there to tell her she could but she was avoiding the redhead. Mostly because she didn’t want to see again how panicked Maki was about her leaving. She already felt bad enough about leaving her behind. “Right!”  
  
“Having second thoughts?” A voice behind her sounded, causing her to turn quickly. She relaxed when she found her mother standing there, leaning against the doorway. She remembered she had left it ajar.   
  
“No.” She answered, giving a slow shake of her head. “Well…maybe. I don’t know. I’m worried about going. I’ve never done anything like this before…but I have to save my friends. I have to.”  
  
Yume sighed and looked away for a moment. “There’s nothing I can do to stop you. You’re of an age where I should be able to keep you from doing anything but with your abilities…you’re not exactly a kid anymore. I can’t tell you what to do, especially when I was doing the same things at your age.”  
  
Kotori nodded faintly in response. “I need to do this. I don’t want to either but I have to. I have to get Hanayo-chan and Nico-chan back.”  
  
“I know.” Yume stepped forward and embraced Kotori tightly, her eyes stinging with tears. “Just promise me you’ll be careful. I had a vision. That someone’s going to die. I don’t know who. I couldn’t tell but where you’re going…you have to understand, people see me as a traitor. I defected and betrayed them. Your connection to me puts you at far more risk than the others. You’ll be a target.”  
  
Kotori’s chest tightened with panic at her mother’s words. Nevertheless, she nodded against her mother’s chest. “I-I’ll be careful. I promise.”  
  
Yume held on for a long moment before she pulled away, her eyes awash with tears. “Call us if you need help.”  
  
“I will.” Kotori managed to choke out, suddenly finding it hard to push down her own emotions. She wasn’t sure what to make of her mother’s admission that someone would die. She wondered who. She wouldn’t let Honoka or Umi die though she assumed the latter would die for Honoka. Honoka would be willing to die for Umi too, putting both of them even more at risk but at least they had each other for protection. She couldn’t imagine it being Eli. The blonde was too strong. It could be her. Easily.   
  
She left the room with a backwards glance at her mother and took the familiar route down the stairs. She caught the sound of Eli and Honoka talking on the way past and assumed Umi was there too. They would join her in a while, she supposed.   
  
Deciding to get some fresh air she went toward the front door right away but paused when she found Maki leaning against it. She was wearing her shades still, Kotori noticed. “Maki-chan…what are you doing here?”  
  
“I figured you’d try to leave without saying goodbye.” Maki straightened up and took a step forward. “I wanted to see you…” She scoffed at the bad wording. “I wanted to speak to you before you leave.”  
  
“Oh.” Kotori mumbled sheepishly. She should have suspected as much. “I know you’re busy with Honoka-chan’s future self so I didn’t want to distract you. And…I didn’t want to worry you even more than you are.”  
  
Maki shook her head, her lips set into a thin line. “I don’t think it’s possible for me to worry more. You know what you’re walking into, don’t you?”  
  
“Of course.” Kotori whispered. She shakily unzipped the pockets of her jacket, shoving her hands into them. If they were shaking as much as she thought they were she didn’t want Maki to notice. Not that she would now, she reminded herself, feeling a sting of pain in her chest as she recalled that Maki couldn’t see anything.   
  
“You might not come back.”  
  
Kotori had expected a warning to be careful, a harsh reminder that she wasn’t cut out for what she was about to do. What she hadn’t expected was the small tone of Maki’s voice. “I’ll try to.” She said softly, aware that she couldn’t promise something like that. “I really will try.”  
  
“It’s not good enough!” Maki snapped angrily. She paused after, pressing a hand to her forehead. Her lower lip trembled. “I need more than that, Kotori.”  
  
Kotori shook her head, struggling not to give into emotion herself. Shakily, she stepped forward and wrapped her arms around Maki’s shoulders, drawing her into a tight embrace. “I-I can’t. You know I can’t.”  
  
“I know.” Maki gripped the back of Kotori’s shirt as tightly as she could, burying her face in the older girl’s shoulder. “Just try to stay alive for me. I know you can do this.” She held Kotori tighter still, taking a shuddering breath. “I can’t lose anyone else. After Papa, Nico-chan, Hanayo…I can’t do this if I lose you too.”  
  
Kotori nodded against Maki’s shoulder. She turned, kissing the side of Maki’s head before she slowly eased away. “You stay safe too, Maki-chan…”  
  
Maki gave a brief nod of agreement and reached back around her neck with shaky hands. “Here.” She said quietly, pulling her necklace off. She handed it to Kotori. “I want you to take this. To remind you that you need to come back to me.”  
  
Kotori hesitated unsurely for a moment before she reached out and allowed Maki to place the necklace in her hand. “Thank you, Maki-chan.” She reached up to put the necklace on, fumbling with the latch for a few seconds before she finally managed to fix it into place. “Of course I won’t forget.” She stepped forward and cupped Maki’s face, gently kissing her forehead. “I’ll think of you. I know that’ll help me get back.”  
  
Maki’s jaw tightened at the words. There was a moment of silence before she spoke up. “I don’t want you to go.” She said, her voice thick with emotion. “Just stay.”  
  
“You know I can’t.” Kotori answered softly. She moved her hands up and carefully removed Maki’s shades to reveal teary, unfocused eyes. “Maki-chan…don’t think about me. I know you’re worried but you need to concentrate. You need to get Honoka’s future self to wake up, okay?”  
  
Maki looked hurt for a brief second at the sudden change of topic but it was gone a second later. “Okay.” She lifted her hand, wiping tears from her face. “I will.”  
  
Kotori forced a smile to her face and put Maki’s sunglasses back on her her. “I’m going to see Honoka-chan’s future self before I leave. Do you want to come with me?”  
  
“I have to talk to Eli too before she leaves.” Maki said, shaking her head in response. “You go on ahead. I’ll see you…later. When you get back.”  
  
Kotori bit back a wince at Maki’s emphasis on the word ‘when’. She wavered for a minute, finding it difficult to tear herself away from the redhead but finally, with a slight whimper, did just that, turning on her heel and walking back up the stairs.   
  
She made her way up to the second floor, taking a familiar path down the corridor to the room Future Honoka was in. The door was ever so slightly ajar and instead of knocking, she carefully pushed it open.   
  
Nozomi was sitting on the edge of the bed, brushing her fingers gently through Honoka’s hair. She didn’t seem to notice anyone else there, too focused on the girl she was sitting with.   
  
“This is hard work for the both of us.” She was saying, her words soft and laced with care. “You’re not the only one who’s tired. I am too. And Maki-chan. She’s in no condition to be doing this you know.” She was silent for a moment and Kotori pressed herself close to the door, not wanting to reveal herself just yet. Somehow she felt like she was intruding on a personal moment but she supposed that couldn’t be right. It wasn’t like that. Honoka was her girlfriend in the future, not Nozomi’s. “I’m not complaining. All I’m saying is that if we’re working to get you back you need to do the same. Stop being so damn stubborn all of the time.”  
  
Nozomi leaned down, resting her forehead against Honoka’s and took a shuddering breath. “We need you more than you know. Hanayo-chan and Nicocchi need you. I…I need you most of all.”  
  
Honoka’s brow furrowed in response to that, as if she could hear what Nozomi was saying to her. “Nozomi…I just want to see…you.”  
  
Kotori gritted her teeth in response. Honoka hadn’t said ‘Nozomi-chan’, indicating her own version of Nozomi. She’d just said Nozomi.   
  
“I’ll find you.” Nozomi whispered in response, her fingers sliding fully into Honoka’s hair. “Just hold on.” She leaned in then and Kotori clamped her hand over her own mouth, watching with wide eyes as Nozomi pressed her lips tenderly to Future Honoka’s. She couldn’t quite hold back a whimper though and Nozomi sat back in alarm, her gaze flitting to the doorway.   
  
“Oh, Kotori-chan!” She looked between Kotori and Honoka, her stomach plummeting. The last thing she wanted was to hurt Kotori again. She may not have been the one to attack her but it was her Kotori saw as her attacker anyhow, at least in a way. “I-I’m sorry, I…It’s not what you think.”  
  
Kotori lowered her shaking hand from her mouth. “I knew you two were close but I didn’t…I didn’t know…what’s going on?”  
  
“I don’t know. It’s complicated. All I know is that Senpai’s my best friend and I don’t want to lose her. I love her but I don’t think it’s in that way, I just…I know we kissed and even Umi-chan says it’s weird and if I love her I should do something about it but I-”  
  
“What does Umi-chan have to do with anything?” Kotori asked incredulously, further baffled by Nozomi’s rambling. Her eyes slid toward the sleeping woman. She looked more distressed now that Nozomi wasn’t close to her, she noticed. “You and Honoka-chan…are you…are you attracted to her like…like that?”  
  
“Well…yes. But that doesn’t mean anything.” Nozomi said with a stubborn shake of her head. She quickly turned around to face Honoka again, relaxing at the sight of her. “I love her. That’s all I know. It doesn’t matter how I love her, I just do. And…I think she loves me back. Like a best friend. Umi-chan says Senpai doesn’t see me as my future self, she just sees me as me. She says that I’m the only person who can make her really smile now, that our bond transcends time.”  
  
Sometimes she felt like the strong bond with Honoka was the only thing that kept her sane. To be valued by someone above all others was something she hadn’t felt in a long time. Since before she and Eli had broken up.   
  
Nozomi’s words hit Kotori hard and she had to grasp the doorframe to keep herself from recoiling. The way Nozomi was looking at Honoka was a look Kotori had only seen her wear when she was looking at Eli or sometimes Nico. But they were her lover and closest friend, it only made sense.   
  
“I’m sorry.” Nozomi sank back down onto the bed, instinctively grasping Honoka’s hand in her own. “I shouldn’t be talking to you about this. I know how it sounds but it’s not like that. Really. I don’t want to do anything to hurt you, Kotori-chan.”  
  
“Hurt me?” Kotori managed to croak out, her chest tight.   
  
Nozomi briefly bit her lip. “I’m an empath, remember? I feel what you feel. I know you’re in love with Honoka. With any version of her.”  
  
Kotori felt her skin warm with a wave of anger. “Well it doesn’t matter now, does it? Umi-chan has my Honoka-chan and you have Honoka-chan’s future self. It wasn’t supposed to be like this! Honoka-chan was supposed to be with me!” She wasn’t aware of Nozomi slowly standing from the bed, too caught up in her own anger. “She’s supposed to love  _me_  so why the hell is my Honoka-chan with Umi-chan and why is the only Honoka-chan who loves me with  _you_?!”  
  
“Kotori-chan, calm down.” Nozomi’s voice was as calm as usual but held a slight edge to it. “Do you really think I wanted all of this to happen?! I’m meant to be with Elichi in the future. I never imaged a future where I wouldn’t be with her and yet now Elichi is with Honoka-chan!  _Our_  Honoka-chan and it’s not like I can even be angry with her because I  _love_  Honoka. Not in the same way I love Elichi but any of us would do anything for her, you know that! Everyone’s future has been screwed up in some way, not just yours! I would do anything to be with Elichi again but…it’s not going to happen. At least you found a second love with Maki-chan!”  
  
Kotori faltered at the mention of Maki but that didn’t keep her from arguing. “You mean like you have with Honoka-chan?!”  
  
Nozomi’s hands closed into fists. “I’m so tired of people saying that.” She muttered, her words laced with anger once again. “It’s not like that. Even if it was, even if she gets out of this, do you really think she’s going to be able to keep going much longer? Do you think I can love her and watch her d-”  
  
“Nozomi.” Honoka’s mumble somehow managed to drown out Nozomi’s increasingly loud voice. The two girls looked toward her, finding her brow knitted with worry and her fingers clenching the bedsheets. With her free hand, she unconsciously pushed the mask aside. “Where are you…? Don’t leave me…alone. I’m so scared.” Her features tensed further, as if she was about to cry. “I can’t watch it anymore, I can’t watch them die…Nozomi. Please, Eli-senpai, Kotori-chan…”  
  
“Is she waking up?!” Kotori asked with wide eyes.   
  
“No.” Nozomi rushed back to the bed, taking hold of Honoka’s oxygen mask and pressing it back into place over her mouth. “She does this sometimes when the hallucinations get too bad. Usually when I…” She bit her lip to keep from saying that Honoka’s episodes generally happened when she stepped away for a moment. She decided to ignore Kotori, focusing her attention on Future Honoka instead. With her free hand, she gently stroked her hair and leaned down, whispered soothing words into her ear.  
  
Kotori looked away, unable to watch as Nozomi easily soothed Honoka back to her calm state. “I should be going anyway. I just came to see Honoka-chan before I leave. You’re not going to see Eli-chan before she goes?” She lifted her hand, unconsciously toying with the necklace that now hung around her neck. She would understand if Eli didn’t want to say anything. She hadn’t especially wanted to speak to Maki before leaving either.   
  
Nozomi glanced at Kotori. “I…” She trailed off, uncertain as to what to say. She did want to see Eli. She always did but it wasn’t so simple anymore. Instead of answering, she focused on what Kotori was doing. “A diamond rhinestone…that’s Maki-chan’s birthstone, isn’t it?”  
  
Kotori nodded, a faint blush to her cheeks. “She gave me it so I’d remember I have her to come back to. She’s worried that I won’t come back.”  
  
“I know how she feels.” Nozomi muttered under her breath. She shook her head and spoke loud enough for Kotori to hear. “You shouldn’t take her for granted. She really loves you, you know. Probably more than you love her.”  
  
Kotori’s features darkened for a moment but relaxed just as quickly. She couldn’t deny that. “I know.”  
  
Nozomi let her eyes stray back to Future Honoka. She was breathing evenly now, her hand gripping Nozomi’s tightly. “I think what Maki-chan meant is you should remember who you’re coming back for. I think you should.”  
  
Kotori nodded grimly but didn’t reply before she turned and walked back out of the room, leaving Nozomi with Honoka.   
  
—  
  
It took a while for Maki to find Eli - or rather for the blonde to find her wandering around in search of her. Eli would have slammed right into her had she not managed to slow down as she rounded the corner in the hallway.   
  
“Maki, what are you doing up?” Eli asked in surprise at seeing the redhead. “Where’s Kotori? Is she not with you?”  
  
“I don’t need a babysitter.” Maki grumbled under her breath. She crossed her arms in front of her chest, using her hand to awkwardly rub her upper arm. “I was looking for you actually.”  
  
“Looking for me? What for?”  
  
Maki’s brow furrowed at Eli’s abrupt tone. “Are you too busy? Is something wrong?”  
  
“No. Sorry.” Eli sighed in response. She had been snappy with everyone over the past two days as they waited to leave. Even Honoka. “I’m just worried. I’m heading out in a few minutes. It’s only the second real mission I’ve been on and I don’t know if I can keep everyone safe as well as Honoka’s future self does.”  
  
“Honoka’s friends are all dead.” Maki winced as soon as the words left her mouth. It had been instinctive, to say it, but she wished she hadn’t. She’d just been angry. “I don’t mean it’s her fault but…”  
  
It didn’t even seem like Eli had heard her though. “I hate when this happens. I hate Honoka being in these situations. She’s so relaxed about throwing herself into danger after what happened to her parents. She blames herself for their deaths, I know she does. She’s depressed and a part of me thinks she’s looking for danger because…because maybe she wants to die. Just a little bit.”  
  
“Our Honoka?!” Maki exclaimed in surprise. “No. No, she wouldn’t. She would never just leave us. Would she?”  
  
“I don’t think so. I don’t want to think about it.” Eli ran her hand through her hair, letting out a growl of frustration. She and Umi had discussed it at length but they still didn’t know how to confront Honoka. “But you need to tell your mom that Yukiho needs to be protected at any cost. She’s the only family Honoka has left. I don’t know what she’ll do if anything happens to Yukiho.”  
  
Maki nodded grimly. “I need you to promise me something similar.” She couldn’t see to know Eli was looking at her but she hoped that she was. “I know Honoka is going to be all you and Umi think about out there but I need you to take care of Kotori too. I don’t know what I’ll do if I lose her.”  
  
“I don’t know if I can.” Eli cast a glance toward the stairs she was a few minutes away from walking down. She was sure Honoka, Umi and Kotori were already waiting for her down there. “I’ll try but as I said, I can’t make any promises that I can protect anyone.”  
  
“You have to!” Maki hadn’t wanted to hear that at all and it showed in her voice. “Damn it, Eli! You’re the oldest!”  
  
Eli gritted her teeth together. “Can’t you see I have enough on my plate already?!”  
  
“So do I!” Maki retorted loudly. “Do you see me complaining about it? I’m fucking blind and I’m still going to do all I can to get Future Honoka back because it’s the only way I know to help Kotori…to help any of you! So go out there and keep Kotori safe and bring back Nico-chan and Hanayo!”  
  
Eli bit back an argument, her eyes sliding back to Maki. Her sunglasses shielded her eyes so Eli couldn’t tell if they were laced with tears but she was visibly trembling and her voice had been thick with emotion. “I’ll do what I can. I’ll do everything I can to keep them all safe.”  
  
“Especially Kotori.” Maki warned hurriedly. “I need you to protect her, Eli. I need you to promise me you won’t let her get hurt.”  
  
“I…I promise.” Eli said after a moment of hesitation. Her lips lifted into a small smile as Maki breathed a sigh of relief. “You really love her, huh?”  
  
“I…” Maki started to speak but she paused at the sound of Eli’s retreating footsteps. “I do.”  
  
—  
  
“Arisa-chan, are you sure about this?” Yukiho’s voice trembled as she watched the small group getting ready to leave. She was far enough out of earshot that she didn’t think they would be able to hear her. Besides that they all seemed too distracted by each other. Eli was in the process of flirting with Honoka under the pretense of buttoning her coat up while Umi tried to engage Kotori in conversation. Kotori on the other hand was just glaring vehemently at Eli. “We don’t even know what we’re doing.”  
  
Arisa seemed too preoccupied with watching the interaction of the older girls though. She was silent as Honoka gently rubbed Eli’s shoulder before reaching for Umi’s hand. “Honoka-san is lucky…” She marvelled under her breath. “Umi-san is so cool. I-I mean Onee-chan is too of course. They’re both cool.”  
  
“Arisa, focus!” Yukiho whisper yelled, giving Arisa a short shake. “Did you even hear what I just said?”  
  
“Of course I did.” Arisa answered with a roll of her eyes. “You agreed to this, remember? I don’t want anything bad to happen to Onee-chan and you want to make sure Honoka-san is okay too, don’t you? So we should go. We’ve trained.”  
  
“I guess.” Yukiho mumbled, her gaze fixed on Honoka. Her older sister was all she had now that her parents were gone. She couldn’t let anything happen to her. “They’ll be angry with us though.”  
  
“Only if they find out.” Arisa grasped Yukiho’s arms. “Come on, we can do this. I haven’t told Onee-chan yet but my ability is…stronger now. I can find anyone I want to when I think of them so I can find Onee-chan’s friends for her. That way they can get out faster. They’ll be happy about that, right?”  
  
“I don’t think so.” Yukiho grimaced at the thought of what Honoka’s reaction would be. “But I guess we don’t have a…” She trailed off as the door clicked shut. Her eyes widened and she looked around the doorframe of the kitchen to find that Honoka and the others had left. “We have to hurry, come on!”  
  
Arisa shook her head. “I know where they are. They’re not even down the front path yet.”  
  
Yukiho huffed out a sigh. “I don’t see why you get to have the cool power…”  
  
Arisa grinned, clearly pleased by the comment but as the two of them made their way toward the door she still argued. “I think your power is the coolest. You get to use water to do whatever you want!”  
  
Yukiho smirked in response and shook her head. There was only so much she could do with water. “Good thing I have you to keep me optimistic.” She ruffled Arisa’s hair, causing the blonde to duck away with a cry of protest.


	30. Chapter 30

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Second part of today's double chapter post. I hope you enjoy. 
> 
> Warnings for swearing, angst and suggested sexual scenes.

“I think it’s almost time.” Nico said quietly as she glanced over at Hanayo. The younger girl was sitting right next to her, suddenly looking very anxious.   
  
“I don’t want you to go again.” Hanayo curled her arm around Nico’s and pressed close to her as if she could keep her there by doing so. “I don’t want you to come back hurt.”  
  
“Better than not coming back at all.” Nico quipped though it only made Hanayo clutch her tighter, even more worried than before. “I’m sorry. I’m going to be fine. Look…” She paused, waiting for Hanayo to stop huddling against her arm and furtively look up at her. “Whatever tests these bastards are doing on me, they’re buying us time. If they didn’t need us alive we’d be dead by now.”  
  
“They haven’t done anything to me yet.” Hanayo said in a small voice. 

“Because they know I’d kill them if they touched any of my friends.” Nico lied, forcing a smile. She knew that the only reason Hanayo was still alive was because she’d made it clear that if Hanayo had died she would find a way to do the same. It wasn’t as though she cared all that much about her own life but they needed her alive, at least temporarily while they tested her. “It’s a good thing.”

Hanayo shook her head. “They hurt you.” She said, her eyes brimming with tears again. “I hate seeing Nico-chan hurt. It’s not right.”  
  
“I know, believe me I know…” Nico smiled and placed her hand on Hanayo’s head. Her knuckles were bruised and cut from where she’d tried to fight back against the guards who’d fought her. She had to fight back, she had been told, to see how much she could endure. “I can take it. If it means getting you out of here, I can take a few beatings.”  
  
Just as she said that the door opened and a guard stepped into the room.   
  
Hanayo threw her arms around Nico who winced in pain. She wasn’t even sure what hurt anymore, just that everywhere seemed to throb in different ways.   
  
“Please come back.” Hanayo pleaded desperately. “I can’t do this without you.”  
  
“Can we get a move on?” The guard who’d come to get Nico asked impatiently. “We don’t have all day.”  
  
“Don’t worry.” Nico painstakingly returned the hug to reassure the first year. “I will come back. I’m not leaving without you.”  
  
“You’re not leaving at all.” The guard, growing quickly impatient strode over and grabbed Nico’s arm, dragging her off the bed. She let out a yelp despite herself as his hands closed around her bicep. There was a long gash there, she knew, stretching from her shoulder almost down to her elbow.   
  
“NICO-CHAN!” Hanayo cried out, moving to get off the bed. The guard easily shoved her back down with his free hand.    
  
“It’s fine, Hanayo.” Nico winced, doing her utmost to resist the urge to fight back against the guard. “Just stay here and don’t cause any trouble. I’ll be back soon.”  
  
“Maybe you’re smarter than I thought.” The guard said condescendingly.  
  
Nico glanced back at Hanayo as the guard dragged her from the room, finding worried eyes staring back at her. A moment later she was being pulled down the corridor by the guard holding onto her. She didn’t fight against it, aware that doing so would be pointless. She didn’t have the strength to fight them anymore. The only thing she’d really had going for her was her ability and she didn’t even have that now.   
  
“I’m told you’re trying something a bit different today.” The guard said as they turned a corner. “I’m going to stay and watch it you don’t mind.”  
  
Nico looked up, frowning at the lecherous grin on the man’s face. “What?”  
  
“You’ll see.” The guard stopped in front of a door and drew it open, shoving Nico roughly inside. “I’ll be watching.”  
  
“Wha…?” Nico turned around only for the door to be shut in her face. “Damn it!”  
  
“Nico!”  
  
Nico froze at the sound of her name. Slowly, she turned around and as she’d expected found a blonde standing across the room from her, clad in a gown similar to the one she was wearing. “You…”  
  
“Ciao Bella! We haven’t been in the same room in two days…hmm you seem down, Shining Nico.”  
  
“ENOUGH with the random English and Italian, you’re so ANNOYING!” Nico exclaimed loudly, her fists clenched at her sides. “It’s bad enough that I’m in this place, it’s worse that I always get stuck with you!”  
  
The blonde gave a short laugh. “I’m not You, Nico. I told you my name already, remember? You forgot?!”  
  
Nico growled under her breath. “Fine.  _Mari_. Are you happy now?!”  
  
Mari shook her head in response. “I’ve been thinking about escaping. I told you last time, remember?”  
  
“How could I forget. My head still hurts from all of the talking you were doing.” Nico said with a roll of her eyes. “You’re not going to talk about it today, are you?”  
  
Mari was unfazed by Nico’s retort. “Well I was thinking of helping you and your girlfriend get out too.”  
  
“W-Wha…?” Nico’s eyes widened in surprise. “S-She’s not…”  
  
“Just joking!” Mari said brightly, earning herself a yell of frustration from Nico. “Really though, we do have to escape. I have a plan but…”  
  
“Ohara-san, please remember why you’re here.” A new, male voice chimed in over some kind of intercom. “Let’s begin.”  
  
“Yeah, yeah. Sorry in advance, Nico.”   
  
“Wha-” Nico barely had time to realize that Mari was rushing toward her before she was knocked off her feet. She hit the ground with Mari on top of her and the wind rushed from her lungs in a strangled gasp. “M-Mari!”  
  
“Just go with it.” Mari muttered, landing a somewhat light blow to Nico’s ribs. “They want us to fight so we have to look like we’re doing this properly!”  
  
“Fine!” Nico locked her legs around Mari’s and with a force of strength, reversed their positions. Smirking in victory, she raised her hand and tried to bring it down only to find it wouldn’t move. “Eh?!”  
  
“I’m sorry.” Mari narrowed her eyes at Nico, thinking about forcing her to stand up.   
  
“HEY!” Nico yelped as she found herself standing up, not of her own accord. It was like she wasn’t in control of her limbs anymore. “This is so freaking unfair!”  
  
“Just shut up and follow my lead.” Mari got to her feet and walked toward Nico. Behind the glass across the room she could see the guard, watching them intently. She planted her hand on Nico’s shoulder and pushed her back against the glass, leaning close to her face. “Trust me.”  
  
Nico swallowed thickly, her eyes wide as she nodded her agreement.   
  
Mari’s lips turned up briefly at Nico’s agreement before her gaze shifted over her shoulder to the guard. Their eyes locked through the glass and she focused intently on his hand, forcing it to reach down and grasp his gun.   
  
“Now Bella, watch and be amazed.” Mari let go of Nico’s shoulder, allowing her to turn her head slightly more toward the glass. “Just watch this.”  
  
Nico shuddered at the breath against her ear but she didn’t have time to ponder on it before she heard gunshot followed by the sound of glass breaking. She felt a hand on her head, drawing her close and quickly realized that Mari had tried to shield her from the breaking glass. It hadn’t worked all that well as the glass still hit her.   
  
Another gunshot followed the first, then a loud thud, like a body hitting the floor. “Mari…”  
  
Mari let go of Nico and focused on the two doctors in the next room instead. It was never especially easy to control two people at once but she did it anyway, focusing intently.   
  
Nico watched in surprise as Mari forced the doctors against each other, one of them reaching for a knife that lay nearby. Next to her, Mari was imitating the attack, clearly controlling the two of them. She closed her hand into a fist and brought it down in a stabbing motion. Nico winced as the doctor with the knife easily stabbed the other doctor in the stomach before turning the knife on himself.   
  
“Mari…” Nico watched in horror as Mari seemed to buckle.   
  
“Controlling two people and…more than one body part takes it out of me.” Mari straightened up, flashing a bright grin.   
  
“No, I mean…” Nico motioned toward the three bodies in the next room.   
  
“I have people I love too, Nico. People I need to get back to.” Mari’s voice was serious one moment but the next she was grabbing Nico’s hand, seemingly back to her usual self. “Now Bella let’s go and save your girlfriend and get running toward the  _shining_   _light_   _of_   _freedom_!”  
  
“You can’t be serious for more than a minute can you?!” Nico asked angrily.   
  
“It’s a  _joke_!”  
  
Nico growled under her breath. There was something about this girl that reminded her undeniably of Nozomi. It both made her chest ache and comforted her at the same time. “Damn it, let’s just go!”

  
—  
  
Kotori stayed three paces behind Umi, Honoka and Eli as they walked. She had tried to keep up with them originally but having to listen to how the three of them were together was just annoying. Neither Eli nor Umi made any kind of secret of their feelings for Honoka. Not to her, each other or anyone else. Honoka on the other hand, accepted the affection from both of them and returned it equally.   
  
Kotori wasn’t sure what was going on with the three of them but it unsettled her. She didn’t fit in anywhere at Honoka’s side now. Her place had been taken. She glared at Eli’s back as they walked. She was glad she didn’t have to listen to what the three were saying. It would have just annoyed her more.   
  
“Are you okay, Kotori-chan?” Finally those blue eyes that always seemed to make her heart skip a beat focused on her as Honoka looked over her shoulder. “Do you want to take a break?”  
  
“No, we’re almost there. I’m…”  
  
“Yikes, look out!”  
  
“HONOKA!” Umi grabbed Honoka and pulled her toward her, stumbling back a few steps herself.   
  
Eli glanced up, her eyes widening when she spotted what Umi had. Remembering Maki’s words from the previous day she went up in flames and hurried toward Kotor, positioning herself in front of her. The telephone pole hit the ground a few feets from them, sending glass and debris flying everywhere. Shielding Kotori with her body and her face with her arms, Eli focused on keeping her flames alight while Umi swept Honoka up into her arms and turned away from the impact, shielding her as best she could.   
  
“CHIKA-CHAN, WHY DID YOU THROW THAT?!”  
  
“Uh…it seemed like a good idea. Sorry, Riko-chan!”   
  
Another girl laughed in response. “Hopefully Kanan-chan can see in the dark!”  
  
“You-chan, it’s not funny! More guards are going to come because of Chika-chan being reckless!” Riko barked. “Chika-chan, I didn’t say you could use You-chan’s ability so you could do that!”  
  
“Well you wouldn’t let me use yours and Kanan-chan wouldn’t let me use hers even though it’s so much cooler…” Chika complained miserably. “I didn’t mean to hurt anyone! I-I just want to save Mari-chan…”  
  
“So much for sneaking in…” Umi muttered, gently placing Honoka back down on her feet. She turned to confront the newcomers but Eli was already storming toward them. “Eli, be careful!”  
  
“Umi-chan!” Honoka exclaimed as Umi rushed off after Eli. She grabbed Kotori’s hand and followed too.   
  
“At least put yourself out first!” Umi hissed though Eli paid no attention to her. “Eli!”  
  
“Who the hell are you people and why are you throwing poles around?!” Eli demanded, coming to a stop in front of Chika. Almost immediately the other two were in front of their friend, sizing her up. Eli blinked in surprise. There was three of the redhead.   
  
“You!” She pointed toward Chika whose eyes widened in alarm. “What the he…ow!” Her wrist was suddenly grabbed by an irate looking You who growled under her breath. “OW, OW, OW!”  
  
“You-chan!” Chika cried out.   
  
“Ah, sorry!” You let go of Eli’s wrist, her own hand slightly burnt. Fortunately it seemed Eli had the presence of mind to rid herself of flames as soon as You had touched her. “Sorry, I guess I got a bit rough. J-Just don’t point at Chika-chan!”  
  
“Well don’t hurt Eli-senpai!” Honoka was suddenly right next to Eli, taking her hand into her own and carefully looking over her wrist.   
  
Chika gasped at the sight of Honoka and nudged You and Riko out of the way. “Honoka-onee-chan!”  
  
“Eh?” Honoka did a double take.   
  
Chika smiled broadly, unfazed by Honoka’s confusion. “It’s me. Chika!”  
  
“Ah, Chi-chan!” Honoka exclaimed in realization. “Of course!”  
  
Chika charged forward, hugging Honoka tightly. “It’s been so long, I missed you so much!”  
  
Umi grimaced as she stepped toward Eli. “So what are you all doing here? And what were you saying about guards before?”  
  
Riko, the girl who had created two clones of herself, spoke up. “We’re looking for our senpai, Mari-chan. Our other senpai, Kanan-chan, already went on ahead. That’s why um…a lot of the guards have already been taken down. She’s…in a hurry to get Mari-chan back.”  
  
“We’re looking for our friends too.” Eli said with a distasteful look toward Chika who was still somehow hanging on to Honoka. “We were hoping to be more subtle about it though. So…who are you again?”  
  
“I don’t think that’s going to be possible.” You said with a shrug of her shoulders. “Kanan sort of rushed in all guns blazing though I don’t think she set any ala-” She was cut off by the sound of an alarm suddenly blaring from the compound in front of them. “Ah, that was bad timing…”  
  
“Ya think?!” Eli growled irritably. “Do you even know how many guards are in there?”  
  
“Um…Dia-san says maybe a thousand?” You said, scratching her head. “I think she might be overreacting though. She does that…”  
  
“Well looks like we’re on the same team so it’s time to fire it up!” Chika exclaimed brightly. She clenched her hands into fists, focused intently and they went up in flames a moment later.   
  
“H-Hey!” Eli exclaimed, her eyes widening in surprise. “I thought you just threw that pole! How do you…”  
  
“I borrowed your ability.” Chika answered with a shrug of her shoulders. “Or…copied it. You still have it too. Thanks for this by the way, it’s really cool.” She held up her hands, examining the fire. “Blue flames. So cool…”  
  
“Don’t you have to ask someone’s permission before you take their ability?” Eli huffed. “Wait, does that mean you get to keep it?!”  
  
“I can only use four at a time.” Chika explained, still staring intently into the flames that surrounded her hand. “Right now I have Dia-san’s, Hanamaru-chan’s, You-chan’s and yours…what was your name?”  
  
“Ayase Eli.” Eli answered gruffly. “I think I’ll just call you Gaki.”  
  
Honoka laughed nervously and rubbed Eli’s arm. “Be nice, Eli-senpai.” She glanced to Umi for support but Umi was glaring over at Chika too. “Ah…um, Kotori-chan!”  
  
“What?” Kotori asked, stepping forward. She was surprised when Honoka grabbed her hand tightly.   
  
“Nothing, I just want you to stay close to me is all.” Honoka answered with a shake of her head. She turned back to Chika and the other two, failing to notice Eli and Umi pouting. “So what do we do now? We’ve lo-”  
  
“Honoka!” Umi stepped toward Honoka, grabbing Eli’s hand on the way. “Look at the side of the building.”  
  
“Huh?” Honoka followed Umi’s wide eyed gaze to the side of the building, her heart leaping to her throat when she saw two girls skirting around. “W-What?!”  
  
“ARISA!” Eli yelled, taking a step forward. It was too late though as the girls had already disappeared inside. “What…what the hell do they think they’re doing?!” She turned quickly toward Honoka. “Is she out of her mind?!”  
  
“Wha…?” Honoka shook her head. “Yukiho? Why would you think it’s her idea?! She doesn’t do things like this, it’s…oh god, what if something happens to them?!”  
  
“Well stop arguing and let’s go!” Umi grabbed Honoka’s hand too and hurried off toward the building.   
  
“Damn it, they’re coming!” You exclaimed as the double doors at the front of the building flew open and guards flooded out. She raised both her fists above her head before bringing them down hard onto the ground beneath her feet, splitting the concrete. The impact knocked a few of the guards off their feet.   
  
“Riko-chan, take Chika-chan!” You exclaimed as she picked up a slab of concrete. With ease she threw it at some guards. “Go and get Mari-chan, I can handle these guys!”  
  
“N-No! You need help, You-chan! Riko-chan, stay here with her!” Chika flinched as the guards reached the gates and opened fire. Luckily You had managed to create a trench of sorts for herself.   
  
Riko, who had grabbed Chika and pushed her to a wall shook her head. “Are you crazy?! You think I could just abandon…” she tensed as she felt someone approach her from behind but upon looking over her shoulder there was nobody there. A moment later she felt Chika being wrenched away and quickly tried to grab her again. It was too late though as she was out of her grasp. Looking around, Riko couldn’t see her anywhere.   
  
“CHIKA-CHAN?!?!” Riko ducked, covering her head as a spray of bullets hit the wall she was hiding behind. “YOU-CHAN, I CAN’T FIND HER!”  
  
“Don’t worry!” You called back. “I think it’s just the quiet girl’s ability. Cloaking or something. I’m sure Chika-chan’s going to be fine. Now hurry up and clone yourself so you can help me!”  
  
Riko took a deep breath before she jumped out from behind the wall and sprinted to where You was. She slid to the ground in the makeshift trench next to her. “Do you think we can trust her with her?” She focused briefly on her ability, creating two clones of herself to focus the gunfire of the guards.   
  
“Chika-chan?” You asked apprehensively. She hoped so but she couldn’t say she was sure. “I think so. She doesn’t seem as hotheaded as the other two.”  
  
Riko reached for her knife at her belt and stood up, throwing it. She didn’t wait to see if it hit, dropping back down next to You instead. “That doesn’t make me feel much better…”  
  
“Have you noticed how all three of them like to be around Honoka-san?” You asked, grabbing another piece of road from behind her. Riko watched with her mouth slightly ajar as with little effort, You threw the large block of cement toward some guards. She was sure it didn’t matter how many times she watched You use her strength, she would never get used to seeing it.   
  
“You mean like me, you and Chika-chan?” Riko asked when You crouched back down next to her.   
  
“Theirs seems more…complicated.” You said thoughtfully. “You must have read about it in that trashy ma…” She trailed off as Riko looked at her innocently. “Ah, nevermind. It just seems complicated.”  
  
“And I thought our seniors were bad eno-” Riko was cut off, ducking back down next to You as the guards opened fire again.

—  
  
“No, No…stop!” Honoka tossed and turned, distress evident on her face. “Stop it! Nozomi…”  
  
“I’m here, I’m right here.” Nozomi, holding tight to Honoka’s hand was near tears herself as she watched Honoka’s distress. Kneeling on the bed, her hand on Honoka’s forehead, Maki had her eyes closed, focusing intently. She’d even taken off the glasses Kotori had given her, something that had taken Nozomi by surprise.   
  
“Nozomi, I need you to calm her down.” Maki said through gritted teeth. “Tell her it’s just me.”  
  
Honoka whimpered again, louder this time. “Please…”  
  
“Nozomi!” Maki emphasised.   
  
“She knows it’s you, that’s the problem!” Nozomi snapped, angered by the fact that Honoka only seemed to be getting more upset. “I-I’m sorry, I just…”  
  
Maki opened her eyes, focusing on Nozomi for a moment. “Then take my hand and tell her you’re with me. Does she trust you?”  
  
Nozomi bit down on her lip in an attempt to stem her tears and nodded her head. She took the hand that was offered to her, keeping Honoka’s hand securely in her other.   
  
“Be ready.” Maki said, closing her eyes again. “Her barriers are lowering. I think I’m getting through. It’ll be disconcerting but I’ll be with you. Just stay calm and whatever happens don’t let go of our hands.”  
  
Nozomi nodded even though Maki couldn’t see her.   
  
“Just focus…” Maki whispered though she was clearly talking to herself rather than Nozomi. “Almost, almost…”  
  
Nozomi gasped as the room around her seemed to fade away. She wasn’t looking but everything about the area seemed different, from the temperature and the feeling of the air to the sounds from outside. There was no sound now and everything was completely still. She opened her eyes, finding herself in a dark room. There were images on the walls, all around her. To her, they looked like videos. She tried to move forward to get a closer look at one but she was stopped when Maki’s grip tightened to an almost painful degree.    
  
“What…?”  
  
“Stay with me, don’t wander off!” Maki exclaimed loudly though when Nozomi tugged at her to walk forward again, she didn’t resist.   
  
Nozomi examined the wall in front of her closely, recognizing Eli in some of the videos. But not her Eli, a slightly older Eli, one who looked taller and more mature than her Eli. Her hair was down in most of the videos, she noticed, and in all of them she was with Future Honoka. She stepped closer to the screen, her gaze focused on Eli. Eli was staring at Honoka, her eyes soft and more full of love than Nozomi could ever remember seeing them. She watched as Future Honoka looked back and Eli quickly looked away only to be teasingly poked by an amused Future Honoka. Around them, she could hear their muffled laughter.   
  
“She really did love her…” Nozomi mused quietly.   
  
The screen changed quickly to another scene and she inhaled sharply as she saw her future self holding Honoka from behind, Eli in front. The three of them were in bed, innocently enough.   
  
“I’m sorry.” Honoka whimpered, pressing her forehead to Eli’s knuckles where she was clutching the blonde’s hand in front of her. “I’m so sorry, I keep…”  
  
“Don’t be an idiot.” Future Eli interrupted though her tone was soft. Adoring almost. “I don’t want to hear apologies from you. I never want to hear it, okay?”  
  
Future Honoka choked back a sob and Nozomi watched as Eli shuffled closer, soothingly stroking her hair. Honoka was too thin, she noticed immediately. Much too thin, and she was covered in bandages and scars.   
  
“It’s not your fault.” Future Eli said, her voice trembling. “Stop blaming yourself. It’s her fault and the second I find her, I…” She trailed off as Honoka seemed to only cry harder. “Damn it.”  
  
“How could she…why…?”  
  
Nozomi watched as Eli’s face contorted with grief and the blonde turned her eyes upwards as her own tears formed. “I don’t know…”  
  
“I want Kotori-chan.” Honoka pressed her face into Eli’s chest and sobbed quietly. “But I can’t…she’s mad at me b-because I can’t trust her like I used to. Before…”  
  
“You can stay with us.” Future Eli said, her voice thick with emotion. “For as long as you want to. We’ll be here for you.”  
  
Honoka shook her head. “Nozomi shouldn’t have to put up with…”  
  
“I’m not putting up with anything, especially you.” Honoka flinched at the sound of Future Nozomi’s voice but quickly relaxed when the comforting embrace from her friend tightened. “We do this because we love you.”  
  
“Nozomi…” Maki protested quietly though she fell silent when the image on the screen changed again.   
  
“Give me my damn lighter back, Honoka!” A taller, older version of Maki growled angrily as she reached out to grab something from Honoka’s hand. She cursed when Honoka laughed and flitted away. “Come on, just leave me with one!”  
  
“No smoking, Maki-chan.” Honoka said, her eyes sparkling with mirth. “It’s bad for you.”  
  
Future Maki, clad in a white lab coat, planted her hands on her hips. “You’re bad for me. If I wasn’t so stressed about you and Eli trying to get yourselves killed maybe I wouldn’t have to smoke!”  
  
Honoka’s smile slipped from her face. “Oh…I-I’m sorry.”   
  
Future Maki sighed and rubbed her temples. “No, it’s…I’m sorry. I didn’t mean it like…oh fine, you can hang out in my office, just don’t touch anything you aren’t supposed to!”  
  
“Thank you, Maki-chan!” Honoka flopped down onto the couch. “You’re the best!”  
  
“Yeah, yeah.” Future Maki’s gaze lingered on Honoka for a moment before she walked toward the door. “I’m going to check in with Kotori, to see if she needs anything.”  
  
“Kotori.” Maki mumbled, inadvertently leaning close to the screen. She was sure she wasn’t dating anyone in the future, especially Kotori. The image on the screen changed again to Honoka and Kotori sitting close together. They were outside, on some kind of wooden swing that squeaked noisily whenever one of them shifted. Neither seemed to mind though. Kotori was pressed close to Honoka’s side, her head resting on the other girl’s shoulder while Honoka toyed with her hair.   
  
“Hey, Kotori-chan.” Honoka mumbled, her breath blowing up a few strands of Kotori’s hair. She waited until Kotori looked up at her, an inquisitive look in her soft eyes before she spoke again. “I was thinking about what we’re going to do…after this. I was thinking that maybe when this is all over and A-Rise are gone we could go away. Just the two of us.”  
  
Kotori’s brow furrowed in confusion. “You mean run away?”  
  
“Um…I suppose.” Honoka answered sheepishly. “Well…all I mean is that I want to get away from here. I want to just be with you. Forever if I can be. I just want…a normal life for the two of us. I want to start new. Just you and me. That’s why…” She paused for a moment, fishing something out of her pocket. “Well…”  
  
“Oh my god…” Maki muttered as Honoka brandished a small box. Nozomi too watched with bated breath.   
  
“Honoka-chan…” Kotori gasped, her hand flying to her mouth. “A-Are you…?”  
  
“Maybe.” Honoka gave a small smile as she opened the box to reveal two rings. “I don’t want to do it yet but I want to…promise that when this is over we’ll do it. Minami Kotori, there’s nobody I love more than you. There never could be. And I-I know you think I’m careless with my life but I’m not. Because…it’s not just mine to be careless with. It’s yours too.” She choked on emotion, falling silent for a moment.   
  
“Change it.” Maki muttered as she watched tears form in Kotori’s eyes too. “I can’t watch this, I can’t concentrate.”  
  
“I want to spend the rest of my life making you happy. I know it’s not worth much but I really do love you. If you feel the same, I…” Honoka was cut off by Kotori taking her face in her hands and kissing her deeply.   
  
“Change it, Nozomi. Please, I can’t…”   
  
Nozomi glanced toward Maki, finding her eyes awash with tears. She realized with a start that if the images had hurt her they would definitely have hurt Maki, having to watch the person she thought of as her girlfriend agree to marry someone else.  
  
“Yes.” Kotori answered on the screen. “Yes, of course I’ll…”  
  
Turning back to the screen, Nozomi took a deep breath. “Senpai…”  
  
The images on the screen changed immediately to Future Honoka and Nozomi on the ground, Honoka on top of Nozomi.   
  
_“Senpai?!” Nozomi’s hands roamed over Honoka’s body. “Did they hit you? Were you shot?!”  
  
Future Honoka shook her head. “You’re worried about me, huh? You must really like me if you want to keep me alive this much.”  
  
“Idiot!” Nozomi’s voice was suddenly thick with emotion, her arms going around Honoka tightly. “Idiot, idiot, idiot! Why are you such a damn idiot?”  
  
Future Honoka gave a throaty chuckle. “Yeah…I love you too, Nozomi-chan.”  
  
“Idiot.” Nozomi muttered again, shaking her head. “I told you to stop hitting on me. Come on, get up. I’m taking you home. Or to a hospital.  
  
“To my hotel room.” Honoka elected. Feeling Nozomi’s grip loosen, she pushed herself to her feet. “No hospitals.”  
  
“Of course not. You’re too stubborn for one.” Nozomi quipped as she watched the older woman give her a goofy grin.  
  
“Damn straight, little lady!”_  
  
Maki watched, quickly dashing tears from her eyes. “So she can smile like that.” She mumbled, glancing toward Nozomi whose gaze was fixed intently on the video playing out.   
  
The scene changed to a bedroom, Honoka and Nozomi staring each other down. Honoka looked angry and distressed while Nozomi looked like she was close to tears.   
  
_“Well you’re not!” Honoka exclaimed loudly, her hands clenched at her sides. “Stop trying to help me. Stop thinking that just because you’re here I’ll tell you anything. This is all wrong. You’re not my Nozomi-chan and we don’t…there’s nothing between us, okay? I don’t need you, I’m only here to…”  
  
“You’re full of crap.” Nozomi’s voice shook with emotion. “You said it yourself, I’m your best friend. And you’re my…”  
  
“Nothing!” Honoka’s voice had grown progressively louder as she spoke. “I’m not anything to you! All you see me as is a fucked up version of your friend that you have to fix! Some kind of project like…” She was cut off as Nozomi strode forward and slapped her sharply. Her head jolted to the right.   
  
“Screw you.” Nozomi’s eyes were laced with tears as she spoke but she sounded mostly angry. “If I ever hear you say anything like that again I swear I’ll…” She trailed off, not entirely sure what she would do. “If you don’t know how much I care about you you’re an idiot.” She visibly softened as she watched Honoka’s features crumble with grief. “I hate seeing you hurting. I hate feeling how much you hurt.”  
  
“I hate all of this.” Honoka’s voice was thick with emotion. “I hate how messed up everything is. You and Eli, Kotori-chan…I hate that you’re not my Nozomi-chan. It doesn’t matter how close you think we are, you never will be. My friends were precious to me, they can’t just be replaced with…with…”  
  
“What?” Nozomi asked when Honoka trailed off. “Go on, you can say it. I don’t care how much you try to hurt me, I’m not going anywhere. I’m here with you and that’s where I’m staying. I love…mmph!” Her eyes widened as Honoka slapped a hand over her mouth, her eyes glinting dangerously.   
  
“Don’t say that to me. Don’t ever say that to me.” Future Honoka slowly let go of Nozomi, lowering her hands back to her side.   
  
“Why not? You’re my friend and I lo-”  
  
Honoka lurched forward, kissing Nozomi hard and the girl fell silent. Honoka didn’t pull away right away though, she held Nozomi close to her, feeling her respond hesitantly to the rough kiss. Their teeth clashed uncomfortably and Honoka took it upon herself to deepen the kiss, feeling Nozomi’s hands wander over her back. As she pressed closer, pushing her tongue past parted lips she heard a soft, almost indistinct moan from the third year. She quickly pulled away, startled by the sound. _  
  
Nozomi bit down hard on her lower lip. It was odd watching it play out though she remembered exactly how it had made her feel.   
  
“C-Come on.” She said, shaken up. She turned away from the screen, still holding Maki’s hand. “Let’s go and find Senpai.”  
  
“Eli-senpai…”   
  
A breathy moan stopped Nozomi short as she tried to tug Maki away from the screen. There was no mistaking that was Honoka. Swallowing heavily, she turned back to the wall where two scenes were playing side by side. She recognized Honoka’s hotel room and the bed she’d slept in so many times. More than that she recognized the bare forms of both Honoka and Eli. “Oh no…”  
  
On the opposing side she watched as Future Honoka curiously approached a slightly ajar door, coming to a stop right outside it. Holding her breath, she looked inside, her eyes widening when she saw Eli on her knees, Nozomi crouched in front of her, her hands on her shoulders. It was clear the memory was from Honoka’s own time.   
  
_“She told me…” Future Eli’s voice was barely understandable as she tried to speak through tears. “She told me she asked and…Kotori said yes. She…” She leaned forward then, her forehead resting on Nozomi’s knee. “I heard them anyway…she was saying they’re running away, they’re…she’s leaving me.”  
  
Future Nozomi gently shushed Eli, running her fingers through her distraught girlfriend’s hair. “It’s okay.”  
  
“It’s NOT OKAY!” Eli yelled between sobs, looking up at Nozomi. “How can it be okay when she’s…and…I’m telling YOU of all people.”  
  
Nozomi smiled softly. “I’m the only person you should tell. Just because you feel strongly for someone else doesn’t mean you love me any less.”  
  
Future Honoka backed away from the door, slowly for a few paces before she turned and ran away.   
_  
“I don’t think she wanted us to hear that.” Maki muttered, having lowered her hands to watch what was going on. Thankfully what was happening on the other ‘screen’ seemed to be skipping ahead.   
  
_Eli turned onto her side and wrapped her arms around Honoka, burying her face into her chest. “Honoka…”  
  
“Hmm?” Future Honoka mumbled, brushing her fingers gently through Eli’s hair. She waited for a moment until Eli looked up at her, tears shimmering in her bright blue eyes. “What…?”  
  
“Tell me…” Eli choked on the lump in her throat and had to pause for a moment before she continued. “Tell me you love me. If…if you do. Don’t lie.”  
  
Honoka’s chest ached. She felt like she would cry herself, at witnessing Eli’s pain. “I love you, Eli.” She reached down to brush Eli’s tears away with her fingers and gently kissed her lips. “I love you.”  
_  
Maki glanced at Nozomi, finding her staring at the screen, biting down hard on her lip. “Hey.” She whispered, laying her hand on Nozomi’s arm. “Look, it’s…it seems kind of obvious that those two have a connection. They’re always going to fall for each other. This time it’s just happened early and our Honoka chose Umi so even if it doesn’t seem like Eli is available now she probably will be soon, right?” She watched Nozomi closely, hearing her exhale. “Unless it’s not just Eli you’re worried about?”  
  
“Of course it is.” Nozomi answered softly, her eyes on the screen. She watched what happened after. Eli leaving Future Honoka alone in her bed. “Have you seen the way she looks at her? I don’t know if she’s ever looked at me that way. Even my future self can see how they feel.”  
  
“Nozomi…” Maki protested meekly.   
  
“And maybe I don’t want to see my…Honoka’s future self being close to someone else. Does that make me selfish?” Nozomi huffed out a sigh. “Can we please just leave? I don’t want to watch this anymore.”  
  
“So…you were jealous of Honoka and Eli because they slept together?” Maki asked inquisitively.   
  
“What?! No! It’s not like that. I said I’m jealous of her being close to someone else, not that I want to…ugh, just forget it.” Nozomi argued, shaking her head. “Maki-chan, can we please just go and find her? I’m tired of arguing about this.”  
  
“No, stop! Don’t come near me!”  
  
The sound of Future Honoka’s voice echoed around the room and both Nozomi and Maki instinctively turned to see what was going on. On the screen, a video played, of Honoka being backed into a corner. As a guard grabbed her she put up a fight but it was clear that she was weak. She looked thinner and frailer than she should be, especially dressed in the flimsy hospital gown she was wearing.   
  
“I think we can’t leave.” Maki said quietly as she watched Future Honoka being pinned against the wall, her hands held behind her back as she struggled. She was injected with something and a moment later she stopped fighting, clearly too weak to do so. “I think we have to see this through.”   
  
“Lift it up.”   
  
Another guard, older than the first spoke as he approached with what looked to be a gun in his hand.   
  
Future Honoka grunted her disapproval as her gown was pushed up her back.   
  
“Time to tag you like the monster you are.” The older guard snarled as he stepped forward.   
  
“No…” Nozomi whispered, her grip on Maki’s hand tightening. “Maki-chan, what are they doing?!”  
  
Maki frowned at the screen. Honoka was clearly sweating, unable to move much. “I think they tranquilized her. It doesn’t work the same with ability users…”  
  
“What are they going to do?” Nozomi asked desperately, turning to clutch onto Maki’s arm with her other hand. “The guard has a needle gun o-or something, right?! What…?”  
  
The sound of a buzzing motor suddenly filled the room and Nozomi looked back in time to see the older guard approaching Honoka with the gun. “Wait…”  
  
Honoka screamed in pain as soon as the needle pierced through her skin.   
  
“Keep her still.” The older guard ordered sharply, triggering the other guard to grab Honoka by the nape of the neck, pushing her face against the wall. He pressed his front partially against her back to keep her pinned there, making it impossible for her to do anything else.   
  
Powerless to move, Honoka could only sob and scream into the wall, tears tracking their way down her cheeks as the tattoo was forced onto her skin.   
  
“Senpai.” Nozomi choked out, her hand clutching at her chest, over her heart. Tears were sliding down her own cheeks too and she couldn’t do anything to stop it.   
  
Maki looked away, blinking hurriedly. She couldn’t imagine their Honoka going through anything like that. “Nozomi, you don’t have to watch.”  
  
Nozomi shook her head. “I don’t care.” She answered gruffly as she watched the final digit being tattooed into Honoka’s back. “I want to watch everything.”  
  
Maki looked to Nozomi in surprise. She was about to point out that it might not be the best idea, both for Nozomi herself and for Honoka when the scene changed. She was silent as she watched Nozomi turn back to the ‘screen’ in front of her, the older girl giving a sharp intake of breath.   
  
“Maki-chan, don’t look.” Nozomi’s voice was so serious that Maki couldn’t have kept her eyes away from the screen even if she’d wanted to. She turned back to the screen but no warning from Nozomi could have prepared her for the sight of Kotori lying on the ground.   
  
“Honoka-ch…” Kotori couldn’t finish what she was saying as she choked on the blood in her throat. “H-H…”  
  
“It’s okay, Kotori-chan. You’re going to be fine.” Honoka desperately pushed up Kotori’s shirt to expose the bullet hole in her abdomen. Her hands visibly shook as she uncorked a vial and poured red liquid into the wound. “I-I don’t understand…”  
  
“H-Hono…” Kotori weakly reached for Honoka’s hand but it was clear that her blurred vision was making it impossible to grab it.  
  
Maki’s free hand went to her mouth, a choked sob tearing it’s way from her throat as she watched.   
  
Honoka tightly grabbed Kotori’s hand, her own eyes welling with tears. On the other screens, Maki could see the fight still going on. She could see Nico standing in front of her future self, guarding her with her body but her gaze was fixed mostly on Kotori.   
  
“Kotori.” Honoka’s voice was harsh but filled with emotion. “Don’t you dare die. If you do…”  
  
Kotori used her remaining strength to reach up and grip the collar of Honoka’s jacket, pulling her down. Their foreheads collided awkwardly but neither seemed to care.   
  
“I-I…” Kotori struggled to speak despite her throat being mostly clear of blood now. “I love you…and….Umi…tell…” She trailed off and turned her head, coughing up more blood, some of it hitting Honoka’s cheek.   
  
“Please. Don’t…” Future Honoka gripped Kotori’s hand around her collar as if trying to get her to hold on. The sound of footsteps echoed around them and Nozomi and Maki watched as Umi suddenly appeared on the screen, dropping to her knees next to Honoka and Kotori.   
  
“Umi…” The name left Kotori’s lips as a weak yet content sigh and Honoka’s eyes snapped open.   
  


“I’m right here.” Umi’s voice was choked as though she was near tears herself. She placed her hand gently on top of Kotori’s head as Honoka was desperately gripping her hands. “Stay with us, Kotori. It’s going to be okay. I promise.”  
  
A choked whimper escaped Kotori’s lips though a small smile lingered on her lips. Slowly, her eyes began to shut.   
  
“Kotori-chan!”  
  
“Koto-nee!”   
  
Maki’s yell rang out in sync with Honoka’s as her knees gave out beneath her. She fell to the ground, barely feeling Nozomi adjust her grip on her hand. “No. No, no, no…” She leaned forward, tears spilling their way freely down her cheeks. “Not her. Anyone but her.”  
  
“Maki-chan, it’s not real.” Nozomi crouched down next to Maki, placing her free hand on the tearful girl’s cheek and forcing her to make eye contact. “Not for us. You told me that, remember? You told me before we came here.”  
  
“It feels real.” Maki choked out, her hand going to her chest. “I could sense her a second ago and now I-I can’t.”  
  
“It just feels real because you…” Nozomi was cut off by a loud thud. She looked back up to the screen along with Maki, finding Umi had fallen too, her hands at her throat. The two of them watched, clutching each other tightly as Honoka desperately tried and failed to save her.   
  
Nozomi barely managed to resist the urge to look away. There was so much blood and every one of the people under attack were her precious friends. There was nothing more dear to her than them.   
  
“Honoka, move!”  
  
Eli’s voice rang clearly around the room and a moment later she was there, tackling Honoka to the side to get her out of the way of another attack. She jumped to her feet after, turning back to the fight. With a low, angered growl her body was engulfed in flames once more.   
  
“I’ll kill you.” She snarled furiously. She pulled her hand back, seemingly to attack.   
  
“Elichi…” Nozomi murmured, her heart in her throat. She knew what she was about to watch, minus the details, but she couldn’t turn away.   
  
“Oh?” With a wave of Erena’s hand, Eli’s flames went out. “I think you’re the ones dying. It just a matter of who’s next.” Her gaze shifted to Honoka. “I’ve been waiting so long to kill you, I’m not sure how I’d like to do it.” She took a step forward, causing Eli to tense and reach behind her to pull Honoka close to her back. “Maybe I should kill you like I killed the mousey one over there. Piercing your heart with darkness seems fitting.”  
  
“I won’t let you touch her.” Eli said angrily, letting go of Honoka’s wrist.   
  
“Oh Eli.” Erena lifted her fist and the meager flickers of flame Eli had forced to ignite again went out. She didn’t stop there as Eli fell to her knees with a choked cry.   
  
Nozomi gasped sharply, gripping Maki tighter. She’d never been able to tolerate seeing Eli in pain. She listened to her future self cry out but she was more concerned with Eli and Erena. “This isn’t right…she helped me so why is she…?” Her musings about Erena ended abruptly when the girl in question summoned a shadow and sent it flying toward Honoka. The next few seconds happened in a blur. Eli went up in flames again and dove toward Honoka, her hand going to the back of the girl’s head to draw it protectively against her shoulder as she shielded her. The blonde’s body jerked and then she stilled completely, her hand falling away from the back of Honoka’s head.  
  
“ELICHI!” Future Nozomi’s voice cried out.   
  
As Honoka pulled back, Nozomi could clearly make out Eli’s dead and unfocused eyes, coupled with the red covering the front of her shirt. She was gone. Nozomi’s eyes prickled with tears she could do nothing to hold back.   
  
“No.” Honoka whispered brokenly, touching Eli’s cheek. “E-Eli-senpai…”  
  
A sudden scream seemed to catch Honoka’s attention and she looked up in time to see Future Nozomi shove her way past Tsubasa. She ran to her knees, falling next to Eli. She pushed Honoka away, taking Eli away from her.   
  
“Elichi.” Future Nozomi pleaded, tears streaming down her cheeks. “Elichi, wake up. Wake up!”  
  
Nozomi wasn’t sure she could watch anymore. She was sure that watching her future self cry over Eli’s death would just bring about her own tears  so she focused solely on Honoka instead, watching as she looked down at something in her hand. Eli’s cross.  
  
“S-She’s gone.” Honoka mumbled. Her hand closed around the cross in her hand and she leaned forward, tears filling her eyes. She seemed to fold in on herself, biting down hard on her lip to hold back a scream.   
  
“This is it.” Nozomi mumbled as she watched Honoka’s body shake. It was obvious, the point where Honoka had broken completely. With Kotori and Eli dead she simply didn’t have anything left.   
  
“Nozomi.” Maki whispered when Future Honoka finally seemed to pull herself together enough to look around. Her grip was suddenly tight. Much too tight.   
  
Nozomi looked to where Maki was suddenly staring, bile rising in her throat as she watched Nico cutting at every inch of her own skin she could. She was crouched over a completely still Maki. “You’re okay.” She choked out, gently drawing Maki’s head to her shoulder.   
  
“Why would she…?” Maki was cut off as a laugh echoed around them.   
  
Future Nozomi’s crying stopped too and she slowly lowered Eli to the ground and got to her feet. There was hatred on her face, a look Maki didn’t recognize. The older version of the girl holding her held out, palm up and a moment later Erena cried out in pain and sank to the ground, clutching at her chest.   
  
“Hurts, doesn’t it?”  
  
Nozomi gasped, reflexively holding Maki closer to her as she watched her future self walk forward. It was obvious what was happening. She wa collecting every bit of pain from around the room, forcing it into Erena. What bothered her more than what she was doing was the satisfied look on her face as she did it. She wondered if she would do the same if anything happened to Eli. Probably, she thought.   
  
“Erena!” Tsubasa cried out, starting to move forward.   
  
“Stop!” Anju stopped Tsubasa in her tracks, a smirk on her lips. “I’ll deal with this.”  
  
Nozomi growled under her breath. Feeling Maki look up at her, she explained. “That’s Anju. The shapeshifter who pretended to be me. The one who hurt Kotori-chan and broke me and Elichi up.”  
  
Maki was about to ask how Nozomi knew so much when the girl on screen transformed into someone very familiar and her jaw dropped. She watched Tsubasa chuckle and hand over the dagger she’d used on Umi.   
  
“No.” Honoka muttered, hurriedly shaking her head. “NO! Nozomi! Nozomi, don’t listen to her!”  
  
Nozomi watched with baited breath as Eli - or rather Anju in Eli’s form - approached her.   
  
“Nozomi stop.” ‘Eli’ spoke softly.   
  
“E-Elichi?” Nozomi winced as her future self turned to ‘Eli’, her tears starting afresh. Within a couple of seconds she had thrown her arms around the blonde. “I thought…I thought…”  
  
“Shhh.” ‘Eli’ hushed Nozomi gently, her hand gently coming to rest on the back of Nozomi’s head. “It’s alright. I’m right here.”  
  
“Damn it.  _Damn_   _her_.”   
  
Nozomi glanced at Maki, finding her seething, her cheeks red and flushed with anger and seemingly every part of her body tensed. The redhead’s outrage on her behalf was touching for some reason. Swallowing thickly, Nozomi turned her attention back to what was happening in time to see ‘Eli’ thrust a knife into her future self’s stomach. She grimaced at the sight. She knew Eli would never hurt her. That’s what made it so hard to watch. It seemed her future self knew that too as in her last moments she realized it wasn’t Eli she was with.   
  
“Honoka.” Nico stood up from the ground and turned toward Honoka. She was soaked in blood. Her clothes, her hands, arms, and even her face was covered in it. “Go back! You need to fix this!”  
  
“I won’t.”  
  
In an instant, the room around Nozomi and Maki disappeared and they found themselves in the classroom instead, surrounded by the dead bodies of their friends. Maki clamped her hand over her mouth, gagging at the scent of blood in the air.   
  
“I won’t leave you!” Honoka insisted, causing Nico’s eyes to widen in surprise.   
  
The momentary hesitation was enough to give A-Rise room to attack again and Erena pulled her arm back, sending a shadow flying toward Honoka. It hit her in the shoulder, knocking her back a few feet. She landed next to Umi, hitting her head on the solid floor. She was dazed for a moment before she felt someone drag her to her feet by the collar of her shirt.

“I’ve wanted to do this for a long time.” Tsubasa smirked, brandishing her knife from her belt.

“So do it.” Honoka whispered, her venomous words a stark contrast to the tears sliding relentless down her cheeks. “Put me out of my misery.”  
  
“No!” Nico’s voice rang out in sync with Nozomi’s own cry of protest.   
  
Nozomi let go of Maki and scrambled to her feet, rushing for Honoka. She lunged toward her, tackling her to the ground. She had feared when she would finally see the day that Honoka gave up completely on her own life. She knew it was going to happen eventually but it was too soon.   
  
The room around them dissolved, back to the darkness from earlier and Nozomi found Honoka staring up at her.   
  
“Nozomi.” Honoka whispered, reaching up with a shaky hand. She brushed her fingers against Nozomi’s cheek, her eyes awash with tears. “You’re…you’re really here. My Nozomi, not…”  
  
Nozomi struggled to choke back a sob. “I told you I would come for you.” She pressed her forehead to Honoka’s, taking a shuddering breath. “Please wake up. I miss you so much. I’ve been waiting but you’re not waking up and I didn’t know what to do. I just want you back.”  
  
“Y-You’re better off without me.” Honoka argued tearfully. “I said horrible things before, I-I practically forced myself on you…I’m not who you want me to be.”  
  
“Idiot. I need you. I don’t care what you said. We’ll talk about it later. None of it matters!” Nozomi exclaimed desperately. “Please.  _Please_  just come back to us. To me. I need you more than anyone else does! I know it hurts, okay? I know you can’t do this forever and one day…” She trailed off, unable to fathom the idea of losing Honoka. “Just for now. Just give me some more time with you. I need more time.”  
  
Honoka’s arms went around Nozomi’s back and she drew her close, hugging her tightly. “Just a little longer.” She whispered, her voice cracking with emotion. “I don’t think I can do this much more.”  
  
Nozomi didn’t need to protest as she felt herself being drawn back to reality. She opened her eyes, finding Maki already putting her shades back on.   
  
“What did I tell you about letting go of my hand?!” Maki scowled irritably. “You could have been lost in there!”

  
“Senpai would never have let me get lost.” Nozomi murmured, turning to Honoka. The older girl was still for a moment and Nozomi felt dread creep up on her before she noticed Honoka’s brow furrow. “Senpai?”  
  
Honoka groaned and lifted her hand to her head. “If I’d known my head would hurt this much I think I would have stayed asleep.” She said, her words slurring slight. She blinked open her eyes, squinting for a moment before she found Nozomi. “Hey…you were so desperate to talk to me you had to chase me through my dreams, huh?”  
  
Maki shook her head in amusement. She could practically hear Honoka’s smile in her voice.   
  
“Idiot!” Nozomi clearly wasn’t as amused as Maki was. “Damn it, I thought you were gone!”   
  
“And leave my cute kohai alone?” Honoka teased, painstakingly pushing herself into a sitting position. “Of course no-” She was silenced abruptly by Nozomi leaning in and kissing her. The sudden movement almost had Honoka falling back onto the bed in her weakened state but Nozomi’s hands were there, at her back and at the back of her head to support her. Almost unwittingly, she melted into the kiss, grasping Nozomi’s arm to draw her further onto the bed.   
  
“Ah…I may be blind but I can still hear you, you know.” Maki said, blushing.   
  
Nozomi quickly pulled away, her own face turning red. “S-Sorry, I just got carried away.”  
  
“Blind?” Honoka echoed, her voice suddenly serious. She turned toward Maki, gaping at the sight of her shades. “How?”  
  
“Tsubasa sent someone. The girl who attacked you.” Nozomi said, soothingly rubbing Honoka’s shoulder. “She had acid too and she um…hit Maki-chan with it.”  
  
Honoka moved to her knees with a grunt of pain and reached for Maki’s shades, carefully removing them. She ignored the way Maki flinched and looked at her eyes, taking in how unfocused they were. They were a duller color too, she noticed.   
  
“It’s fine, Kotori has been taking care of me.” Maki said quietly.   
  
“It’s not fine! Why the hell hasn’t Nico healed you?” Honoka demanded to know. She looked between Nozomi and Maki but they were both silent. “What? What’s going on?”  
  
Nozomi took it upon herself to answer. “Nicocchi and Hanayo-chan were taken by CORPS. Elichi, Honoka-chan, Umi-chan and Kotori-chan went after them.”  
  
Honoka stared at Nozomi blankly for a moment. “You’re telling me two of my friends are missing and my future girlfriend and my two best friends went on what has to be a suicide mission?!”  
  
“By future girlfriend you mean…?” Nozomi quirked an eyebrow at Honoka. “And it’s not a suicide mission. They know what they’re doing. I wouldn’t have let Elichi go otherwise.”  
  
“Kotori-chan.” Honoka answered as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. She got up from the bed and made her way to where her clothes were neatly folded on the chair next to the bed.   
  
“I’m dating Kotori.” Maki said firmly as she put her shades back on. “Our Honoka already chose Umi. And…I guess Eli to an extent. Kotori is  _not_  your Kotori, she’s mine!”  
  
“Maki.” Honoka winced as she carefully removed her IV. Her Maki had shown her how to, mindful that Honoka would end up ripping them out. “I’m not trying to be mean but Kotori and I are always going to end up together. It doesn’t matter what’s in the middle.”  
  
“Are you…” Maki stood up from the bed, her fists clenched. “Are you  _serious_? Not everything’s going to happen the way it did for you. You coming back has changed all of us. I’m not going to be cold toward everyone or smoke. Nico-chan isn’t going to be emotionless forever. She’s showing more emotion every day! And…and Koto-nee and I rekindled our friendship. We didn’t do that in your future, did we? Honoka is madly in love with Umi and she has the guts to admit she loves Eli too s-”  
  
“Maki-chan!” Nozomi cut in sharply as Future Honoka did a double take. Maki turned to her with a wounded expression, as though she had been waiting for Nozomi to agree with her. “I’m sorry. Just leave it alone, okay?”  
  
“Why should I?!” Maki demanded. “I love Kotori so why should I have to listen to her saying she’s going to take her from me eventually?! And Honoka loves Umi and Eli anyway, you can see it in her eyes!”  
  
“Maki-chan, not now!” Nozomi insisted, trying to keep the two from arguing. “We’ll talk about it later!”  
  
“Yeah, well I didn’t say my past self isn’t an idiot!” Honoka retorted, pulling on some jeans. “Kotori knew how she felt about me long before I realized how I felt about her. Just like in this timeline. Have you seen the way she looks at my past self? Besides, it’s not like she hasn’t kissed me before.”  
  
“But Honoka doesn’t see Kotori that way!” Maki insisted, her tone taut with frustration. “She loves Umi! And Eli too but she doesn’t see Kotori as anything other than her best friend!”  
  
“God damn it, shut UP!” Honoka yelled, whirling around to face Maki. “It doesn’t matter how my past self sees Kotori now because Kotori loves her. Has she even told you you’re her girlfriend yet?” She waited a beat for Maki to reply but she didn’t. “You know it doesn’t matter. If my past self doesn’t see sense Kotori-chan is always going to have me.”  
  
“Okay, okay!” Nozomi stepped between the two of them, holding her arms out at her sides. “Both of you just SHUT UP! Honoka, Maki-chan just saved your life. Stop being so cruel. And Maki-chan, you need to think about how Honoka feels.”  
  
“How she feels…” Maki winced in pain, gripping her head. “How SHE feels? Damn it…”  
  
“Okay, Maki-chan. Sit down.” Nozomi instructed, moving toward Maki. She lowered her voice when she was close to the redhead. “I know you’re upset but yelling at Honoka isn’t going to help. You saw her past, you know how she feels about Kotori.”  
  
“I don’t CARE!” Maki’s voice rose though she cringed immediately after. “Ow…”  
  
The door opened suddenly and Rei walked in, worry on her face. “What’s going on in here?!” She glanced in shock between Maki, Nozomi and Honoka. “You’re awake? How…” She trailed off, realizing what must have happened. “Oh Maki…”  
  
Maki swayed on her feet, her eyes watering. It was too much. The pain in her head hurt too much, the images of Kotori dying were still with her and now she was faced with the reality of Kotori leaving her. “It hurts…”  
  
Rei moved to her daughter, quickly steadying her. “I told you not to do this, Maki…”  
  
“I love Koto-nee.” Maki said wearily as she leaned into her mother. “I love her and she’s going to take her away from me.”  
  
“She’s NOT yours to…” Even Future Honoka was silenced by the fierce glare Rei shot her. “Whatever.”  
  
“I see you’re feeling better.” Rei said sharply as she gently guided Maki back to the bed. “Nice to see you’re making the most of your time by bullying my daughter.”  
  
“Mom, what am I going to do…?” Maki murmured as Rei helped her lie down on the bed. “Koto-nee…I just…I don’t want to lose her again.”  
  
“It’s alright.” Rei soothed, gently running her fingers through Maki’s hair. “You’ll be healed soon and everything will be fine, I promise. Just get some rest.”  
  
“I just want to see her again.” Maki whimpered. “Mama…”  
  
“I know, I know…”  
  
“Nozomi.” Honoka looked to Nozomi as she pulled her jacket on. She pointedly didn’t look at Maki, feeling guilty for hurting her. “Are you coming?”  
  
“Huh? Oh yeah.” Nozomi tore her gaze away from Maki. “Yeah, let’s go.”  
  
Rei stood from the bed and stepped in front of Honoka, levelling her with a serious look. “I know you’re vital to the future but if you even think about hurting my daughter, I’ll…”  
  
“I have no interest in hurting her.” Honoka interrupted bluntly. “She’ll be hurt enough without me adding to it.”  
  
“You don’t know anything about her.” Rei stopped Honoka leaving with a hand to her chest. “You have no idea how much she’s endured. She deserves to be happy.”  
  
Honoka gritted her teeth together.   
  
“Just tell me. In the future, has Maki even opened up to anyone about her childhood? Do you know what happened to her?”  
  
“Maki-chan isn’t…she doesn’t talk about her past. Or her feelings. She likes to be alone.” Honoka answered stiffly. She wanted to leave but she didn’t think she could refuse Rei’s questioning. “She doesn’t know how to…do relationships.”  
  
“Of course she doesn’t know how. She didn’t have a real friend until she was four. She didn’t play with other kids or see the outside world. Until Yume brought Kotori over to play. That was the happiest I’ve ever seen her. And then of course they fell apart.” Rei glanced toward Maki who seemed to be sleeping comfortably. “After Kotori started elementary, Maki became isolated again. She didn’t know how to control her ability and non-ability users are afraid of her. Maki’s always hated people being afraid of her…”  
  
“I know.” Honoka mumbled, remembering the many times she’d hurt Maki by flinching away from her.   
  
“But now she has Kotori back and I’m sure you can understand why she doesn’t want to lose her again.” Rei finished. “I know you don’t mean to hurt her but she’s still a teenager.”  
  
Honoka gave a terse nod. “I have to go.” She said, grabbing Nozomi’s hand and edging around Rei.   
—  
  
“This is weird.” Chika commented as she allowed Kotori to tug her along. “I’ve never been invisible before.”  
  
Kotori gave a hum of acknowledgement. “So how do you know Honoka-chan?”  
  
“We were neighbors when I was younger!” Chika answered brightly as they approached the door to the building. “Honoka-onee-chan is a year older than me so I uh…looked up to her a lot. I used to follow her around a lot. It must have been pretty annoying, I guess…”  
  
“I’m sure she thought it was sweet.” Kotori replied with a shake of her head though she knew Chika couldn’t actually see her. “I had a friend just like you. She used to follow me around all of the time. She was so shy…” She chuckled softly to herself as she thought of how Maki had acted when she was younger.   
  
“Are you still friends with her?” Chika asked interestedly as they reached the door.   
  
“No, she’s my…” Kotori paused, realizing she’d been about to say ‘girlfriend’. “Well um…yeah, we’re really good friends now though we were seperated for a while.”  
  
“Oh.” Chika followed Kotori into the building and lowered her voice. “Kind of like me and Honoka-onee-chan.”  
  
“Kind of.” Kotori said agreeably.   
  
“Why kind of?” Chika asked inquisitively as Kotori guided her down the hallway. “Is it different somehow?”  
  
“Well…kind of.” Kotori said again. “Maki-chan and I are closer now. I guess you could say she’s my um…girlfriend now.” She was glad she was invisible so Chika couldn’t see her blushing. “I just um…don’t like to say that much. It’s complicated.”  
  
“Huh? Why is it complicated?”  
  
Kotori gave a small laugh. “You’re curious, huh?” She paused for a moment before answering. “I had feelings for someone else before Maki-chan and I became friends again. And I still have feelings for them. It’s…Honoka-chan actually. She’s one of my two best friends.”  
  
“But Maki-san isn’t your best friend?” Chika asked inquisitively. “What’s she then? And…well, I thought Honoka-onee-chan was with the dark haired girl. Or the blonde one…Eli-san, was it?”  
  
“Don’t remind me.” Kotori said with a resigned sigh. “It’s like they’re all she thinks about now. But her future self is dating me. In the future so…”  
  
“Wait, what? Her future self?” Chika asked in confusion. “Can someone see into the future? That’s so cool, I want to try!”  
  
“Uh…no. It’s complicated. I don’t know why I’m telling you all of this.” Kotori muttered.   
  
“You-chan and Riko-chan say I’m a good listener.” Chika said sincerely. “Maybe that’s why. I like helping people with their problems.”  
  
Kotori laughed softly. “You’re pretty cute, you know? Honoka-chan is lucky to have you as someone who looks up to her.”  
  
“I-I don’t know about that.” Chika said with a nervous chuckle. They turned the corner and she paused, making sure nobody was there to hear them. “So does Maki-chan love you?”  
  
“Um…yes.” Kotori answered thoughtfully. She didn’t have any doubt that Maki loved her. Maki had told her before and she would never lie about something like that. “And I love her. But love is…well I don’t know if I love her in the same way she loves me.”  
  
Chika hummed in response. “So you’re just with her because you don’t want to hurt her? That’s really…stupid and cruel. It’s wrong to just play someone like that. Just because you have feelings for two people at the same time doesn’t mean you can’t love them both in the same way. Or even the same amount. I think.”  
  
Kotori was surprised that she didn’t feel affronted by the harsh comment from this girl she had just met. “Speaking from personal experience?”  
  
“Wha…?!” Chika shook her head quickly. “Of course not! I don’t have feelings for anyone a-and I’m sure nobody likes me in that way. It’s just common sense, isn’t it? And…you said Honoka-onee-chan is the other person you love. Is Maki-san her friend too?”  
  
“Yeah.” Kotori answered quietly. “Yeah, she is.”  
  
“I’m sure she wouldn’t want you to hurt Maki-san either.” Chika finished. “So maybe if you’re using Maki-san it would be best to end it before it goes too far? Tell her the truth…though I guess that might cause some problems too, with your friends…”  
  
“Look…” Kotori drew to a stop, Chika with her. She wished she could ease up on using her abilities but she couldn’t risk being spotted by security cameras. It seemed she’d had the fortune of finding her way into a section of the building that wasn’t swarmed with guards. She wasn’t about to push her luck. “You seem nice and…I don’t mind talking to you about this for some reason but…maybe we shouldn’t talk about it right now, especially considering you don’t even know my name.”  
  
“It’s Kotori-chan. Honoka-onee-chan said it.” Chika said obliviously. “But if you don’t remember my name it’s…”  
  
“Chika-chan. I know.” Kotori sighed and continued on her way down the hallway. She closed her hand around the necklace around her neck, her thoughts straying to Maki. She just wanted to make sure Nico and Hanayo were safe and then get back to Maki. She wasn’t sure what to make of that though. “Let’s just focus on what we’re doing. We have to find our friends.”  
—  
  
“These guards are never ending.” Honoka panted as she pressed herself close to a wall, taking cover from the onslaught of guards. “I wish Kotori-chan had followed us. This would be a lot faster. We need to hurry up and get to them before they do something stupid.”  
  
“They’re going to be okay.” Umi said reassuringly from next to Honoka. Having run out of things to throw she’d been forced to duck out of the fight.   
  
“I don’t know why they’re here to begin with.” Eli said breathlessly as she joined them. “You need to talk to your sister when we get to them, this is crazy!”  
  
“MY sister?!” Honoka exclaimed angrily. “This would never be Yukiho’s idea. I told you, she’s more responsible than that. Maybe you should look at your own sister. It’s obvious she’d try to be like you!”  
  
“Honoka.” Umi warned gently, grabbing Honoka’s hand. “It’s nobody’s fault.”  
  
“Arisa doesn’t KNOW better!” Eli stepped out from behind the wall, throwing out her hands to send a wall of blue flames toward the oncoming guards. “Yukiho SHOULD!”  
  
“Arisa-chan’s no more of a child than Yukiho is!” Honoka growled, seemingly not hearing what Umi was saying. “You act like Yukiho is dragging Arisa-chan out and convincing her to do things but it’s the other way round and you know it! Yukiho can’t resist Arisa-chan. She always ends up following her lead. Your sister has your charm. And she has my sister wrapped around her little finger.”  
  
“Hey, hey, HEY!” Umi interrupted loudly before Eli could argue. “Stop it! Just stop it, okay?! You two aren’t meant to be fighting, you’re meant to be leaning on each other. It’s what you do, isn’t it? What good is yelling at each other going to do when you’re both already scared enough?”  
  
Both Honoka and Eli looked suitably rebuked but neither of them said anything for a moment until Honoka spoke up. “I-I’m sorry, Eli-senpai…”  
  
“ _Damn_  it!” Eli hit the wall they were cowering behind with the side of her fist. “I’m sorry too. Let’s just find them, okay?” She turned to Honoka and held out her hand. “Would you mind teleporting me behind those guards? Maybe we can take them by surprise.”  
  
“Yeah.” Honoka hesitated for a moment before slipping her hand into Eli’s. “Of course.” She closed her eyes, focusing intently on teleporting herself and Eli behind the guards across the room. She felt the familiar sensation of her surroundings fading out of focus and new surroundings fading in.   
  
As soon as Eli felt her feet hit solid ground she threw her hands out, taking the remaining guards down with a wave of fire. “Finally…”  
  
“SHINY!”  
  
Eli whirled around at the sound of a new voice, throwing her arms out defensively.   
  
“No, no, no!” Nico exclaimed quickly, grabbing Mari’s arm to draw her behind her. “Eli, it’s fine. It’s okay. Mari’s…insane but she’s on our side.” She cast a glare over at Mari. “Would you quit it with the English? No wonder everyone tries to kill you.”  
  
Mari grinned at the comment. “Maybe I’m just hiding my true feelings. Besides, I like to annoy you, Bella!”  
  
“Nico-chan, what happened to you?!” Honoka was suddenly at Nico’s side, engulfing her in a painfully tight embrace. Thankfully it was brief before Honoka pulled away. “You’re…hurt?”  
  
“Long story.” Nico winced, leaning heavily on Honoka. “I…they gave me the cure. Took away my ability and now I’m dying.”  
  
“Dying?” Eli asked frantically, stepping forward. “No. No, you can’t be! I’m not going to let you die, you can’t!”  
  
“I am.” Nico took a deep breath, struggling to stand up straight even with Honoka’s help. She felt Umi grasp her arm too, to help. “I need to get back to Hanayo before it happens. I promised I’d get her out. She doesn’t know. I don’t know if she can walk, she twisted her ankle pretty bad.”  
  
“I’ll carry her.” Umi volunteered. “If her ankle’s hurt it’ll be faster anyway. Honoka and…your new friend will help you.”  
  
Nico scowled. “If you’re talking about…”  
  
“Mari!” Mari announced, perking up at having been addressed. “Oh my god, are you some kind of prince? You look like Kanan!”  
  
Umi blinked in confusion. “Prince…? What?”  
  
“Umi-chan is my girlfriend.” Honoka said sharply, earning herself surprised looks from both Umi and Eli. “Eh…I’m just saying. Umi-chan’s not…a prince.”  
  
“Don’t pay her any attention. She’s weird.” Nico mumbled, nodding toward Mari.   
  
“I like her.” Eli announced with a shrug of her shoulders.  
  
“Of course you would, she’s a blonde Nozomi!” Nico winced as she shifted. “Mari, please try to act normal. I don’t have the energy to punch you…”  
  
“So hot, I like you too!” Mari answered in fluent english.   
  
“Ugh, ENOUGH with the English!” Nico groaned.   
  
“You remind me even more of Kanan.” Mari smiled flirtatiously over at Eli who blushed and looked away.   
  
“D-Don’t speak to Eli-senpai like that, she’s my…” Honoka trailed off, wondering how she could even begin to explain. “My…special person.”  
  
Eli beamed at the slip up. “Just hers. In general.”  
  
“They’re both yours?!” Mari gasped exaggeratedly. “How scandalous!”   
  
“I’m going to kill her.” Nico whimpered, her head falling to Honoka’s shoulder. “I’m seriously going to kill her.”  
  
“You were going to say it, weren’t you?” Eli asked, sidling up to Honoka. “I will be if you want me to be, you know…”  
  
“E-Eli-sen-”  
  
“INTRUDERS, STOP RIGHT THERE!” A male voice rang out around the courtyard.   
  
Umi looked up sharply, searching for the source of the noise. A guard turned the corner and she drew her knife from her belt and threw it. It hit the guard square in the chest and he fell to the ground. He was quickly followed by more men though. “Everyone scatter!”


	31. Chapter 31

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning(s): Violence, character death, severe angst.

Nozomi cast a nervous sideward glance at Future Honoka as they walked down the stairs. Honoka hadn’t said anything since they left the bedroom, aside from warning her to stay close when they arrived at the institute. She hadn’t even complained anymore about how stupid they all were.   
  
“Senpai?” She finally spoke apprehensively, causing Honoka to look toward her. “I wouldn’t cross Rei-san if I were you…”  
  
Honoka scoffed and shook her head. “Why not? What’s she going to do to me, kill me with her healing ability?”  
  
“She won’t let you hurt Maki-chan.” Nozomi said pointedly. “I can feel how protective she is and how angry she was when you hurt Maki-chan before.”  
  
“You’ve been rummaging around in other people’s feelings again then.” Honoka snapped, irritated by the turn in conversation. “I can’t say I’m surprised.”  
  
“You know I can’t help it sometimes.” Nozomi said quietly. “When the other person’s feelings are too strong…or with you and Elichi.”

Honoka opened her mouth to say something else when Takashi appeared in the doorway to her left. “I heard yelling.” He said, staring at Honoka in surprise. “You’re awake?”

“Clearly.” Honoka said scathingly.   
  
“You don’t have to worry about the yelling.” Nozomi cut in before Honoka could say anything else. “But Rei-san might need some help.”  
  
“Rei-chan? What’s wrong with her?”  
  
Nozomi looked away, troubled by the emotions she felt from the man. It wasn’t as though she wanted to be so intrusive. “She’s um…helping Maki-chan. Maki-chan used her power too much so…”  
  
“I’ll go right away.” Takashi said seriously, starting toward the stairs. He stopped short when Honoka stepped into his path, her eyes narrowed.   
  
“It’s nice that you bother more with someone else’s daughter than your own.” Honoka growled angrily. “You really let her go there? Are you people  _crazy_?” She didn’t let Takashi protest before she continued. “You have no idea what’s going on with her do you? Do you even know she’s in love with someone who’s already with someone else? That she won’t see sense?”  
  
Takashi ran his hand through his hair in frustration. “I guess it runs in our genes.”  
  
“What?”  
  
“Nothing.” Takashi said with a shake of his head. “Who Eli falls in love with is her choice. I have no say. Now if you’ll excuse me I’m going to check on Rei-chan and Maki.”  
  
Honoka huffed out a sigh as Takashi slipped past her. “Come on.” She muttered to Nozomi before she started toward the door.   
  
—-  
  
“GUN’S BLAZING!”  
  
Nico’s hand twitched at her side as she watched Mari wave her hands around, controlling one of the guards in front of her and forcing him to shoot the guard next to him. She couldn’t believe this girl was helping her. She was clearly crazy.   
  
Honoka pressed herself close to Eli’s burning back, unafraid of the flames licking at her skin. They were an extension of Eli. They wouldn’t hurt her. She watched Mari, her eyes wide with horror as the puppeteer took down guard after guard. Or rather, forced them to take themselves down.   
  
Eli threw a ball of fire at a guard who’d turned toward them. She was hyper conscious of the way Honoka was grasping the back of her jacket, clearly afraid. Next to them, Umi was throwing knives, casting the occasional glance at Honoka to ensure she was still there.   
  
“Honoka, can you stop time so I can sneak up behind them?” Umi asked, growing tired. It didn’t seem like what they were doing was working. Already there were more guards coming.   
  
Honoka glanced over at Umi and gave a nod. Reaching out toward Umi, she waited until her girlfriend took her hand before she focused on freezing everything around them.   
  
Noticing what the two were doing, Eli thrust both of her hands forward, unleashing a wall of fire.   
  
Suddenly the room froze, Mari, Nico and the guards along with it.   
  
“Be careful, Umi-chan. I can’t hold it for long.” Honoka said, her brow furrowed in concentration.  
  
“Here I go.” Umi spun her knife in her hand before she hurried forward, getting behind the guards.   
  
“Show off.” Eli said with a roll of her eyes as she watched Umi stab a few of the guards. “You know she only pulls this crap for you, right?”  
  
Honoka let out a strained giggle, her grip on Eli’s jacket tightening slightly but she was too focused to reply. She kept watch over Eli’s shoulder though as Umi continued what she was doing.   
  
“Ultimate show off!” Eli exclaimed, loud enough for Umi to hear across the room.   
  
“You want her attention, you have to work for it ‘Eli-senpai’.” Umi kicked the first guard in the side, causing him to fall to the side, knocking the others with him.   
  
“Umi-chan, hurry up!” Honoka exclaimed loudly, barely able to keep time frozen. Her head was already pounding with pain even after a few minutes.   
  
Umi apologized quickly and hastened over to Honoka’s side, grabbing her hand again just as time unfroze. When Honoka fixed her with a frown she smiled sheepishly. “Strike?”  
  
Honoka released a sigh of relief and pulled Umi to her, kissing her cheek as Eli turned toward them. “Strike.”  
  
Umi winked at Eli, more at ease now that Honoka wasn’t angry with her.   
  
Eli rolled her eyes but got her own back by trailing heated fingers down the nape of Honoka’s neck to her back, causing the girl to blush heavily.  “E-Eli–”  
  
“WOULD YOU THREE STOP FLIRTING?!” Nico yelled from behind Mari. “WE’RE KIND OF IN THE MIDDLE OF SOMETHING!”  
  
Mari’s eyes lit up. “SPICY MEATBALL!”  
  
“DAMN IT, MARI!”  
  
Eli smirked at the annoyed third year. “Sorry, Nico. Good job, Umi. Let’s hurry up and get Hanayo. Is she close?”  
  
Nico shook her head, grasping her side. It was hard to stay standing, weak as she was. “We had to go a different way so we’re…not close yet.” She stumbled slightly, her head spinning and Mari quickly stepped forward to catch her. “Damn it. I’m just slowing you all down like this. You should go without me. Take Mari with you. She just pisses me off.”  
  
“ _Ouch_.” Mari stated in English.   
  
“Don’t be stupid.” Eli drew away from Honoka and crossed the room to Nico. “You are slowing us down but that doesn’t mean we’re just going to leave you. I can carry you and still fight if you get on my back, it’ll be fine. I promise I won’t set you on fire.”  
  
Nico stared skeptically as Eli crouched down, her back to her. “Eli…”  
  
“Just wrap your arms around my neck. We need to get to Hanayo.” Eli said simply. “Come on.”  
  
Nico hesitated for a moment before she did so, her arms going around Eli’s neck.   
  
“I’m going to stand up. Brace yourself.” Eli warned quietly before she stood up in one swift movement, her arms going to Nico’s legs to make sure she was secure. “There. Better?”  
  
“Yeah.” Nico groaned, slightly pained by the sudden movement. “Thanks, I guess.”  
  
“Come on, let’s go.” Eli said, glancing toward Honoka and Umi before she headed for the door with Mari at her side.   
  
“Eli-senpai is so dashing.” Honoka said as she stared after Eli in awe.   
  
Umi chuckled under her breath and grabbed Honoka’s hand, pulling her after Eli. “And she doesn’t think she has an effect…unbelievable.”  
  
—  
  
“LET ME OUT!” Hanayo yelled, throwing herself toward the door in a vain attempt to shoulder it open. She knew she would never be able to do it. She was one of the weakest members of the group, no matter what Future Honoka told her. It didn’t help that she was limping, barely able to build up any speed to throw herself at the door. Pain shot through her already throbbing shoulder as it collided with the door and she reeled back, clutching it. “DAMN IT!”  
  
She couldn’t use her phasing either. She couldn’t even try because she’d promised Nico she wouldn’t do it again. She’d tried to do it when during their first day, when she’d felt strong enough, but the walls of the room were thick lead so it had been difficult to say the least. Nico had made her stop trying because she’d thought something bad would happen. She hadn’t said what when Hanayo had asked.   
  
She could hear the alarms blazing around the building. They had been for a while now and she couldn’t help but worry that Nico had done something stupid. She bowed her head, tears gathering in her eyes. “Please be safe, Nico-chan…”  
  
Nico had mentioned, a number of times over the past few days that she’d stop at nothing to get Hanayou out. It wasn’t unlikely that she’d done something rash.  
  
A sudden crash from outside of the door caused Hanayo to stumble back, accidentally putting pressure on her sore ankle. She fell to the floor, crying out in pain, just as the door flew open. Through tear filled eyes she saw a woman walk in and caught a flash of blue hair.   
  
“Umi-chan?”  
  
“Uh…no.” The girl stepped further into the room and Hanayo wiped her eyes. Finally able to see the girl she discovered it wasn’t Umi at all. The girl offered her a hand. “I’m Kanan. Come on, let’s get out of here.   
  
Hanayo stared at Kanan’s hand. “I-I’m waiting here for Nico-chan. She told me to wait.”  
  
Kanan huffed out a sigh. “Well you can’t stay here. Can’t you hear the alarms going off? We need to get out of here.”  
  
Hanayo shrunk back at Kanan’s irritated tone. “I don’t want to go with you. I want Nico-chan. I don’t even know you, I…” Her back hit the wall and she pulled her knees to her chest. “I just want to leave with Nico-chan.”  
  
Kanan glanced back toward the door, worried that more guards would show up. “Look…we’ll go and find your friend, okay?” She said, turning back to Hanayo. “I’m looking for my friend too. She was a prisoner here, just like you. I’m sure we can find them both.”  
  
Hanayo sniffled softly. “I-I can’t even walk. I’d just slow you down…”  
  
“It’s okay. Just hop on my back.” Kanan turned her back to Hanayo. “Hurry up, we need to get moving.”  
  
“R-Really?” Hanayo sniffled, forcing herself to her feet. She didn’t want to anger the girl any more than she already seemed to be. She stepped forward, placing her hands on the taller girl’s shoulders. “But this is…Aaah!” She cried out when Kanan gripped the backs of her knees and lifted her onto her back. “K-Kanan-san!” She carefully wrapped her arms around Kanan’s chest to steady herself. “I-I don’t want to trouble you…”  
  
“It’s fine. Besides, maybe you can help me out too. You’re an ability user, right?” Kanan asked as she headed for the door. “What’s your ability?”  
  
“I-I can phase.” Hanayo said shakily. “I guess…if anyone shoots at you I can make sure the bullets go through us.”  
  
“Whoa, really? Lucky…” Kanan said, surprised. “I have hydrokinesis.”  
  
“Just like Yukiho-chan…” Hanayo said quietly, almost to herself. When Kanan hummed questioningly she continued. “Oh, she’s Honoka-chan’s sister.”  
  
“I don’t know who that is.” Kanan said, her brow furrowing.   
  
“Ah, Honoka-chan is kind of our leader. We all look up to her in some way.” Hanayo answered, glancing around as Kanan carried her down the corridor. “She’s our friend too. She’s a year older than me, she’s just about to finish her second year. And she’s the bravest girl I know. All of us really admire Honoka-chan. A-And Umi-chan, the person whose name I said before, she’s Honoka’s best friend. She has blue hair like you which is why…”  
  
“Do you always talk this much?” Kanan asked in amusement. “Or are you just nervous?”  
  
“Ah…” Hanayo blushed at the question. Talking about her friends made her feel better, that was all.   
  
“Kanan-chan?!”  
  
“Wha…?!” Kanan stopped short, quickly turning in a full circle but she didn’t see anyone. “Chika?!”  
  
“Hanayo-chan!” Another voice exclaimed loudly.   
  
Kanan instinctively stepped back as two girls appeared in front of them, one of them being Chika while she didn’t recognize the other.   
  
“Kotori-chan!” Hanayo squirmed, causing Kanan to lower her to the ground. She hobbled forward to Kotori, throwing her arms around her neck. “I-It’s horrible, Kotori-chan! N-Nico-chan is hurt and I don’t know where she is!”  
  
“Hurt? ” Kotori echoed in confusion. That didn’t make sense. “That’s…not possible.” She gently rubbed Hanayo’s back, trying to calm her. “It’s okay. We’ll find her, I promise.”  
  
Chika tilted her head in confusion. “Why is it not possible? Is she super strong?”  
  
“No. Well, let me show you…” Kotori took her phone from her pocket and pulled up a video, handing it over to Chika. “This happened when Nico-chan was trying to teach me how to make spicy curry for Maki-chan…”  
  
Chika watched the video intently, studying how Nico’s skin regenerated after a rather bad looking burn. “Huh…”  
  
“Her ability is immortality, rapid cell regeneration .” Kotori said simply.   
  
“Uh…” Chika looked up, nervously. “I think I just wiped Dia’s ability. W-What did I do to get us here…?”  
  
“You memorized how to forge checks. So we could stay in the hotel we’re sleeping at.” Kanan answered, narrowing her eyes at Chika. “And you memorized the route Dia said she’d take for the next month so we can find them again.”  
  
Chika laughed sheepishly. “I…think we need to find somewhere else to stay.”  
  
“Huh?” Kotori asked, confused.   
  
“I think she just stole your friend’s ability.” Kanan said, her eyes sparkling with amusement.   
  
Kotori hadn’t been paying much attention to the girl Hanayo had been with but now that she was, she recognized something about her. “Hey, you look like Um-” She’d been about to say Umi but when Kanan locked eyes with her, her words died in her throat. “Maki-chan…”  
  
She hadn’t seen those eyes in so long. Since before Maki had been blinded. Now her eyes were dull and while Kotori loved Maki all the same she missed looking into the eyes she loved so much. But now it was almost like she was looking into them all over again.   
  
Kanan frowned at Kotori, confused by her staring. She was about to ask if they had ever met when Kotori’s eyes flooded with tears. “What…? Hey, are you okay?!”  
  
“I-I’m fine!” Kotori choked out, reluctantly tearing her eyes from Kanan’s. It wasn’t the same. She wanted to really look into Maki’s eyes again. She wanted to look into her eyes and tell her exactly how she felt about her. “I’m fine, just…forget about me. Let’s keep going, we need to get to the others.”  
  
Kanan nodded and went to Hanayo, allowing the slightly embarrassed girl to climb back up onto her back. She took the lead, figuring Hanayo would phase her if anyone came. She took a different path to the one both groups had come from, not wanting to backtrack.   
  
“Hey, Chika-chan?” Kotori said quietly as she and Chika followed behind. “I know you don’t know me very well but I wanted to ask you for a favor. Would you mind?”   
  
Chika solemnly shook her head.   
  
“Well…I thought that maybe…if you wouldn’t mind…that girl I was telling you about earlier, Maki-chan…” Kotori said nervously. “My…girlfriend. She was really hurt a while ago and now she’s blind. If you have Nico-chan’s ability you can help her, I think. I don’t want to see her in pain anymore. I’ll do anything if you help her. I just want her to be able to see again, to be happy.”  
  
“Okay.” Chika answered without hesitation. She cast Kotori a small smile. “You know if you ask me, I don’t think Honoka-onee-chan’s the person you love. I can tell from the way you talk about Maki-chan. You really love her.”  
  
Kotori bit down hard on her lower lip, her eyes burning with tears she stubbornly blinked back. “She doesn’t think so. Even if I told her now she might not believe me. I’m sure she’s scared of me hurting her. She loves me, I know she does. I just don’t know if…”  
  
“Yes, you do.” Chika interrupted with a shake of her head. “You know you do. That’s why you said you’ll do anything to make her happy again. You don’t say that about someone you don’t love. From what you’ve told me about Maki-chan, it sounds like she might be happy to hear that you love her, right? Even if she doesn’t believe you at first.”  
  
Kotori nodded silently. She wanted more than anything to make Maki that happy.   
  
—  
  
Nozomi wasn’t sure what she expected when Future Honoka teleported them to the building where Nico and Hanayo were being held. She’d hoped that the first thing she would see would be Eli, Honoka and the others. Instead she found herself staring at a number of guards approaching with guns. She felt Honoka’s grip on her tighten immediately.   
  
“HEY, GET DOWN!” A voice Nozomi didn’t recognize drew her attention to the left of the guards. She found that the person speaking to her was a girl with shoulder length hair. Somehow she seemed to have managed to build a trench in the middle of the road though it didn’t appear to be helping. There was another girl there too, with red hair though she didn’t seem to have noticed them yet. For the most part, the girl with shorter hair was shielding her with her own body. “ARE YOU…?!”  
  
Nozomi gasped as Honoka suddenly dragged her toward the trench, shoving her into it before she followed herself. Gunfire followed what could have only been a few seconds later and Nozomi gasped as Honoka’s hand went to her head, pushing it down so she wouldn’t be hit.   
  
“Who the hell are you?!” Future Honoka asked when she could be heard. “What’s going on?”  
  
“We’re here for our friend.” Riko answered shakily, clutching You’s arm. “She’s a prisoner in there and…”  
  
“Did you see anyone else go in there?” Honoka interrupted, aware that the guards could advance at any time. “Four girls? One of them might have looked like me?”  
  
“Yeah, we did actually. They went inside…” You said, narrowing her eyes at Honoka. “You’re Honoka-chan, right?”  
  
“Yeah, yeah. This is Nozomi.” Honoka nodded toward Nozomi. “And you are…?”  
  
“You.” The girl with short hair answered.   
  
“R-Riko.” The girl with red hair said, eyeing the two of them.   
  
“Right, good. Which of you has the least passive ability?” Honoka looked between the two of them expectantly.   
  
“Uh…me.” You answered carefully.   
  
“Great, you’re coming with me.” Honoka grabbed You’s hand and looked toward Nozomi. “Keep your head down, alright? I’ll be back.”   
  
“Wait, I don’t even know what we’re doi-” You began to protest though by that time Honoka had already teleported them behind the guards. She watched, dumbfounded as Honoka sprung into action, drawing a gun from her belt and opening fire on the guards.   
  
“Damn it!” You scrambled to find the heaviest thing she could, settling on a fire hydrant. She tore it from the ground and hurled it toward the guards, knocking several of them down. Honoka seemed to have taken a number of them down herself before they’d even realized what was happening, leaving only a few left. As they lifted their guns, You barrelled toward them, using brute strength to take them down.   
  
“You’re really strong.” Honoka noted as she slid her gun back into her belt, picking up one of the soldier’s guns instead. “It wouldn’t hurt to have you on my team…Nozomi, it’s clear!”  
  
“Team?” You echoed curiously. “I’m part of Aquors. Chika-chan is my leader, I don’t need another team…”  
  
“I was joking, kid. Relax.” Honoka said with a roll of her eyes. As Nozomi emerged from the trench in the road with Riko behind her, she breathed a sigh of relief. Leaving her side hadn’t been an easy thing to do. She held out a hand and a moment later, Nozomi was there, grasping it. “Let’s go and save our friends then.”  
  
You frowned at Honoka, not sure what to make of the way she was speaking. “Yeah. Let’s go, Riko-chan.” She reached out for Riko, tugging her close as Honoka and Nozomi walked on ahead. “I don’t trust her…”  
  
Riko nodded though if she was honest her mind was elsewhere. “We need to find Chika-chan.”  
  
—  
  
“Which way?” Eli asked breathlessly. They had ran into yet another wave of guards and she had to admit that having Nico on her back made it slightly more difficult to fight. She wasn’t about to put her down though, even if her first instinct was to run to Honoka’s side. When Nico didn’t answer she shrugged her shoulder to jostle her. “Nico! Which way?!”  
  
“Huh?” Nico looked up groggily. “Uh…right. Make a right up ahead and then straight down the corridor t-then left. Then…I think it’s left again.”  
  
“Fine.” Eli glanced toward Honoka, finding her clutching Umi’s hand as they walked. Umi looked a little exerted too, having been throwing knives at guards as they’d been walking. She followed Nico’s directions, staying alert for any signs of guards. Thankfully it seemed the others knew to do so too. Not even Mari, who rarely managed to be quiet, was talking. She took the right up ahead and headed straight down the long corridor, pausing when four other people turned the corner ahead.   
  
“Kotori-chan!” Honoka exclaimed, relieved to see her best friend in one piece.   
  
“KANAN!”  
  
“Mari?!” Kanan’s eyes widened at the sight of Mari and she quickly set Hanayo down as the blonde came rushing toward her. She noticed Hanayo stumble to the side but it was a lot better than what would have happened had she still been on her back when Mari crashed into her, her arms going around her.   
  
“I knew you’d find me!” Mari exclaimed, her voice thick with emotion. “I knew you were still alive! All of you…” She looked toward Chika who was smiling brightly at her.   
  
“Mari…I can’t…breathe.” Kanan said though it didn’t stop her from hugging the blonde back. It was good to see her after so long.   
  
“Hanayo…” Nico squirmed down from Eli’s back and hobbled toward the first year, a tired smile on her face. “W-We’re getting…out. I told you…” She didn’t quite reach Hanayo before the room spun and she fell forward to the floor.   
  
“Nico-chan!” Hanayo cried out, lurching toward the fallen girl. “Nico-chan, wake up!” She stumbled to her knees next to Nico and pressed a hand to her face, gasping at the temperature. “She has a fever, she’s burning up!” She looked up desperately, not sure what to do. “SOMEBODY HELP HER!”  
  
“I can.” Chika said quickly, remembering what Kotori had said. “I think I can give her ability a kickstart. I just need a testing room and a syringe! I-I think…I’m not sure.”  
  
“Chika-chan!” Honoka stepped toward the girl, placing her hands on her shoulders. “Can you do it or not? You said you could. Are you just doubting yourself?”  
  
“I-I can.” Chika said shakily then again with more confidence. “I can!”  
  
“Then let’s go.”   
  
Eli went to pick Nico up again while Umi offered her back to a distraught Hanayo.   
  
“I saw a lab down the hall.” Kanan said, her arm still around Mari’s shoulders.   
  
“We don’t have time, we’ll go ahead!” Honoka took Chika’s hand and placed her other hand on Eli’s shoulder, focusing on teleporting them to the room. As soon as the room faded in, Eli pulled away from Honoka and placed Nico on the bed. She was shivering by that point, barely conscious.   
  
“Whatever you’re going to do, do it!” Eli exclaimed in a panic, placing the back of her hand on Nico’s forehead. “Nico! Hey, stay with us okay!” She could see small red spots, rising to Nico’s skin and realized in alarm that in all the time she’d known Nico she’d never seen her get sick. She’d never had a cold or the flu or chickenpox. Without her ability she was exposed to all of the illnesses and diseases she’d never had before. Without her ability she wouldn’t have an immune system.

“I-I need a needle a-and a syringe…” Chika watched as Honoka hurried to get them for her. “Uh…something else too. Um…no, I think that’s it. Yeah!”  
  
Honoka frowned as Chika took what she’d asked for from her. “How are you going to…?”  
  
“DAMN IT, WOULD YOU HURRY UP?!” Eli yelled frantically, effectively interrupting the two. She didn’t fail to miss the shocked look on Honoka’s face but she couldn’t acknowledge it. Not yet. “Just do something!”  
  
“R-right! Honoka…” Chika didn’t have to finish asking as Honoka took the needle and syringe back from her.   
  
Honoka took a deep breath. She had seen this done before, she could do it. She took hold of Chika’s arm and sought out a vein before inserting the needle, causing the other girl to wince. As carefully as she could she drew the blood she needed before she made her way to Nico’s side. “Is this…?”  
  
“Give it to me.” Eli took the needle from Honoka and pressed it into Nico’s arm, quickly injecting the blood. She hated doing it. Anyone who was close to Nico knew that she hated her ability but giving it back was the only way to save her. She watched as the spots of red that had risen to Nico’s skin slowly faded away, leaving her skin just as flawless as it had been.   
  
Slowly, Nico began to stir and looked around groggily. “What happened?” She asked, her voice back to being monotone as usual.   
  
“Chika-chan gave you your ability back…I think.” Honoka stepped over to the bed to look down at Nico. “I’m so glad you’re okay, Nico-chan!”  
  
“Yeah…” Nico pushed herself into a sitting position and looked around for a scalpel. Finding one she dragged the blade fiercely across the skin of her lower arm.   
  
Chika yelped and looked away, peeking back after a moment to see the cut fade away, leaving just blood in it’s wake. “W-wow. I don’t think I could ever do that…”  
  
“So you have my ability now, huh?” Nico asked, her gaze focused on Chika. “I wonder if you feel pain or not.”  
  
“Uh…I think I will.” Chika answered hesitantly. “I still feel pain emotionally.” She briefly touched her chest, thinking about that for a moment. “I only copy abilities, not side effects…”  
  
“I guess I’m the only one then.” Nico said quietly. Her thoughts flitted back to Hanayo. She couldn’t remember ever feeling as much fear before but she’d been terrified of not being able to get her to safety. Now she didn’t feel anything.   
  
“Hey.” Eli gently pulled Honoka to the side, noticing she was being quiet. “Are you okay? I’m…sorry I snapped at you before. I was worried about Nico. I shouldn’t have spoken to you like that…”  
  
“I-I was just thinking about how close it was…” Nico had almost died and Honoka was all too aware of that. She turned to Eli, clasping her hands. “Eli-senpai, will you be my girlfriend?”  
  
Eli’s eyes widened in surprise. She had only been teasing earlier. “Wha…? I uh…yes! Yes, of course! But what will Umi say?”  
  
“I don’t think Umi-chan minds.” Honoka said certainly. “Not if it’s only you she’s sharing with. And you two can…”  
  
Eli laughed and pulled Honoka to her, kissing her firmly on the lips. “Slow down. She can only take so much.” She felt arms slip around her neck and a moment later Honoka was kissing her again, deeper this time.   
  
The door across the room opened suddenly and Kanan, Umi, Hanayo, Kotori and Mari stumbled in.   
  
Kotori stopped short at the sight of Honoka kissing Eli, her chest tightening. It had been bad enough when she only had to think of her with Umi.   
  
Umi rolled her eyes at the two of them. “I can’t leave you two alone for a second…”  
  
Mari gave a low whistle. “Get a room!” She grinned brightly, still gripping Kanan’s hand.   
  
“Nico-chan!” Hanayo hobbled over to Nico’s bedside and leaned in to hug her tightly, tears sliding down her cheeks. “I’m so glad you’re okay. I thought…”  
  
Nico’s chest twinged with emotion as she carefully hugged Hanayo back. She remembered sobbing relentlessly, Hanayo holding onto her. A tear slid down her cheek and she bit down hard on her lip. “I’m okay.” She gently pushed Hanayo away but only to look her over. “Are you?”  
  
“I’m fine, it’s just my ankle.” Hanayo sniffled, wiping her face with her sleeve. “Kanan-chan and Umi-chan were carrying me…”  
  
Umi sighed as she watched Eli and Honoka, the two of them seemingly too engrossed in each other to even notice anyone else was there. “Why do I always have to be the adult?”  
  
Kotori bit her lip as she looked to Umi. “You’re not mad?”  
  
“Not really.” Umi said with a shrug of her shoulders. “They love each other. Besides, Eli and I are a team. We keep Honoka safe.” She gave a small smile as she thought of her many talks with Eli about how they would keep Honoka safe. Even from herself if they had to. “I’m a little jealous maybe but I trust Eli with her. I know she’d never hurt her intentionally. Just like me. But she’s the only exception!”  
  
“Umi-chan and Eli-senpai are the only girlfriends I need.” Honoka said, pulling away from Eli.   
  
Chika gaped at her. “You have TWO girlfriends?!”  
  
“Impressive.” Kanan remarked, raising an eyebrow.   
  
“I wouldn’t mind having a threesome with Dia!” Mari exclaimed brightly.   
  
“Mari.” Kanan said disapprovingly. “You know what Dia would say if she knew you’d said that.”  
  
“Dia’s too uptight, we need to…” Mari trailed off as the intercom blared to life above her head.   
  
“EVERYONE EVACUATE!” A male’s voice yelled over the intercom. “SOMEONE WATERED DOWN THE MAIN SECURITY COMPUTER. THIS WHOLE PLACE IS GONNA BLOW!”  
  
“What?!” Nico jumped up from the bed, grabbing Hanayo’s hand. “You need to get out here, right now! All of you!”  
  
“No, Yukiho and Arisa-chan are still in here!” Honoka exclaimed, dashing toward the door. She gasped in surprise as Umi caught her around the waist as she passed, pulling her back to her. “Umi-chan, let me go! LET ME GO!”  
  
“I’ll go and look for them.” Kanan said hastily. “We can’t just leave them behind. The rest of you, get out!”  
  
“I’m going with you.” Eli piped up. “You don’t know what they look like. One of them’s my sister and they’ll be together so…let’s just go!”  
  
“NO!” Honoka yelled furiously, fighting against Umi’s hold. “I’M GOING TOO, I HAVE TO GET YUKIHO!”  
  
“Mari, I need you to get her out of here.” Eli levelled Mari with a serious stare. “Umi needs to carry Hanayo so use your ability to get her out. She will die if she stays in here!”  
  
Mari had been staring at Kanan but she nodded in response to what Eli was saying. “I will.”  
  
“ELI-SENPAI, No!” Honoka exclaimed tearfully as Umi set her back down on her feet. She started toward the door again but found herself stopping, like her limbs weren’t her own anymore. “PLEASE!”  
  
“I’m sorry.” Eli felt her own eyes prickle with tears before she turned and rushed out of the room with Kanan.   
  
“Damn it, that idiot! I’m going too!” Nico pushed Hanayo toward Umi and left the room after Eli and Kanan.   
  
“M-Me too, I can help!” Chika called out shakily before she rushed out too.   
  
“UMI-CHAN, PLEASE. SHE’S MY SISTER. I NEED TO GO!” Honoka pleaded tearfully, looking to Umi. She was powerless to resist Mari’s ability so she settled for looking to the person who’d always helped her. “PLEASE!”  
  
“I’m sorry.” Umi’s voice cracked as she closed her eyes. “I can’t, I made a promise. I’m sorry…”  
  
“Eli-senpai’s going to get hurt! And Yukiho!” Honoka said pleadingly. “Why…”  
  
“W-We made a pact. I’m sorry.” Umi said, refusing to look at Honoka.   
  
_“Umi.” Eli said seriously, drawing Umi’s attention toward her. The two were in the bedroom Umi shared with Honoka - or more accurately the bedroom they’d started sharing with each other and Honoka. For the past couple of nights Eli had been staying with them too. “If things get too much in there, I want you to leave me behind.”  
  
Umi leaned back on the bed to give Eli her full attention. She had been aware that the blonde had been pacing next to the door but she’d had no idea this was on her mind. “Are you kidding? I’m not leaving you behind, Eli. No way.”  
  
“I’m not kidding, this is serious!” Eli exclaimed sharply. She quietened as Umi frowned at her. “If it gets bad you need to leave me behind. And keep Honoka safe. That’s an order! Promise me, okay? No matter what happens, you’ll keep Honoka safe. It’s the most important thing to both of us.”  
  
“Only if you can promise the same thing.” Umi said gruffly. She held out her hand to Eli. “Promise?”  
  
“I promise.” Eli crossed the room and took Umi’s hand, squeezing it tightly. She was surprised when Umi pulled her close and wrapped an arm around her shoulders in a lingering embrace. “Umi…”  
  
“I promise.” Umi whispered, her voice quivering with emotion. “I’ll do anything to keep her safe.”  
_  
“Eli will come back with both of them.” Umi said, trying to force confidence into her voice. She leaned down, helping Hanayo onto her back. “We have to run. Mari…”  
  
“I’ve got this!” Mari exclaimed, focusing with all her might. “Lead the way!”  
  
“No, no, NO!” Honoka protested even as Mari forced her to move with them to the doorway. “Umi-chan, Umi-chan PLEASE!”  
  
Umi ignored Honoka despite how much she wanted to help her. She couldn’t let her go into the building though. She knew what would happen. She glanced to Kotori who was hurrying along, close to her side. Her cheeks were tear stained, her hand clutching the necklace she was wearing.   
  
“Don’t worry, we’ll get you back to Maki.” Umi promised breathlessly as she looked over her shoulder to make sure Honoka and Mari were behind them. “It’ll be okay.”  
  
Kotori nodded in response. “I can’t stand to see Honoka-chan like this…”  
  
Umi gave a hum of agreement though she couldn’t let her go back inside. She had to keep her safe.   
  
—  
  
“Damn it!” Yukiho cursed as she looked down at the ten story-drop from the window. She had managed to smash the glass using her ability but there was nothing she could do to get them down. If nothing else it let some of the smoke out of the room. “It’s no use. We can’t get out like this.”  
  
She turned around, finding that Arisa was crouched on the ground between a filing cabinet and the wall, her head in her hands. She was shaking slightly, soft sniffles escaping her.   
  
“Hey, hey…it’s okay.” Yukiho hurried over to Arisa, squatting down in front of her. “Arisa-chan, I need you to focus for a second. Can you…”  
  
“Why? You heard what that guard said. This place is going to blow up in a few minutes and we’re still…” Arisa choked on a sob. “We’re still inside. We’re going to blow up with the building a-and you can’t open the door and we’re GOING TO DIE!”  
  
“Arisa!” Yukiho grabbed Arisa by the arms, giving her a sharp shake. “Stop it! We’re not going to die, I promise. We just need to find out where the others are and we can…they’ll come and get us. I know they will.”  
  
“I should have listened when you said we should stay behind.” Arisa said tearfully. “Everyone else already left.” She sank forward against Yukiho, sobbing softly. “I want Onee-chan!”  
  
Yukiho gritted her teeth as she held Arisa to her. She knew how she felt. She had never wanted to see Honoka more than she did in that moment. She tried to think about what Honoka would do if she was in the situation with one of her close friends, like Umi or Kotori but the answer only terrified her more. She wanted to see Honoka again. More than anything, she wanted to see her again.   
  
“I know.” She whispered, her gaze flitting around the room. There really was no way out of the situation. If they jumped through the window they would both end up dead. If they stayed where they were, they would probably end up dead. But there was no way out of the room and she didn’t have much time to think.   
  
“Arisa-chan.” Yukiho’s voice shook as she let go of Arisa and got to her feet. “Hold your breath.”  
  
“What?” Arisa blinked tearfully up at her.  
  
“The water will protect you, I think.” Yukiho said, holding her hands out in front of her. “I-It’s going to be cold though and it might hurt a lot…” She was sure the force of the water surrounding Arisa would protect her from the blast and the cold would protect her from any heat. She couldn’t use it on them both though. She hadn’t honed her ability enough because she rarely used it and she wasn’t as strong as Honoka. Besides that, she didn’t have enough water.   
  
“But what about you?!” Arisa asked, clearly panicked. “What’s going to happen to you?!”  
  
“Onee-chan will come and get me.” Yukiho sniffled softly at the thought of Honoka. She hoped it was true. “I know she will. Hey…” She popped open the water pouch she’d brought with her. “When you see Onee-chan tell her…that I love her. And that even though we fight, I want to be like her. I really do. A-And don’t ever think this is your fault.”  
  
“No, YUKIHO-CHAN!” Arisa sobbed, stumbling to her feet. Before she could get close to Yukiho the other girl threw her hands out. She barely had enough time to take a deep breath before she was contained in a ball of water. It was freezing cold, though that was the least of Arisa’s worries. She tried to throw herself out of the water but it was no use and before she could think of what else to do she was deafened by a bang louder than any she’d ever heard before. She clamped her hands over her ears to protect then. The last thing she saw before she clamped her eyes shut was Yukiho crumbling to her knees, debris falling around her.   
  
—  
  
Chika effortlessly pulled the last of the debris from Eli and Nico. When the explosion had happened she’d thrown herself at Kanan to protect her while Nico had thrown herself at Eli. The four of them had escaped mostly unscathed. Nico and Chika of course, had healed within minutes and Eli and Kanan had only suffered very minor injuries. At least as far as Chika could tell.   
  
“I know where they are.” Kanan was the least hurt out of both herself and Eli, having been able to use her own ability to protect herself, at least somewhat. She still had cuts and bruises though. “Let’s go.”  
  
“They’re okay, right?!” Eli was holding her arm close to her chest. She head a cut on her forehead, blood streaking down her face and her pants leg was bloody too. “They’re alive?”  
  
“I don’t know. Let’s just go.” Kanan ducked under Eli’s arm without being asked to and began to help her down what was left of the hallway. Fire surrounded them but neither appeared fazed. Chika on the other hand shrunk away from it as if she could feel it, Nico noticed with a hint of jealousy. It was hardly fair. They walked for a couple of minutes until they reached a door which Kanan nodded toward. “In there.”  
  
Nico didn’t hesitate to kick the door open, throwing her entire body weight at it. She stumbled into the room, finding it almost entirely collapsed. In the middle of the room though, sat Arisa, wet and sobbing into her hands.   
  
“ARISA!” Eli pushed herself away from Kanan and stumbled into the room, falling to her knees next to Arisa and pulling into a fierce, teary embrace. “Oh god…I’m so glad you’re safe.” She felt Arisa’s grip on her tighten and pulled back to look at her. “W-Where’s Yukiho? We have to get out of here before the place collapses or…”

  
“She’s in here…somewhere.” Arisa dived back toward Eli, burying her face in her older sister’s chest. “She saved me! She u-used her ability to protect me a-and she couldn’t do it to herself too a-and…I don’t know where she is!” She sobbed loudly into Eli’s chest, gripping her jacket tightly.   
  
“There’s no way she could survive this…” Nico said quietly as she looked around. “She has to be…”  
  
“NICO!”  
  
Nico looked up in surprise as Eli yelled at her. She watched as the blonde picked up her sister with a grimace of pain and walked toward her. “Take Arisa and get out of here. Take her to the others.” Her voice trembled noticeably but she still sounded commanding. She looked toward Chika and Kanan. “Go with her in case the two of you need to protect her. I’m going to look for Yukiho.”  
  
“Eli, she’s dead. You know…”  
  
“I KNOW!” Eli yelled, the tears that had lingered in her eyes falling. “Damn it, I know! But she’s the only family Honoka has left, I have to fucking try! So just GET OUT!”  
  
Seeing that Eli wasn’t going to take no for an answer, Nico took Arisa from her and after a moment of hesitation left the room with Kanan.   
  
Eli limped over to some rubble and with her one good arm began to sift through it. Out of the corner of her eye she saw Chika go to move the larger chunks of debris. “What are you doing?”  
  
“Honoka-onee-chan is my friend. I still think of her that way.” Chika shoved aside a metal beam. “If I can help save her sister I will.”  
  
Eli nodded and went back to the task at hand, shifting as much debris as she could. She lost hope with every chunk of debris she moved when Yukiho didn’t appear and quickly grew desperate, sifting through as much as she could.   
  
“What the fuck are you two doing?!”   
  
Eli looked up, her eyes widening at the sight of Future Honoka. “You’re…”  
  
“This whole place is going to come down!” Future Honoka marched forward and grabbed Chika before reaching for Eli who shrunk away.   
  
“I have to look for…” Eli began to protest but within seconds Honoka had hold of her. “WAIT!”  
  
“Damn it!” As another explosion went off and the building began to tremor around them, Honoka dived toward Eli.   
  
—  
  
“YUKIHO!” Honoka screamed, struggling against Umi’s hold on her. Mari had stopped controlling her once they were outside but she still couldn’t get back inside. She had tried to make a run for it but Umi had tackled her to the ground and now sat atop her back, pinning her down. “ELI-SENPAI!”  
  
“HONOKA, STAY STILL!” Umi yelled, struggling to keep Honoka down without hurting her. She was worried too. The explosion had been huge and they’d barely made it out. The others certainly couldn’t have.   
  
Hanayo was crying softly nearby though Umi knew she was in safe hands with Kotori. She screamed instinctively at the sound of another explosion and ducked low over Honoka to shield her just in case. When nothing hit them she tentatively looked up in time to see You, Riko and Nozomi running from the building.   
  
“NOZOMI!” She yelled, almost letting up her grip on Honoka in surprise. “What are you…?” She was cut off as someone appeared at one of the smashed windows, leaping from it a moment later. “NICO?!”  
  
Nico hit the floor hard but got up just as quickly, unfazed and hurried toward them as fast as she could, Kanan hot on her heels. She had a drenched Arisa in her arms, whom she placed down on the pavement. Nozomi was there a moment later, taking the young girl into her arms.   
  
“Where’s Chika?!” You asked frantically, glancing around. “Did she get out?”  
  
Kanan shook her head as she knelt next to Mari, allowing the blonde to press herself into her arms. “She’s helping Eli look for Yukiho. Apparently Yukiho used her ability to save Eli’s sister but she’s…somewhere under the rubble.”  
  
“NO!” Honoka sobbed, doing everything she could to get out from underneath Umi. “No! NOT YUKIHO! YUKIHOOOO!!”  
  
“It’s my fault!” Arisa cried, gripping Nozomi’s jacket. “If she hadn’t saved me she could have…she could have saved herself!”  
  
Nozomi gritted her teeth as she stared at the building. She wanted nothing more than to run in after Eli but she knew that Future Honoka wasn’t about to let Eli die. She’d said so before she’d teleported off. Yet another explosion sounded and the girls ducked down instinctively.   
  
“CHIKA-CHAN!” Riko and You yelled at the building as they stumbled to their feet. They watched, holding onto each other tightly as the building collapsed in on itself.  
  
“No…” Riko turned into You’s arms, unable to watch what was happening.   
  
“Elichi.” Nozomi whimpered, still holding tightly to Eli’s sobbing younger sister. Her vision blurred with tears as she struggled to comprehend the fact that the two people who meant the most to her were stuck in a crumbling building.   
  
“Damn it, Eli.” Umi pressed her face into Honoka’s back, trying to fight her own tears. “Damn it!”  
  
“E-ELI-SENPAI! YUKIHO!” Honoka cried out, clawing at the ground beneath her as if she could crawl to the building with Umi on her back. There was no point now. Nobody could have survived the building collapsing. Just as the dust began to settle, her future self appeared in front of her, Chika’s wrist in her hand and Eli slung over her shoulder.   
  
“Do you have a DEATH WISH?!” Future Honoka yelled, setting Eli down on her feet. “Have you lost your fucking mind?!”  
  
“Chika-chan!” You and Riko rushed for their friend, embracing her tightly.   
  
“I COULD HAVE SAVED HER!” Eli retorted through coughing. She shoved angrily at Future Honoka’s chest. “WHY DID YOU HAVE TO DO THAT?!”  
  
Future Honoka frowned in confusion. “Saved who?”  
  
“E-Eli-senpai…” Honoka whimpered from the floor, drawing Eli’s attention to her. “Please. Please…”  
  
Eli took one look at Honoka and felt her heart shatter in her chest. It wasn’t right. It wasn’t fair. She turned and bolted back toward the building.   
  
“ELICHI!”  
  
“ELI!”  
  
Eli ignored the sound of her friends calling after her and focused on her ability instead, setting herself aflame from head to foot.   
  
“Damn it, you idiot!” Nico, who had rushed after Eli, grabbed her arm only to flinch back at the heat of her flames. “What the…”  
  
“Don’t try to stop me.” Eli growled, turning to Nico. “I have to get to her.”  
  
The way Eli’s eyes seemed to be literally ablaze gave Nico pause but not for long. “She’s dead. Don’t be an idiot. You know she’s dead! Under all of that you’d be lucky if there’s still a bod-” She was cut off as Eli grabbed the front of her shirt and dragged her close to her face. The heat emitting from the blonde’s body made it hard to breathe. “Eli. Come on, you know I’m right.”  
  
“You don’t think I know that?” Eli growled. Her eyes filled with tears though as soon as they spilled over they evaporated just as quickly. “I know, I know! But I need to bring her back even if she’s…I can’t just leave her, Honoka would never…” She dropped Nico back to the ground, a choked sob escaping her. “Damn it!”  
  
Nico pulled Eli to her, hugging her tightly for a moment. “You tried.” She assured her, aware that it was what Eli needed to hear. “You really tried.”  
  
Eli’s flames went out and she returned the embrace for a moment before she drew away and made her way back to Honoka.   
  
“Eli-senpai?” Honoka asked meekly.   
  
“Let her up.” Eli told Umi who quickly released her grip and stepped back. She watched as Honoka stumbled to her feet.   
  
“E-Eli-senpai? Y-You’re hurt…”  
  
“Honoka.” Eli’s voice trembled as she spoke. “Yukiho…I’m sorry, I’m so sorry. I tried to get to her but I couldn’t, I…I’m so so sorry…I could have saved her, I should have. I should have fucking SAVED HER!”  
  
“What?” Honoka shook her head, her expression crumbling. “No…No, she can’t be dead. She can’t be! Don’t tell me…” She trailed off, her gaze flitting over Eli’s shoulder. “No, no, no, NO!”  
  
Future Honoka stumbled from the rubble with Yukiho’s body in her arms, tears sliding down her cheeks. Even in her own time she’d never had to experience this. “She’s gone. She’s…” She crumbled to her knees a few feet away, sobbing into the broken body of her younger sister. “She’s gone.”  
  
Nozomi felt Arisa pull away to look. Quickly she placed her hand on the back of Arisa’s head and pulled her back to her. It was too late though and Arisa wailed into her chest in anguish, her hands clenching into fists around Nozomi’s jacket.   
  
“Oh god…” Honoka’s hand flew to her mouth, her words coming out as broken sobs. Unable to do anything else she turned and ran in the opposite direction.   
  
“HONOKA!” Umi yelled through her own tears as she started to go after her.   
  
“Wait.” Eli choked out. “I’ll go. I’m going.” She didn’t wait for Umi to argue before she hurried after Honoka as quickly as her injuries would allow her to.   
  
TBC

 


	32. Chapter 32

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Warning(s): Very sexual scenes. Angst. 
> 
> Second part of today's double chapter! :)

Honoka wasn’t sure how long she ran for but it was long enough for her side to ache in protest, her chest tight. That didn’t stop her though. She wasn’t sure where she was going, all she knew was that she had to get away from that building. Away from the sight of Yukiho’s bleeding and broken body.   
  
She could vaguely hear Eli behind her, staggering along but she didn’t turn back, nor did she pause until she heard her collapsed to the ground.   
  
“Honoka…” Eli gasped for air, clutching her chest. “Wait. Please. Please, wait…  
  
Honoka turned, finding Eli on her knees behind her. Her head had stopped bleeding though the blood on her face was enough to cause Honoka to step forward, worried. “Eli-senpai!”  
  
“I’m okay.” Eli choked out, reaching for Honoka. “Just wait, please. Talk to me. Don’t run off by yourself. I-I want to stay with you. Even…even if you just want to yell at me.” She got to her feet and staggered to the side only for Honoka to step forward and catch her. She met Honoka’s eyes intently. “I tried to save her. I swear I tried so hard to save her. I didn’t want you to lose someone else you love. I’m so sorry. I want to…”

“But you didn’t.” Honoka pulled away abruptly, her words sharp as anger seeped into her features. “You didn’t try. You’re just glad it wasn’t your OWN sister! It SHOULD have been her! It was your sister in the future and that’s how it was meant to be but YOU had to intervene!”  
  
“Honoka, I didn’t mean to. Please…” Eli was cut off as Honoka moved forward quickly and shoved at her chest, sending her stumbling back. With one leg weakened she almost fell but managed to balance herself just in time. “I-I tried everything I could! I’m so sorry, I’m so…”  
  
“STOP SAYING YOU’RE SORRY!” Honoka yelled, her voice thick with emotion. Tears laced her eyes. “YOU LET HER DIE! YOU SAVED YOUR OWN SISTER AND LEFT MINE TO DIE!”  
  
“You think I saved Arisa?! I couldn’t do anything!” Eli exclaimed loudly. “Yukiho protected Arisa! When we found Arisa she was soaking wet. She told me Yukiho used her abilities to shield her so I was not the person who made the choice between them! YUKIHO CHOSE! And if I could have I would have stayed in there and kept looking but your damn future self dragged me out of there! What was I meant to do?! And it’s not as though Arisa got away without a scratch! You know how close those two were. Either of them would have died for the other. Arisa had to watch her best friend die, do you really think she’s going to walk away and that’s it?!”  
  
“AT LEAST SHE STILL HAS HER LIFE!” Honoka shoved at Eli again, sending her staggering back into the wall of the building behind her. “Yukiho’s DEAD!”  
  
“Don’t say you wouldn’t have done the same thing!” Eli accused, ignoring the way Honoka was pushing her against the wall. It hurt but she couldn’t show it. “You would have died to save any of your friends! Yukiho’s your sister, it’s in her blood to take care of her friends.”  
  
“It’s DIFFERENT! My life doesn’t mean anything! Yukiho’s…she was my sister!” Honoka clenched her hands tighter around Eli’s jacket. “She was my SISTER AND YOU WOULDN’T LET ME GO TO HER!”  
  
“I didn’t want you to get hurt…”  
  
“I DO!” Honoka pulled Eli away from the wall only to shove her back against it, knocking the wind out of her. “I wish you had let me die in there.”  
  
The fight seemed to leave Eli in an instant as the words left Honoka’s mouth.Her expression crumbled, tears quickly filling her eyes and spilling down her cheeks. “I wanted to save her for you. I wanted you to be safe so I could get Arisa AND Yukiho out. I-I’m sorry. I’m so sorry. If you want to hit me you can. You’re right. I got you out because I love you and I was being s-selfish. I needed you safe. The only thing I was thinking about was that I might lose Arisa and you at the same time if I let you stay in there. Do you think I could have coped with that? Hell, I don’t think I could cope with losing just you!”  
  
Honoka tried to hold onto her anger and remind herself that Eli had forced her to leave Yukiho behind but she couldn’t. “She was my sister. She was the only family I have left, Eli-senpai…”  
  
“I know.” Eli gently knocked Honoka’s hands away from her shoulder and surged forward, seizing her in a tight embrace. “I know that.” She felt Honoka go limp in her arms, the added weight causing her own knees to buckle because of her injured leg. She bit her lip to hold back a cry of pain, managing to muffle it to a pained groan. She fell silent, gently rubbing Honoka’s back as the girl sobbed into her shoulder. She didn’t say anything. There wasn’t really anything she could say so she just sat there and let Honoka hold onto her as she cried.   
  
“Why does everyone I love get hurt or killed?” Honoka finally spoke, her voice choked with emotion. “Umi-chan, mom, dad, Yukiho…you.” She pressed her face into Eli’s neck, struggling to compose herself. “I’ll kill them for this. I’ll kill all of them!”  
  
“I’ll be with you.” Eli whispered, holding onto Honoka tighter. “They won’t get away with this.”  
  
Honoka was silent for a moment before she pulled away and staggered to her feet.   
  
“Please don’t run!” Eli said quickly, certain that she wouldn’t be able to follow again. She was surprised when Honoka offered her hand but silently took it anyway. She winced as she was hauled to her feet. “Honoka?”  
  
“You can’t walk.” Honoka said numbly, bending down to place her arm beneath Eli’s legs. She picked her up bridal style and set off walking to somewhere more secluded.   
  
“Where are we going?” Eli asked, surprised that Honoka was even able to carry her.   
  
“Somewhere I can bandage your leg. And head.” Honoka answered quietly. “I can’t let you die too.”  
  
Eli sighed and rested her head on Honoka’s shoulder. She supposed at the least she should clean herself up. She was uncomfortably sticky with blood.   
  
As soon as they were out of sight, Honoka closed her eyes and focused intently on teleporting herself and Eli away. She felt the familiar feeling of the ground disappearing under her feet only to feel it reappear under her feet a moment later. She opened her eyes and breathed a sigh of relief when she found that she had managed to choose a hotel room that wasn’t occupied.   
  
“Honoka?” Eli asked meekly as Honoka walked to the bed and placed her down. She couldn’t deny that the sheets felt good beneath her. They were pleasantly cool against her heated skin.  
  
“I’ll pay for it later.” Honoka said, taking off her jacket. She stripped off her bloody shirt too and flopped down onto the bed, her arm going over her eyes.  
  
Eli took a moment to look Honoka over, taking in the subtle flex of muscles beneath her skin. Her mind flitted back to Future Honoka. She was glad that her Honoka didn’t have scars at least.   
  
“Take a shower.” Honoka mumbled, her voice gruff. “I’ll get some bandages and pay for the room while you’re in there.”  
  
“Okay.” Eli wasn’t sure what else she was meant to say so she settled for agreeing. She got up from the bed with some difficulty and limped to the bathroom, hesitating in the doorway. “Honoka?”  
  
“Mmm?” Honoka didn’t move her arm.   
  
“I love you.” Eli said quietly, her voice catching. “I know it doesn’t help but…I love you more than…more than anything.”   
  
She didn’t receive a response but she hadn’t expected one anyway. With a sigh she slipped into the bathroom, leaving the door open.   
  
Honoka pushed herself into a sitting position, a heavy sigh passing her lips. Through the bathroom door she watched Eli struggle to take her shirt off. “Damn it.” As she watched Eli waver on her feet she shot up from the bed and into the bathroom, catching Eli just as she stumbled to the side.   
  
“Honoka?” Eli called, her voice muffled by the shirt on her head. “What are you…?”  
  
“Just be quiet.” Honoka steadied Eli before she gently pulled the shirt off her head. She tossed it to side before she looked down, sucking in a sharp breath at the sight of bandages wrapped around Eli’s ribs. “What the hell happened?”  
  
Eli shrugged as Honoka began to unravel the bandages, letting them fall to the ground after. Her side was a dark purple color now but it felt a bit better than it had. “I can take it from here.”   
  
Honoka didn’t answer, moving to turn the faucet for the bath on instead.   
  
“Honoka…”  
  
“You can barely stand, don’t be an idiot.” Honoka snapped, reaching around to unlatch Eli’s bra.   
  
Eli felt her face warm as her bra was tossed to the side too. Honoka quickly and efficiently began to unbutton her jeans for her. She couldn’t help but think that it should be the other way around after everything Honoka had been through. That it should be her taking care of Honoka. She closed her eyes briefly as she felt her jeans being tugged down her legs, along with her underwear.   
  
Honoka tugged Eli’s jeans down as far as they would go, wincing at the sight of the gash on the inside of the blonde’s leg. It wasn’t fair. She used to have flawless skin and now she was scarred. Because of Honoka.   
  
“Hold onto my shoulders and step out of them.” Honoka instructed gruffly. “Lean on me if you need to.”  
  
Eli took a deep breath and reached down to grip Honoka’s shoulders. She grimaced as she stepped out of the jeans she was wearing. “I-I’m sorry. I shouldn’t be making you…”  
  
“It’s fine.” Honoka interrupted. She straightened up and took both of Eli’s hands, leading her to the bath. It was half full now and she put her hand into the water to make sure it was a reasonable temperature. She turned back to Eli and leaned down to pick her up again before carefully placing her in the tub.   
  
Eli hissed as the warm water touched her wounds. She sank down slightly in the bath, embarrassed at being so exposed. She’d never let anyone see her in such a humiliating state. Even Nozomi. Her ex had never had to bathe her. She looked up as Honoka perched on the edge of the tub. “Aren’t you going to get in too?”  
  
Anger flashed across Honoka’s face. “Be serious, Eli!”  
  
Eli flinched at Honoka’s raised voice. “I am. I just thought you might be in pain. I don’t want you to be uncomfortable.”  
  
Honoka looked down into the tub. “I’m looking after you. That’s all I can do right now. I don’t need to take care of myself.”  
  
“You might not need to but…” Eli hesitated, feeling her throat tighten with emotion. “I know you’re hurting. I just want to hold you. That’s all I want. Is…do you not want that?”  
  
Honoka slapped her hand over her mouth, not quick enough to hold back a sob. “I do. I really do.”  
  
“Come on then.” Eli murmured, sliding back slightly. She watched intently as Honoka stripped herself of the rest of her clothes before clambering into the bath. “It’s okay.” She soothed as Honoka lowered herself to sit between her legs. She wrapped her arms around Honoka’s chest and drew her close, resting her chin on the other girl’s shoulder. “You’re okay.”  
  
Honoka stared at the bloody water she was sitting in for a few minutes, images of Yukiho’s body springing to mind. “She’s never going to take another bath.” Eli tensed behind her but she paid her no mind. “She’s never going to call me an idiot again or laugh again. She’ll never have a first love. Or a first time. She’ll never get married o-or have kids. All she got was fourteen years. How is…how is that fair?!”  
  
“I’m sorry.” Eli whispered tearfully as Honoka shook with quiet sobs. She pressed her lips to the younger girl’s shoulder and closed her eyes, waiting for the wave of emotion to pass. It did, after a few long minutes when it seemed Honoka had tired herself out from crying. Spent, Honoka leaned back against Eli, her breathing heavy.   
  
It was a short time before Honoka spoke up. “Eli-senpai, do you love Umi-chan?”  
  
“What?” Eli asked in surprise. Of all the questions Honoka could have asked she hadn’t expected that one. “O-Of course. As my friend.”  
  
“If I wasn’t here you wouldn’t leave her, would you?” Honoka’s voice shook as she posed the question. “I love you and Umi-chan so much. I-I’d want the two people I love most to stay together.”  
  
“Of course I’d never leave her. She’s one of my best friends. W-Why are you even asking me this, Honoka?” Eli asked worriedly. “Nothing’s going to happen to you. We won’t let it. I love you, Honoka. Umi loves you. We both made a promise. We’d die before we let anything…” She trailed off as Honoka stood abruptly.   
  
“It seems like everyone would die before they’d let anything happen to me.” Honoka stepped out of the tub and grabbed a towel, wrapping it around her body. “I’m going to change in the bedroom and then I’ll go and pay for the room. Do you need help getting out of the tub?”  
  
“Ah…no but…” Eli trailed off. Honoka was gone before she could even get her words out. “Damn it…”  
  
—  
  
Maki woke to gentle fingers stroking her face. “Koto-nee…” She mumbled, still half asleep as she turned into the touch.   
  
“Yeah, it’s me.” The words were softly spoken and Maki automatically opened her eyes though of course she didn’t see anything.  
  
“Kotori?”  
  
“Yeah.” Kotori lightly pressed her lips to Maki’s forehead. “Maki-chan, um…” She glanced over her shoulder to where Chika was hovering. Hanayo was standing at the foot of the bed with Rin hugging her tightly from the side. Umi had gone off with Arisa, Kotori knew, and Nozomi was with Future Honoka. She turned back to Maki. “I want you to meet Chika-chan. She’s Honoka’s childhood friend. From before me.”  
  
“Hi.” Chika greeted, stepping close to the bed. “It’s nice to meet you, Maki-chan. I’ve heard a lot about you…”

  
“You have?” Maki asked in surprise.   
  
“I um…talk about you. A lot.” Kotori mumbled in embarrassment. “A-Anyway Chika-chan’s going to try to heal you. So you can see again.”  
  
“She is?” Maki’s grip on Kotori’s hand tightened. “She can do that?”  
  
“Maybe. We’ll have to wait and see. She’s going to try so I’m hoping it’ll work.” Kotori turned toward Chika. “Chika-chan…?”  
  
Chika nodded and stepped forward, gently nudging Kotori away. Kotori moved back a bit but she didn’t let go of Maki’s hand.   
  
“STOP!” Nico’s voice echoed around the room and the others turned to the doorway. Nico was standing there, glaring daggers at Chika. “Nobody else’s blood is going inside of her besides mine so get out of the way!”  
  
“O-Okay.” Chika backed away, her hands held up. “I was just trying to keep my promise…” She looked to Kotori apologetically who answered with a shrug.   
  
“Yeah, well she’s my…friend so you don’t need to do anything now that I’m here.” Nico said, pausing next to Maki’s bedside. “Maki?”  
  
“Nico-chan…” Maki allowed a brief smile to flit across her lips. “I’m glad you got out. I was worried about you and Hana-” She paused suddenly, a thought occurring to her. “Wait, where’s Hanayo?!”  
  
“I’m here, Maki-chan.” Hanayo squirmed away from Rin and crossed to the other side of the bed, perching on the edge and reaching over to take Maki’s hand. “I’m okay. Nico-chan saved me. And kept me safe.”  
  
“Good.” Maki breathed a sigh of relief. “S-So everyone made it out? Honoka’s okay? And Eli, Nozomi…?” She didn’t receive any response to that. “Kotori?!”  
  
“We’ll talk about it after.” Kotori soothed gently, rubbing her thumb against the back of Maki’s hand. “Just stay calm for me, Maki-chan.”  
  
“Kotori, get me an empty IV bag.” Nico instructed sharply, irritated by the sight of the two of them together. “We need to hurry up and do this if we’re going to do it. You can’t put off telling her what happened forever.”  
  
“Right.” Kotori kissed the back of Maki’s hand before she hurried off to get an IV bag. She returned to Nico’s side a moment later and handed it to her. “What are you going to do?”  
  
“Give her my blood, what do you think?”  
  
Kotori sighed and turned away so that she didn’t have to watch Nico take her own blood. She took the time to focus on Maki instead, perching on the bed next to her and stroking her hair.   
  
“I missed you…” Maki whispered, turning into the touch.   
  
“I missed you too.” Kotori said softly. “Thank you for bringing Honoka-chan back. I know it couldn’t have been easy.”  
  
Behind her, Chika nudged her causing her to look over her shoulder.   
  
“Bad move.” Chika mouthed, much to Kotori’s confusion.   
  
“I had to do it. You needed her back…” Maki said in a small tone of voice. “I was thinking about you the entire time though. About how much you needed her.”  
  
Kotori turned back to Maki, her stomach sinking with guilt. “I was thinking about you too. About coming home to you. I was so scared of not being able to come back to you. Of not being able to see you again. Maki-chan, I think I…”  
  
“Alright, move out of the way.” Nico interrupted, moving to hang the IV bag. She felt a little bit shaky now that she’d filled it with her blood but she knew she wouldn’t feel that way for long.   
  
Kotori fell back, Maki’s hand slipping from her own as Nico set Maki up with an IV.   
  
“Kotori-chan?” Chika murmured, stepping over to her. “You should just tell her.”  
  
“I can’t. Not yet. She’ll be crushed.” Kotori whispered back, her chest tightening at the thought of what had happened to Yukiho and what Honoka was going through.   
  
“N-Not about that. About how you feel.” Chika said pointedly. “She’ll want to hear it.”  
  
“Oh. R-Right…” Kotori blushed and looked away, not sure what else to say. She was saved from saying anything by Nico stepping back from the bed.   
  
“I’ve done my part.” Nico said reluctantly, her eyes lingering on Maki for a moment before she looked to Kotori. “She’s all yours.”  
  
Kotori nodded and walked back to the bed, sitting on the edge.   
  
“Do you think it’ll take a while?” Maki asked, her voice a bit shaky with nerves. “Should I wait a few minutes?”  
  
“Why don’t you open your eyes and see?” Kotori replied softly.   
  
Maki squeezed her eyes shut tighter. “I’m scared. What if I’m still blind, Koto-nee? What if…?”  
  
“It’s okay.” Kotori soothed softly as Maki trailed off. She leaned in, gently resting her forehead against Maki’s. “Don’t be afraid, Maki-chan. Open your eyes for me, okay? I want to see them.”  
  
Maki didn’t do anything for a moment until finally she forced her eyes open. For a moment light blinded her but then everything started to come back into focus. Colors blurred her vision for a few seconds and she had to blink quickly to clear it until the only color she could see was the golden brown of Kotori’s eyes. “Kotori…I-I can see you.”  
  
“Your eyes.” Kotori whispered, marvelling at the violet eyes staring back at her. They weren’t dulled anymore. They were the same vibrant purple she knew and loved. “Maki-chan, I-I love you.”  
  
Maki’s eyes widened in surprise as Kotori surged forward and kissed her on the lips. Despite her surprise her arms quickly went around the older girl’s shoulders and she kissed her back. Trying not to get her hopes up she gently pushed at Kotori’s shoulder. “Wait. Do you mean like…a friend?”  
  
“I’m in love with you.” Kotori clarified, her eyes misty with tears. “And I want to be yours. Only yours if you still want me.”  
  
“Of course I do.” Maki answered, her voice choked with emotion. “I-I want you to be my girlfriend.”  
  
Nico looked away, gritting her teeth together. She felt a hand close around hers a moment later and looked up, finding Hanayo had moved to her side. She hadn’t even noticed her get off the bed.   
  
“Let’s give them some privacy.” Hanayo said softly though she wasn’t looking directly at Nico. “Come on.”  
  
Kotori was vaguely aware of the others leaving the room though she didn’t look up to watch them. She inhaled sharply as Maki pulled her onto the bed with her. “H-Hey.” She said as Maki crawled on top of her. “Are you sure you should be…uh, Maki-chan?” She blushed as Maki unbuttoned the top four buttons of her shirt. “What…?” She trailed off as Maki lay her head on her chest, her ear to her heart.   
  
“You’re alive. You’re really here.” Maki whispered, almost to herself. She felt arms come around her a moment later, holding her close. “Tell me. What you didn’t want to tell me before. I-I can take it.”  
  
Kotori was silent for a long moment, reaching up to run her fingers gently through Maki’s hair. “It’s about Yukiho-chan…s-she’s dead. There was an explosion a-and we were all outside of the building. Honoka-chan too because Eli-chan forced her to leave.”  
  
Maki wasn’t sure what to think. She didn’t know what she felt despite a nerve wracking despair as she thought of Honoka. “But she’s…she’s the last of Honoka’s family. She can’t be dead.”  
  
“She is.” Kotori held Maki tighter, her eyes prickling with tears. “Eli-chan tried to save her but she couldn’t. Honoka-chan ran off.”  
  
“And you’re here?!” Maki lifted her head sharply. “Where’s Umi? Why aren’t we out looking for Honoka?! She could be doing anything!”  
  
Kotori gently shushed Maki and guided her head back to her chest. “Eli-chan went after her. Honoka-chan doesn’t need the rest of us right now…”  
  
“Eli?” Maki asked distractedly. She vaguely recalled what she’d seen in Future Honoka’s mind. “Are they…?”  
  
“Together now. Yeah.” Kotori finished for Maki when she trailed off. “She’s still with Umi-chan too. They’re all together, I think. Umi-chan said she and Eli are a team. I guess it’s a good thing. Honoka-chan needs them.”  
  
“And you.” Maki pointed out, closing her eyes. She couldn’t begin to imagine how Honoka must be feeling. “She’ll need you when she gets back. You’re her best friend.”  
  
“Yeah…” Kotori muttered softly, rubbing Maki’s back. “I hope so.”  
  
—  
  
“You’ll catch a cold.” Honoka said monotonously when she came back to find Eli sitting on the bed, wearing just a towel.   
  
Eli looked up, breathing a soft sigh of relief. “My clothes are dirty.” She had considered putting them back on but they were covered in blood and dirt from the explosion. “It’s fine. My ability keeps me warm. But thank you. For worrying about me.”  
  
“I paid for the room.” Honoka said without addressing what Eli had said. She slipped off her shoes and pulled something from her jacket before discarding that piece of clothing too. She moved to Eli, kneeling down in front of her.   
  
“What are…?” Eli trailed off as Honoka began to wrap the wound on her leg with a bandage. She allowed it though somehow it felt wrong for Honoka to be taking care of her after what had happened.   
  
Honoka finished wrapped Eli’s leg and looked up at her. “Eli-senpai…”   
  
Eli’s breath caught in her throat at the sight of tears in Honoka’s eyes. “Yeah?” She breathed out.   
  
“Take your towel off.”  
  
“My…?” Eli swallowed thickly as Honoka stood up. “O-Okay.” She stood too, just long enough to drop her towel to the ground before she sat back down on the bed, leaning back slightly on her hands.   
  
“Yeah…” Honoka whispered, licking her lips as her eyes raked over the bare form of the blonde in front of her. Numbly, she began to take off her own clothes too, vaguely noticing Eli’s gaze following every moment of her hands.   
  
“Honoka.” Eli whispered when Honoka was finally naked in front of her. “What are you doing?”  
  
“I need you. Is that so bad?” Honoka stepped forward, straddling Eli’s legs on the bed. “I want to forget everything. All I want is you. I want to rid your body of her touch. I hate her. I hate her for putting her hands on you.”   
  
Eli took a shaky breath, unsettled by the venom in Honoka’s voice. She knew the girl wasn’t talking about Nozomi. She was sure Honoka could never talk about Nozomi with hatred in her voice. She was talking about her Future self. “Whatever you need. I-I’m here for whatever you need.”  
  
“I’m not like her.” Honoka’s voice shook as she leaned down, pressing her body to Eli’s. She felt Eli inhale sharply as their bare skin came into contact. “I love you. I love you so fucking much, I don’t know what to do sometimes…”

  
“I love you too.” Eli murmured, shocked by Honoka’s cursing. She moved her hand to the back of Honoka’s head and guided her down into a gentle kiss. Honoka didn’t seem to have the patience for the slow and gentle pace she was about to set though and deepened the kiss quickly, her tongue slipping past lips that obediently parted for her.   
  
Feeling Honoka’s hips rock into hers she gasped softly and parted her legs, her hands pushing down on Honoka’s back to hold her closer.   
  
“Alright…” She muttered, feeling Honoka’s teeth graze against her lip. She understood what Honoka needed from her. Locking her legs around Honoka’s she flipped them over until she was hovering over the girl beneath her.   
  
She took Honoka’s hands into hers and pinned them to the bed at either side of the girl’s head. “You’re sure?” She growled, leaning down to kiss and nip at Honoka’s neck.   
  
“Yes.” Honoka moaned, struggling to move her hands from under Eli’s. “I need it. I need you. Please.” She rocked her hips up into Eli’s, her breath catching as she rubbed against her. Every inch of Eli’s body was touching hers and it was making her feel too hot. “I want to touch you. I want to taste you. Please…“  
  
Eli kissed Honoka firmly before pulling back to intently meet her eyes. “Me first. I want to make you feel good. I want to make you forget, like you asked.” She kissed her again, fleetingly even though she felt Honoka lean up in an attempt to keep kissing her.   
  
“Eli-senpai…” Honoka whined though she quickly stopped complaining when she felt Eli’s mouth on her breast, a skilfull hand sliding between her legs. “Senpai!”  
  
Eli shuddered at the utterance and flicked her tongue against Honoka’s nipple, feeling her arch into the touch. It was intoxicating, how much Honoka needed her. Her fingers slid easily through the wetness between the other girl’s legs, drawing soft moans and whimpers from her. “God, Honoka…” She slid two fingers easily inside and Honoka cried out, her nails digging into Eli’s back.   
  
“You’re so wet.” Eli panted against Honoka’s collarbone, her own core throbbing with need as she slowly withdrew her fingers only to sink them inside of Honoka again. She’d thought about doing it so many times before but things always got in their way.   
  
“So good, Senpai.” Honoka gasped, her hips following Eli’s movements. “More. Please. Harder…”  
  
“Honoka…” Eli moaned back, doing what Honoka asked of her.   
  
“Harder!” Honoka gasped, thrusting her hips upward to meet Eli’s fingers. “Please. Please…”  
  
Eli did as she was instructed and bit down hard on Honoka’s shoulder as she thrust her fingers harder and deeper into her. She was a bit worried that she might accidentally hurt the girl but Honoka seemed anything but hurt.   
  
Honoka finally managed to free her other hand and wrapped her arms around Eli’s neck as she continued to grind against her fingers. “I love you.” She gasped. “I love you, I love you! Fuck, I love…” She was cut off as her climax hit her hard, her body pulsing with pleasure. She felt Eli slip from her arms and looked down, her eyes widening when she saw the blonde situation herself between her legs. “E-Eli-senpai, I can’t ye…ahhh!” She didn’t have time to argue anymore as Eli’s tongue slid through her folds and her mind when blank.   
  
Eli hummed in satisfaction at the taste of Honoka. She wanted her to feel good, that was all she was focused on, so she was rather pleased when Honoka’s hand went to the back of her head, forcing her closer.   
  
“Eli-senpai!” Honoka gasped as Eli’s tongue slipped inside of her and the blonde gave another moan of approval. “Fuck…” She grasped Eli’s hair and ground her hips forward. “Senpai…”  
  
Eli pulled back for just a moment to take a deep breath. “You taste so good, Honoka…” She was strangely aroused by the way Honoka pulled at her hair to get her to go back to what she was doing. She did so immediately, licking at every inch of Honoka’s core before pressing her tongue into her again. The fingers clenching her hair and scraping at her back hurt but it felt good at the same time. She pressed her fingers against Honoka’s clit, rubbing the bus firmly as she moved her tongue in and out of her in time with the erratic movement of Honoka’s hips.   
  
“ELI-SENPAI!” Honoka’s back arched off the bed, her hips jerking as she moaned her way through her orgasm.   
  
Eli felt Honoka sink back onto the bed and a moment later, her head was released. She sat up, aware that her hair must be a mess already. “Again?”  
  
“Again.” Honoka grabbed Eli’s hand and pulled her closer before weakly flipping them over. “But this time I want to make you feel good. I need to feel you, just once.”  
  
“Just once…?” Eli questioned in confusion though she quickly forgot about it when she felt Honoka’s fingers brush against her core. “Honokaaa…”  
  
—  
  
Eli woke to a dimly lit room and an empty bed. Still half-asleep she reached over and found that the sheets were cold. She noticed a light on in the bathroom though and figured Honoka must have gotten up for that reason. She lay still for a few minutes, reflecting upon what had happened earlier. They’d indulged themselves in each other into the early hours of the morning, only falling asleep when they were too tired to move. Honoka had fallen asleep huddled against her chest, Eli remembered. She missed that feeling now.   
  
A few minutes passed as Eli struggled to stay awake while waiting for Honoka to return. Feeling herself starting to fall asleep again she pushed herself into a sitting position and waited another few minutes, growing increasingly anxious as she did so. When Honoka still didn’t emerge from the bathroom she got to her feet and crossed the room, rapping on the door. “Honoka?” She paused, waiting for an answer but didn’t receive one. “Honoka, I’m coming in.”  
  
There was still no answer and Eli tried the door, relieved to find it was unlocked. The door didn’t open completely, stopped by something Eli couldn’t see. Frowning, she squeezed herself through the gap. Her heart seized in her chest when she finally found Honoka, lying on the ground. Blood streaked down from her nose, sliding down her cheek and dripping onto the tile floor.   
  
“HONOKA!” Eli cried out, hurrying over and falling to her knees. Gently, she lifted Honoka’s head and shoulders into her lap. “Honoka, wake up! HONOKA!” She didn’t get a response and frantically leaned down, struggling to hear whether Honoka was breathing. She was, she found after a moment but she still wasn’t waking up. “Damn it, what did you do?!”  
  
She should have known. She should have seen it in the way Honoka was acting. It had been like she’d completely forgotten about Yukiho but obviously she’d just been planning this. “DAMN IT!”  
  
Eli got up from the floor, lowering Honoka back down onto it and rushed into the bedroom, grabbing her phone. She quickly scrolled to Umi’s name and called her as she went back to the bathroom. Considering how late it was she was surprised when Umi answered after two rings.   
  
“Hello? Eli?”  
  
“Umi!” Eli exclaimed, relieved to hear Umi’s voice. “Umi, where are you?!”  
  
“I’m…at Kotori’s house. I’m with Arisa right now. She’s been having nightmares. Is Honoka…?”  
  
“I need your help! Honoka’s done something to herself. She won’t wake up and her nose is bleeding. I woke up and found her on the bathroom floor like this but I-I think she tried to use her power and exerted herself. I need someone here now! I-I don’t know where we are. Honoka teleported us to a hotel…”  
  
“Wait a minute!” Umi’s voice turned muffled for a moment before she returned back to the call. “Is she breathing? Does she have a pulse?!”  
  
“She’s breathing, yeah.” Eli felt for a pulse. “Uh…her pulse is really faint.”  
  
“Faint?!” Umi echoed loudly. “Wait…” Her voice turned muffled once more but then a few seconds later she was back again. “I’m going to send help, Eli!”  
  
“Umi, I’m scared. Stay on the phone. Please.” Eli pleaded, clutching the phone with one hand and Honoka with the other. “T-There’s so much blood…”  
  
“Damn it.” Umi cursed and then what followed was the sound of her running down the hallway. A door being thrown open. “HONOKA! HONOKA! You need to go and get…Honoka. She’s hurt herself. You need to…” Umi trailed off and Eli heard the faint sound of someone protesting. “GOD DAMN IT, SHE’S YOU! SO GO AND FUCKING GET HER!”  
  
Eli flinched at Umi’s yelling. “Umi…?”  
  
“I’m here, Eli.” Umi’s voice softened when she spoke to Eli. “Nozomi, would you tell this idiot she has to go! Please? Eli, I-I’m really sorry, I have to go.”  
  
“No! Umi…” The line went dead and Eli numbly let the phone slide from her fingers. “Damn. Damn it!” There was a sudden crash from the other room, interrupting her thoughts and Eli sat up straight.   
  
“Damn it, it smells like sex and blood in here…”  
  
“Senpai, please calm down.”   
  
“Nozomi.” Eli whispered, feeling somewhat relieved that someone she could trust was there. She held Honoka close to her, her eyes prickling with tears. She could barely hear Honoka’s breathing now. “Just stay with me. I’ll get you help. HEY, IN HERE!”  
  
The door flew open a moment later and Nozomi and Future Honoka appeared in the doorway.   
  
Nozomi’s eyes went wide, at the unexpected sight of Eli kneeling on the floor, completely naked. Honoka would have been in a similar state had it not been for the towel wrapped around her. She swallowed thickly, her eyes falling to Eli’s breasts. It had been a long time since she’d seen her naked. Eli was just as stunning as she remembered.   
  
“Put some clothes on!” Future Honoka said though even she was having trouble tearing her eyes away.   
  
Nozomi finally managed, hurrying over to them and crouching next to Honoka. “It looks like she’s lost a lot of blood. We have to get her to Maki-chan or Rei-san.”  
  
“Can we hurry?” Eli stood up and grabbed another towel, wrapping herself in it. She hadn’t even realized she was naked. She tearfully met Nozomi’s gaze. “Please Nozomi?”  
  
“Alright.” Nozomi gently rubbed Eli’s arm. “It’s okay, we’ve got her.” She glanced back at Honoka and nodded.   
  
With a sigh Future Honoka picked her past self up, being careful not to jostle her towel. She noticed the bite marks on the unconscious girl’s neck and shook her head in exasperation.   
  
“Let’s go.” Nozomi took Eli’s hand and placed her other hand on Future Honoka’s shoulder. “Go, Honoka-senpai.”  
  
“Yeah, yeah…”  
  
Eli looked up at Honoka, vaguely wondering why she was so angry. She wondered briefly if she was jealous of her future self but quickly brushed the thought aside. It didn’t matter now. Besides that, she didn’t have much time to dwell on it before the room around her faded away only to be replaced by a different room a moment later.   
  
“Put her down on the bed.” Rei instructed sharply, pointing to the bed in the middle of the room. “Hurry!”  
  
Nozomi tugged Eli a safe distance back and watched as Future Honoka set her past self down on the bed. It wasn’t done with much care but she hadn’t expected it to.   
  
Eli snarled and tried to take a step forward only for Nozomi to pull her back to her side. “Nozomi!”  
  
“Just leave it.” Nozomi said softly, casting Future Honoka a look. “Attacking her isn’t going to help anyone.”  
  
Eli glared vehemently at Future Honoka. She wanted nothing more than to do just that and tell her that she should have left her to look for Yukiho. If she had she could have gotten her out.  
  
“She can’t die…” She clutched Nozomi tightly, her gaze fixed on Honoka as Rei listened to her chest. “She can’t.”  
  
Nozomi gently wrapped her arms around Eli. “She won’t.” She said reassuringly as Eli pressed closer to her.   
  
Rei glanced over at them as she placed an oxygen mask on Honoka’s face. “She’ll be fine after a night of observation. She’s lucky you found her though. It looks like she pushed herself to the limit. If I didn’t know any better I’d say she was trying to do this.”  
  
“Her sister just died.” Eli said bluntly, her eyes burning with tears. “Of course she was trying. She was probably trying to go back.”  
  
“Fucking idiot doesn’t have that much skill yet.” Future Honoka scoffed at her past self. “It took me over two years of practice to be able to go back an hour!”  
  
“If you don’t shut the hell up…” Eli growled furiously, trying to pull away from Nozomi who held her hand tightly.   
  
“Elichi. Elichi, look at me.” Nozomi pressed her hand to Eli’s cheek and forced their eyes to meet again. “So you and Honoka did it, huh?”  
  
“She needed me.” Eli said meekly, her anger waning. She knew that it would hurt Nozomi. “And I needed her. She’s…my girlfriend. I’m sorry, I…”  
  
“Our girlfriend.” Umi’s voice interrupted as she walked into the room with a hooded jacket and some jeans. She placed the jacket over Eli’s shoulders and hugged her tightly for a moment. “Thank you for being with her.”  
  
Eli nodded and hugged Umi back, only letting go when Umi began to pull away. She wordlessly followed her to the edge of Honoka’s bed and looked down at her in concern. “I don’t know what to do.”  
  
“We just need to be here when she wakes up.” Umi situated herself on the edge of the bed and used the soft washcloth from the bedside table to wipe away as much of the blood on Honoka’s face as she could reach without removing the oxygen mask.   
  
Nozomi cleared her throat as Rei left the room. “We’ll leave the three of you alone. Call if you need us.” Her gaze lingered on Eli for a long moment before she turned and tugged Future Honoka out of the room with her.   
  
Eli sat down and took Honoka’s hand in her own. “How is Arisa?”  
  
“She’s fine now that I’ve gotten her back to sleep.” Umi said, glancing up at Eli. “She was having nightmares. I would have called you but you were busy with Honoka so I decided to leave you alone and stay up with her instead.”  
  
“Thank you.” Eli said softly, her gaze fixed on Honoka. “I’ll go and check on her soon.” She glanced up at Umi, watching as the girl tenderly swiped the cloth over Honoka’s face. “So…I slept with her.”  
  
Umi looked up sharply, her hand stilling. “What?”  
  
“I slept with her.” Eli repeated, feeling slightly guilty about the admission. “It’s not like I’m taking advantage or using her. I love her.”  
  
“I guess it should have been obvious.” Umi said quietly, looking Eli over. “You are in a towel.”  
  
Eli forced a smile to her lips. “Maybe next time you could join us. We could make it into a friendly competition if you want. Though if we’re talking about who can make Honoka feel better, I think I’ve won…”  
  
Umi rolled her eyes. “You’re full of yourself. You shouldn’t assume you’ll win.”  
  
“Five times.” Eli said simply, crossing her legs beneath her. “I made her…”  
  
“Okay, okay!” Umi exclaimed quickly. “I get it. Why are we even talking about this? Her sister just died…”  
  
Eli was silent for a few seconds, her gaze dropping to her hand, joined with Honoka’s. “I really tried to save her, Umi. I knew what this would do to Honoka. I-I did everything I could. If I could have died instead…”  
  
“Don’t say that!” Umi said sharply. “Honoka wouldn’t want you to say that. And you dying would have destroyed her.”  
  
“Not as much as she is now…” Eli mumbled, brushing her thumb over Honoka’s knuckles. “She almost killed herself trying to go back. Do you think…?”  
  
“No.” Umi cut in with a firm shake of her head. “I can’t think she did this on purpose. I can’t.” She looked back to Honoka, gently running her fingers through her hair. “We can get her through this. Both of us can. And Arisa too. She’s struggling but with our help…she’ll be fine.”  
  
Eli nodded silently. “I’m going to check on her.” She said softly. She leaned down, kissing Honoka’s hand before standing up. “You’ll watch her.”  
  
“All night.” Umi promised with a small smile. “Go to Arisa. And get some sleep. If you need me you know where I am.”  
  
“Okay.” With another hesitant look at Honoka, Eli turned and left the room.   
  
Umi sighed softly as she continued to stroke Honoka’s hair. “You’ll be okay. I’m right here for you.”  
  
—  
  
Future Honoka gasped sharply when she’d barely taken two steps into the bedroom when Nozomi roughly kissed her, shoving her back against the door. It slammed behind them but she didn’t take any notice of it, choosing instead to kiss Nozomi back.   
  
“Eli?” She asked expectantly between kisses. The growl she got in response was all the answer she needed. She cupped Nozomi’s cheeks in her hands and kissed her deeply pressing her tongue past lips that readily parted for her.   
  
Nozomi felt Honoka stoop slightly, her hands going to the backs of her thighs and realized what was about to happen a moment before it did. She found herself lifted suddenly and quickly wrapped her legs around Honoka’s waist.   
  
Honoka inhaled sharply as she felt Nozomi grind against her. The movement of her hips was subtle but she could feel it. “You got this turned on just by looking?” She snuck her hands down the back of Nozomi’s shorts, digging her fingers into soft flesh.   
  
“You don’t help one bit, senpai…” Nozomi muttered, clearly able to feel Honoka’s breasts pushed against hers. “With Eli…it’s been so long since…”  
  
“You’re not the only one.” Future Honoka drew a hand out of Nozomi’s shorts, only to force her shirt up above her breasts. “Damn it…”  
  
Nozomi gasped as Honoka’s mouth went to her breasts, sucking and nipping at sensitive skin. Her bra was pushed up a moment later but she said nothing in argument. She couldn’t. The feeling of Honoka’s muscles against her was making it hard to think.  
  
Honoka hissed softly as Nozomi’s fingers slid into her hair and the girl continued to grind against her stomach. “Is it good?” She asked, slightly breathless as she pushed forward. She squeezed the supple flesh of Nozomi’s ass in her hands, feeling heat pool in her lower stomach as Nozomi whimpered.   
  
“Senpai.” Nozomi whimpered as Honoka bent to suck and lick at her nipples while continuing to grind forward against her. She couldn’t fight the familiar feeling mounting between her legs and lower stomach. As it came to a climax her legs clenched around Honoka’s waist and she jerked in pleasure, her eyes squeeze tightly shut. “SENPAI!”  
  
Slowly, her grip on Honoka loosened but the young woman didn’t put her down.   
  
“Huh, I guess I’ve still got it.” Honoka drew back and adjusted her grip on Nozomi before carrying her over to the bed. She dropped her gently and climbed onto the mattress herself, lying on her back. “That was…pretty hot.”  
  
Nozomi crawled over to Honoka and collapsed down on her side next to her. “Hmm.” She mumbled, throwing her arm across Honoka’s middle. “Let’s just…go back to sleep.”  
  
“Okay.” Honoka whispered. Despite her agreement she stayed awake long after Nozomi had fallen asleep, staring at the ceiling. She couldn’t help but think about Yukiho. She hadn’t been dead in her future. Their relationship wasn’t what it used to be but at least Yukiho was alive and well. Feeling dampness on her cheeks she lifted her hand, realizing she’d been crying silently. “Damn it…”

 


	33. Chapter 33

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning(s): Swearing, violence, sexual scenes, angst.

Nico was lying on her bed in the dark, staring at the ceiling when she heard the door creak open. She didn’t look over right away though she was curious as to who it might be. As far as she knew, the others wouldn’t just visit her. Kotori and Maki were too busy with each other. The same could be said for Honoka, Eli and Umi as well as Rin and Hanayo. She assumed it was Nozomi, coming to check on her or something like that.   
  
The door closed again and Nico assumed that the person had left until she heard the sound of shuffling. She sighed irritably and sat up, squinting into the darkness. She didn’t see Nozomi like she expected to. Instead she found Hanayo standing at the foot of her bed, shifting from foot to foot.   
  
“What are you doing in here?” Nico asked bluntly. “I thought you’d be spending time with Rin.”  
  
“I missed…” Hanayo flushed and looked away. “We spent every night together in that place and I-I just miss being with you. Rin-chan is asleep so I crept out…”  
  
“You’re hopeless.” Nico sighed though she pulled back the blankets anyway. “Get in. Just hurry up about it.”

 

Hanayo beamed at the agreement and hurried over to the bed, slipping under the covers. “Thank you, Nico-chan.” She watched as Nico lay back down and she slid down herself, laying on her side. A few minutes passed in silence as she listened to the sound of Nico’s breathing. “I’m glad you’re better now.”  
  
“Better…” Nico scoffed with a roll of her eyes.   
  
“I mean not hurt!” Hanayo said quickly, not wanting Nico to get the wrong idea. “Not better. I know you’re…not better really. I’m sorry.”  
  
“It’s fine.” Nico muttered. “Why are you really in here anyway? I thought you would want to spend as much time with Rin as you could now that you’re out of that place. And as much time as possible away from me. Who’d want to be around a reminder of that?”  
  
“That’s not true. Nico-chan makes me feel safe.” Hanayo argued quickly. She remembered vividly the last few nights, when all they’d been able to do was cling to each other. Without her ability Nico had been at her most vulnerable. “Rin-chan wants to keep me close but I don’t feel safe with anyone now. It’s stupid…”  
  
Nico stayed silent as she stared at the ceiling. She didn’t know what she was meant to say to that. The others were her friends but they never sought her out for comfort. She hadn’t expected them to.   
  
“Maki-chan should have said thank you.” Hanayo said suddenly, her voice completely serious. “It wasn’t fair that she ignored you after you gave her her sight back.”  
  
“Chika could have done it.” Nico said monotonously. “It doesn’t matter anyway. Maki’s always had terrible manners. I don’t need her thanks. She seemed completely focused on Kotori anyway…”  
  
Hanayo bit her lip as she stared at the side of Nico’s face. She didn’t seem upset but Hanayo couldn’t imagine that she wasn’t. She loved Maki, she had said so herself. “Kotori-chan seems to help her open up at least?”  
  
“Mmm.” Nico hummed, a slightly bitter smile tugging at her lips. “Maybe that’s what I need. A cute, emotional girlfriend like Kotori. Someone who’s kind and patient and doesn’t want to change me.”  
  
Hanayo thought about that for a moment. “Nozomi-chan?”  
  
“Someone more reserved. Nozomi is in love with Eli anyway. That’s not going to change.” Nico turned onto her side to face Hanayo. “Everyone else is already with someone.”  
  
“I-I’m not with anyone.” Hanayo said, blushing slightly.   
  
“You’re attached to Rin.” Nico pointed out, raising an eyebrow. “So you’re practically with someone. Even if you’re not…together. You’re too young anyway…”  
  
“Maki-chan is the same age.” Hanayo countered.   
  
“Yeah but she…seems more mature than you and Rin.” Nico answered carefully. “I’d say it’s because of the boobs but…” She looked down at Hanayo’s chest, briefly. “I guess not. I don’t know what it is.”  
  
Hanayo huffed. “I’m the same age as Maki-chan. Actually I’m sixteen. I was born in January so it was my birthday last month.”  
  
“You’re older than Maki?!” Nico exclaimed in surprise. “Wait…we missed your birthday?”  
  
Hanayo gave a nervous laugh. “I guess. I celebrated it with Rin-chan. There was so much stuff going on here…”  
  
“I still feel bad.” Nico grumbled under her breath. “Well…not really. I should though. If I could feel I would.”  
  
“You can’t feel anything now?” Hanayo hesitantly shifted closer and placed her hand on Nico’s hip. “You don’t feel sad about Maki-chan?” She watched as Nico shook her head. “What about physically?” She unphased her hand so it came into direct contact with Nico’s skin. Nico hissed under her breath. “D-Do you feel that?”  
  
“Yeah.” Nico whispered back, focusing on the warmth of Hanayo’s hand on her skin.   
  
Hanayo gave a small smile and gently rubbed the smooth skin of Nico’s stomach, trying to offer some kind of comfort.   
  
“I can feel physically.” Nico continued quietly, her eyes closed. “With the meds. Just not emotionally most of the time. It’s complicated.”  
  
She turned onto her side and Hanayo shuffled close a moment later, pressing her nose into the back of her neck. She blindly reached for Hanayo’s arm and drew it fully around her waist, exhaling softly.   
  
“Nico-chan?” Hanayo asked hesitantly. “Would I be able to come in here again tomorrow night? A-And maybe the night after? And…”  
  
“I get it, I get it. You can stay for however long you want. It’s not like I’m going to be inviting anyone back here or anything.” Nico said darkly though her mood lightened when she felt Hanayo smile against the back of her neck. “Hey Hanayo?”  
  
“Yeah?”  
  
“Do you think you’ll end up dating Rin?” Nico asked cautiously. “I mean…do you love her like that?”  
  
“No! I-I don’t. I’m not going to be dating anyone.” Hanayo answered firmly. “Of course not. I don’t have time to meet anyone.”  
  
“Good. I don’t want to be the only person not dating someone else in Muse…” Nico grumbled under her breath, earning a soft giggle from Hanayo.   
  
—  
  
Eli woke up early the next morning, Arisa huddled against her. Her sister had woken several times in the night, calling out for Yukiho. It had broken Eli’s heart to hear, for her sister, Honoka and Yukiho herself. Arisa seemed to be sleeping peacefully now though.   
  
She slipped out of the bed, tucking the blankets back around Arisa before she left the room and headed down the hallway to the room Honoka was in. She opened the door and stepped inside, noticing right away that Honoka was still sleeping. She was both disappointed and relieved - disappointed that Honoka hadn’t woken yet and relieved that she hadn’t woken to find her gone.   
  
“No change.” Umi reported numbly from where she sat on the chair. “I’ve been watching her all night and she’s barely moved.”  
  
Eli nodded and squeezed herself onto the chair next to Umi, resting her head on the second year’s shoulder. “You haven’t slept?”  
  
“No.” Umi sighed softly and tilted her head to the side, her cheek pressing against the top of Eli’s head. “I was worried.”  
  
“Sleep.” Eli said softly, her gaze fixed on Honoka. “You can stay here if you want. Or you can stay with Arisa again.”  
  
“I’m comfortable.” Umi mumbled tiredly, her arms going around Eli’s torso. “You’re so warm.”  
  
“Well now I know you’re tired.” Eli gently rubbed Umi’s back. “You can stay here. I’ll wake you if anything happens with her, okay?”  
  
“Hmm.” Umi agreed faintly. “Hey, Eli?”  
  
“Yeah?”  
  
“I’ve been thinking. And I think…” Umi trailed off with a yawn. “She did it on purpose. You’re right. I don’t want it to be true but I think…”  
  
“Umi.” Eli cut in, gently pulling away from Umi. “She’s waking up.”  
  
“Huh? Wait, she’s what?!” Umi’s eyes snapped open and she jumped to her feet in time to see Honoka weakly push herself into a sitting position, pulling her oxygen mask off with her other hand. “Honoka…”  
  
“Umi-chan…” Honoka’s lower lip trembled for a moment and she reached for Umi who quickly shook off her own tiredness to climb onto the bed next to Honoka, taking her into her arms. “Yukiho…”  
  
“I know.” Umi choked out, hugging Honoka tighter as the girl began to sob. “I’m sorry. I’m so sorry, Honoka.” She glanced up, finding Eli standing next to the bed, her hand covering her mouth as she watched with tears lacing her eyes. “Eli.”   
  
She reached out with one hand and grabbed Eli’s, yanking her down onto the bed with them. Eli seemed to understand what was being asked of her as her own arms went around Honoka from behind.   
  
“Eli-senpai…”  
  
“I’m here.” Eli whispered tearfully, tightening her grip. Her hand closed around the fabric of Umi’s shirt but neither of them paid it any mind. “I’m not going anywhere, I’m right here.”  
  
“I don’t deserve it.” Honoka managed to say through her tears. “I don’t deserve you.”  
  
Umi pulled away to look into Honoka’s eyes. “What are you talking about? Of course you do. You deserve the both of us and more.”  
  
“I-I want Yukiho back.” Honoka’s voice was thick with emotion. “I just want her back and I can’t e-even do that!”  
  
“Is that what you were trying to do?” Umi asked quietly as she wiped tears from Honoka’s cheeks. “You tried to use your ability to go back and save her?”  
  
Honoka nodded. “I-I thought if my future self can…” She gritted her teeth suddenly. “I’m no good. I’ll never be as good as her! I HATE HER!”  
  
“Shhh.” Eli soothed gently, pressing her lips to the back of Honoka’s neck. “It’s okay. We know. It’s not your fault.”  
  
“IT IS! I SHOULD BE BETTER, I SHOULD BE STRONGER. I-I’M SO…” She trailed off into sobs again and gripped Eli’s wrist tightly in front of her. “I just…want her back…I just want my sister back, Eli-senpai. I don’t know what I’ll do…”  
  
“I know.” Eli whispered back, her chest tight. She focused intently on holding Honoka close to her, on keeping her warm while gently rubbing Umi’s arm too. The dark haired second year looked almost as heartbroken as Honoka.   
  
“You don’t. I just want it to be over.” Honoka cried, her nails digging into Eli’s arm as she spoke. “I wish it had been me instead of her. I wish it could be me now. I just want to stop feeling like this. I want to be with Mom and Dad and Yukiho…”  
  
“Stop. Please.” Umi pleaded tearfully, certain she couldn’t listen to more. She couldn’t imagine her life without Honoka. “Don’t say that. I need you, Honoka. You’re my only family. You and Kotori. Please, don’t leave me.”  
  
“I can’t help it. You and Eli-senpai will probably…” Honoka squeezed her eyes shut and pressed her face into Umi’s chest. They were better off without her, she knew that. It felt like she was cursed to always lose the people she loved. If they stayed with her they would just end up dead too. Just like Yukiho.   
  
Umi met Eli’s eyes and the blonde grimly shook her head, silently telling her there was nothing they could really say that would help. All they could do was be there for Honoka when she needed them.   
  
Umi gritted her teeth and looked down at the girl clinging to her. She hated feeling powerless, especially when it came to the person dearest to her. She knew there was nothing else she could do though.   
  
—-  
  
Kotori took a deep breath as she paused outside of the infirmary. She’d heard what had happened the night before and felt awful that she hadn’t known anything of it then. She should have chased after Honoka when she’d had the chance to but she’d been too beside herself with shock. She’d eased her own guilt by telling herself that Umi hadn’t left either but now that this had happened the sickening feeling in her stomach had returned tenfold.   
  
“You can do it.” Maki said reassuringly, squeezing Kotori’s clammy hand. “I’m right here with you, you don’t need to worry.”  
  
“I am worried.” Kotori said sincerely, fearful eyes meeting Maki’s. “It was her sister, Maki-chan. I can’t even imagine…” She supposed it made sense that she couldn’t put herself in that situation. The closest thing she could imagine to losing a sister was losing Umi and even that hurt too much to think about. “I don’t know what to say to her.”  
  
Maki forced a small smile to her lips. “I don’t think she’ll want you to say anything. Just be there. That’s all she’ll need from you.”  
  
“And you.” Kotori added quietly. “It means a lot to me that you came. That you wanted to see her.”  
  
“Well she’s my friend too.” Maki answered sheepishly. “Come on, let’s go in, okay? We’re not helping by standing out here.”  
  
“I know.” Kotori lifted her hand and after another moment of hesitation, knocked on the door. She heard a muffled voice call for her to enter and pushed the door open, stepping inside. Once in the room she found Umi and Honoka squeezed onto the bed, Honoka’s head resting on Umi’s shoulder. She was sitting up, Kotori noticed, though she looked like she’d been crying recently. Eli was sitting in the chair next to the bed, Honoka’s hand grasped in her own.   
  
“Kotori-chan…” Honoka murmured. “Maki-chan.”  
  
“Hi.” Kotori greeted softly, inching further into the room. She paused near the end of the bed and watched as Honoka bit her lip, hopeful eyes fixed on her. “C-Can I hug you?”  
  
“Please.” Honoka whispered.   
  
Kotori scooted around the bed as quickly as she could and went to Honoka who sank forward into her. She hugged her as tightly as she could, feeling her eyes prickle with tears. “I’m so sorry.”  
  
Honoka hummed against Kotori’s shoulder, her chest tight though she was sure she wouldn’t be able to shed any more tears. When Kotori pulled away she grasped her hand and looked toward Maki who was watching her closely. “Maki-chan! You can see again?”  
  
Maki gave a small smile and moved close, stopping next to Eli. “Yeah. Nico-chan healed me.”  
  
“Good. I’m glad you’re okay.” Honoka said faintly. There was a small smile on her face though Maki could tell it was forced.   
  
“Thank you.” Maki couldn’t help it. She leaned past Umi and hugged Honoka too, tightly for a long moment. “If there’s anything you need just tell us, okay? We’re all here for you.”  
  
“Mmm.” Honoka hummed, letting Maki draw back. “Maki-chan’s eyes are so pretty. It’s no wonder you have Kotori-chan’s heart.”  
  
“Honoka.” Maki grumbled as she straightened up, her cheeks red. “You don’t have to say it in front of her.”  
  
Honoka grinned back at her. “So? Are you two together now then? Officially?”  
  
“Yeah.” Kotori said softly, reaching for Maki’s hand. “We are.”  
  
“Well then you should kiss her!” Honoka announced without hesitation.   
  
“N-Now?” Kotori blushed at the idea but there was no way she could say no to Honoka who was currently giving her puppy dog eyes. “F-Fine…” She moved around the bed and pressed a fleeting kiss to Maki’s lips.   
  
“Good.” Honoka’s smile slipped just a little bit. “I’m glad. Everybody should have somebody they love.” She looked between Umi and Eli pointedly, something neither of them missed.   
  
“K-Kotori!” Maki protested though she didn’t look exactly angry.   
  
Umi kissed the top of Honoka’s head and held her closer to her, an uneasy feeling settling itself in the pit of her stomach.   
  
Honoka glanced at Eli, feeling the blonde’s lips press against the back of her hand. She felt her heart tug with affection and blinked quickly just in case her eyes misted again. She loved the two of them so much yet she didn’t deserve anything they gave her. Her lower lip trembled and she caught it between her teeth.   
  
“Jeez Honoka, are you forming a harem or something?” Another voice sounded from the doorway.   
  
“Nico-chan, be nice!” Hanayo exclaimed as she entered the room with Nico. “We came to see her, remember? No teasing.”  
  
“Yeah, yeah.” Nico mumbled as she stepped into the room. She crossed to Honoka’s bed and looked her over. “You doing okay? I heard what happened last night. If you need any of my blood or anything…”  
  
Honoka smiled and shook her head. “Thank you, Nico-chan. I’m fine, really.” She looked to Hanayo. “I’m glad you’re okay. I was worried…”  
  
“Oh.” Hanayo bit down hard on her cheek, feeling tears threaten. Honoka had lost her sister and she was still thinking about them. “I-I um…well it was pretty scary b-but Nico-chan was there. And she protected me.”  
  
“Don’t tell them that.” Nico winced before narrowing her eyes at Honoka. “Your childhood friend and her group are around by the way. Mari and her girlfriend kept me up last night with their arguing…”  
  
There was a beat of awkward silence before Hanayo cleared her throat and continued. “Rin-chan is still sleeping but she’ll be coming by soon, I thi-”  
  
She was cut off by a sudden gust of wind and shielded her face with her hands. When she lowered them she found Rin standing near Honoka’s bed, a grocery bag in her arms.   
  
“Honoka-chan, you’re awake! I um…I ran to the store and brought you something to eat.” Rin said brightly though it was clear she was anxious. “I got melon bread and senbei and-”  
  
“Rin, you’re meant to stay inside.” Eli said seriously, narrowing her eyes. “It’s dangerous.”   
  
Rin fixed Eli with a blank stare before she turned back to Honoka. “If you need me to get anything else I will. I want to help as much as I can!”  
  
“Thank you, Rin-chan.” Honoka said softly. She didn’t especially feel like eating but it was a sweet gesture.   
  
“Hey, I was going to make her something!” Nico exclaimed irritably. “Did you even pay for any of this stuff?” She narrowed her eyes as Rin looked away. “RIN!”  
  
Rin looked affronted. “Well I don’t have any money and I just wanted to help!”  
  
Honoka couldn’t help but smile at the two of them. They were only trying to help, in their own way.   
  
A knock at the door removed any possibility of the argument continuing and Honoka looked over. Nozomi was standing there, a concerned look on her face.   
  
“Is this a bad time?” She asked, glancing between the group. It had been a while since she’d seen them all in one place. “I can come back later…”  
  
“No, it’s fine.” Honoka said with a shake of her head. “Y-You can come in if you want to. Everyone else is here anyway.”  
  
Nozomi smiled softly and entered the room. She crossed it toward Honoka, stopping next to her. “I’m glad you’re okay.” She gently brushed her hand against the top of Honoka’s head. “You really had me worried last night.”  
  
“Sorry.” Honoka muttered bashfully. She hadn’t meant to worry everyone. “I didn’t mean to scare you.”  
  
“I’m not mad. Just don’t do it again.” Nozomi said with a shake of her head. She gently pulled Honoka into a hug then, wrapping her arms around her. “And…I’m really sorry. About what you’re going through.”  
  
Honoka froze, her eyes widening at the warmth of the embrace. She could feel the sincerity in Nozomi’s words. “I just want it to stop.” She said, her voice muffled by Nozomi’s chest. “I just want her back…”  
  
Nozomi gently shushed Honoka as the girl started crying again, heartbroken sobs that sent a stab of sympathy through her chest. She hated seeing her friends in pain.   
  
“Please, Nozomi. Please make it stop!”  
  
Kotori gritted her teeth together and grabbed Maki’s hand, holding it tightly.   
  
Rin turned away quickly, tears blurring her vision. It wasn’t fair and she wanted nothing more than to hunt down the people responsible for Yukiho’s death. She clenched her hands into fists, trembling with anger.   
  
Hanayo turned into Nico and hugged her tightly, the tears she’d been successful in holding back finally falling.   
  
“I wish I could.” Nozomi said softly, her own vision blurred with tears. She leaned down, kissing the top of Honoka’s head and held her closer.   
  
“Maybe everyone should come back later.” Umi said, glancing between the others. They all looked pained, besides Nico, though that was to be expected because of her ability. “S-She just needs some time, I think.”  
  
Rin ran from the room, clearly unable to take watching Honoka fall apart in front of her. Nico and Hanayo were the next to leave while Maki and Kotori stayed where they were. Umi looked to them expectantly.   
  
“Me?!” Kotori asked, hurt by the suggestion. “She’s my best friend!”  
  
“Kotori…” Umi sighed. She glanced at Honoka and Nozomi before looking back to Kotori. “I know. And I’m sorry but she needs space. If she needs you she knows where you are but right now you can’t help her.”  
  
Kotori took a faltering step back. “Umi-chan…”  
  
“I know what you mean.” Maki glared at Umi. “But you shouldn’t have said it like that. It’s not like you can either, is it?” She gently guided Kotori from the room, not before shooting Umi another dark look.   
  
“You leave too.”  
  
“What?!” Umi turned to Honoka wide-eyed. Her girlfriend had pulled away from Nozomi just a bit to look at her. “Me? But I want to stay with you…”  
  
“Umi-chan needs to sleep anyway.” Honoka sniffled and wiped her nose with her sleeve. “Eli-senpai will go with you. I-I want to speak to Nozomi-chan for a while. Please. I need t-to speak to her in private.”  
  
“No. No way. I’m not leaving you after last time.” Eli shook her head firmly. “I’m staying here with you. A-And if you don’t agree to that I’m sitting outside of the room and waiting until you’re done. Then I’ll come back.”  
  
“Well me too.” Umi said quickly. “I’ll wait with you. I’m not going anywhere either!”  
  
Honoka managed a teary smile at that. “Fine. But you have to promise you won’t try to listen in. It’s…personal.”  
  
“We promise.” Eli said quietly as Umi stood from the bed. She shot Nozomi a pleading look before she left the room with Umi.   
  
Honoka waited until the door closed behind Eli and Umi before she turned to Nozomi. “Can you help me stop feeling?”  
  
“Stop feeling?” Nozomi sat down on the edge of the bed, her brow furrowed in confusion. “What do you mean? You can’t just stop feeling. You’re…a feeling kind of person. And I’m not that advanced. I-I don’t think I could…”  
  
“But you might be able to?” Honoka asked hopefully. “Please, Nozomi. I can’t do this. I need to stop feeling like…like this!”  
  
Nozomi grimaced. “Honoka-chan, I don’t want you to be miserable. You wouldn’t be able to feel love either. What about how you feel about Umi-chan…and Elichi?”  
  
“It’s…not important.” Honoka said shakily, looking down at her lap. “They’d be better off without me so I thought I would m-maybe…tell them to leave me.”  
  
“They wouldn’t. Not feeling the way they do about you.” Nozomi took Honoka’s hand in her own. “Breaking up with them or pushing them away isn’t the answer. They want to be here for you. Honoka-chan, listen to me. Don’t become her. Don’t become your future self. I know it hurts but Umi-chan and Elichi want to help you. Let them.”  
  
“I don’t deserve it.” Honoka whispered venomously, her free hand clenching into a fist. “Yukiho is dead. Because of me. My mom and dad are dead because of me. In the future you all DIE BECAUSE OF ME! I don’t deserve anything from any of you. If you don’t want to help me just leave. Please. And tell Umi-chan and Eli-senpai, I’m…I need some time alone.”  
  
“Honoka…” Nozomi trailed off helplessly as Honoka drew her hand away and lay down on her side, turned away from her. “I’m here for you when you need me. But I won’t turn you into a robot. I can’t.”  
  
Honoka didn’t reply and Nozomi reluctantly took that as her cue to leave the room. Eli and Umi were sitting on the floor outside but they sprung to their feet at the sight of them.   
  
“I suppose I’d be wasting my time if I told her that she says she doesn’t want to see anyone?” Nozomi asked dryly. She moved to the side when Eli started forward toward the door.  
  
“Wait!” Umi grasped Eli’s shirt, pulling her to a stop. “If she wants to be alone we should respect her wishes, right? We should give her some time.”  
  
“Like hell.” Eli growled, struggling away from Umi’s tight grip. “I’m not leaving her alone!”  
  
Umi opened her mouth to object but she was cut off by Nozomi. “I don’t think you should. I really don’t think she should be left alone right now. So…Umi-chan, please go back in while I speak to Elichi?”  
  
Umi looked torn between respecting Honoka’s request and doing as Nozomi asked. Finally she sighed and slipped back into the room, closing the door behind her.   
  
“Elichi…” Nozomi’s hands trembled at her sides. “You need to watch her. Don’t let her out of your sight. Promise me.”  
  
“Huh? But you just…”   
  
“Elichi!” Nozomi stepped close to Eli and grasped her arms, giving her a light shake. “Promise me! Do you have any idea how close we are to losing her? How close you and Umi are…?”  
  
“I promise.” Eli said softly, surprised by the dampening of Nozomi’s eyes. “Of course I won’t leave her. I-I’m…”  
  
“I know.” Nozomi wrapped Eli in a tight hug. She gritted her teeth together, her chest aching with the combined feeling of Honoka’s emotions and her own. “I know.”  
  
She broke away from Eli after that and hurried off down the hallway, back to her own room which she was sharing with Future Honoka. She found Honoka in bed, facing away from her and quickly slipped in behind her.   
  
She silently wrapped her arms around the young woman and pressed her lips to her back, over her tattoo. Honoka gasped softly at the touch.   
  
“Nozomi?”  
  
“I-I’m sorry.” Nozomi whispered, pulling away.   
  
Honoka sighed heavily. “It’s fine, just be careful.” She pulled the blankets tighter around herself and tensed for just a second as curious fingers brushed against her back.   
  
“It’s invisible. I thought it would be visible…”  
  
“You know?” Honoka turned over, her eyes wide with surprise.   
  
“I was in your mind.” Nozomi said sheepishly. “I saw…some things when I was in there.”  
  
“Ah. I guess I should have…expected that.” Honoka said, turning back onto her other side. “Just don’t…” She hissed as Nozomi pressed her lips to her back once more. “Do that. Damn it…”  
  
“I never would have thought it would be a weak spot.” Nozomi chuckled to herself, kissing the patch of skin again. This time it earned her a guttural groan. “It’s kind of…hot.”  
  
Honoka moaned, feeling Nozomi’s teeth scrape against her back. “Damn it.” She muttered, feeling Nozomi reach for her bare chest. “I already had one of you use that to get a-an advantage…”  
  
“Hmm?” Nozomi brushed her palm back and forth against Honoka’s breast. She leaned up on her elbow, catching a glimpse of Honoka’s face. She was blushing, that much was clear. “I would never take advantage.”  
  
“T-Too bad…” Honoka stuttered, trying to ignore what Nozomi was doing. Thankfully she stopped a moment later. Honoka felt herself being pushed onto her back and watched as Nozomi moved on top of her. “Hey…”  
  
“I’m not doing anything.” Nozomi pulled the blankets over the two of them and leaned down, resting her head on Honoka’s shoulder. “I just want to be close to you. Is that so bad?”  
  
“I guess not.” Honoka wrapped her arms around Nozomi’s back and closed her eyes, breathing in deeply. She caught a hint of Nozomi’s scent and smiled softly. She vaguely felt Nozomi’s hand wandering, curious fingers tracing over the scars on her chest and stomach.   
  
“Did they hurt?”   
  
“Some of them.” Honoka answered in a whisper, not bothering to open her eyes. There was no need for her to. She trusted Nozomi to do whatever she wanted. “The big one you’re touching now hurt the most. Umi-chan gave me that one. I thought it might kill me but…it didn’t.”  
  
“Oh.” Nozomi looked at the scar closely, her brow slightly furrowed. After a moment she closed the space between herself and Honoka and kissed the scar softly.   
  
“Are you going to kiss all of them?” Honoka murmured, her hand moving to the back of Nozomi’s head. Fingers slid into soft hair. “Not that I mind…”  
  
“Maybe eventually.” Nozomi looked up at Honoka, her stare serious. “Hey…you know I would never hurt you, don’t you? I know I’ve slapped you a-and I’m sorry for that but I would never do this. I’m just saying, in case you’re worried about getting close in case I…”  
  
“Shut up.” Honoka interrupted, drawing Nozomi closer. “It’s too late for that now…” She pressed her lips insistently to those of the girl’s above her, feeling Nozomi respond to the kiss without hesitation.   
  
Nozomi pulled back suddenly, feeling a bit too hot and pulled her shirt over her head, tossing it to the floor. “Better.” She muttered, kissing Honoka again.   
  
Future Honoka groaned at the feeling of Nozomi’s breasts pressed against her. If only she could get rid of that damned bra. She reached for the clasp but Nozomi nudged her hands away, laughing softly.   
  
“Like I’d give in that easily.” Nozomi smirked. She leaned in and gently pecked Honoka’s lips one more time. “Let’s just get some more sleep, okay? I just want to lay here with you.”  
  
“Okay.” Honoka placed her hands on Nozomi’s back, figuring it was relatively innocent. “Let’s sleep then.”  
  
“Mmhm.” Nozomi lay her head on Honoka’s chest and settled down, basking in the warmth of the girl beneath her.   
  
Honoka brushed her fingers lightly up and down Nozomi’s back, focusing on the feeling of warm skin beneath her fingertips. A few minutes passed and Nozomi’s breathing quickly evened out as she dozed off. Honoka shifted after a few minutes but froze as the girl she was holding seemed to stir. “It’s okay, go back to sleep.”  
  
“Hmm.” Nozomi hummed tiredly. “I love you.”  
  
Honoka froze, her hand stilling on Nozomi’s back as the words sunk in. She gritted her teeth together, feeling her eyes sting at the corners. She couldn’t help but turn her head and press her lips gently to the top of Nozomi’s head.   
  
“I love you too.” She murmured, almost inaudibly.   
  
Thankfully it seemed that Nozomi had fallen asleep again.   
  
—-  
  
Nico sighed as she took another swig from the bottle of whisky she was holding. It had been the strongest drink she could find in the Minami household yet even that wasn’t working. Sitting opposite her on the bed, Hanayo was cradling her third cup of wine. Her cheeks were flushed red and every now and then she would hiccup adorably, almost bringing a smile to Nico’s face. Not quite though.   
  
“You’re drunk.” Nico accused suddenly, lowering the bottle back to her side. There was no point in drinking it. It tasted bad and it wasn’t working to get her drunk anyway.   
  
Hanayo rolled her eyes. “Am not!” She exclaimed loudly, almost spilling her drink in the process.   
  
“Kayo-chin…” Rin started in concern, taking a step forward. Until that point she had been pacing next to the window, stubbornly refusing to drink anything Nico offered her. “You’re going to make yourself sick.” She perched on the edge of the bed and rubbed Hanayo’s back, casting a glare at Nico. “Why aren’t you drunk, nya?”  
  
“Ability. I can’t get drunk.” Nico answered simply, shaking her head. “None of this crap works.”  
  
“Well maybe you shouldn’t drag Kayo-chin into it, nya!”  
  
“It’s okay.” Hanayo’s head fell to Rin’s shoulder and she heaved a heavy sigh. “I-I don’t mind.”  
  
“I’m going to get you some water. And some medicine, nya.” Rin got up from the bed and hurriedly left the room.   
  
“I think you might be right…” Hanayo cast her empty cup aside and crawled over to Nico. She straddled the girl’s lap and rested her head on her shoulder. “I might be drunk…”  
  
“Hanayo?”  
  
Hanayo lifted her head and reached up to touch Nico’s face with gentle fingers.  
  
Nico shuddered, able to feel the touch of Hanayo’s hand on her skin but nothing beyond that. She didn’t feel any kind of anticipation or attraction like anyone else might. She found herself wondering if she would feel like if she took her pills but figured she couldn’t feel anything like that for anyone but Maki. Typically.   
  
“Hanayo, what are you doing?” Nico asked softly as Hanayo continued to gently run her fingers over her skin.   
  
“Just making you feel.” Hanayo said darkly, a smirk playing at her lips.   
  
Nico stared at Hanayo in surprise. She hadn’t expected an answer like that. She’d expected the tone Hanayo had used even less. It was dark and husky, a tone she hadn’t known Hanayo could even use. She inhaled sharply as she felt Hanayo’s fingers on her arms and looked down to see that the girl had phased her hands through her shirt and was now moving them up and down. She was intentionally slow, like she was trying to draw the feeling out as much as possible.   
  
“H-Hanayo…” Nico stuttered, her face warming. Hanayo smirked at her and Nico found herself wondering when she’d ever felt so overly hot.   
  
“Kayo-chin, I got your water, nya!”  
  
Hanayo slid off of Nico and lay down beside her instead, resting her head in her lap. Rin barged in a moment later, a glass of water in one hand and what looked to be pills in the other. The smile that had lingered on her face slipped at the sight of them.   
  
“What are you doing?”  
  
“Heck if I know. She just lay there.” Nico answered quickly, taking another drink from the bottle in her hand. She made a face at the taste.   
  
“Nothing Rin-chan. I’m just resting my aching head, that’s all.” Hanayo smiled softly at Rin. “It’s nothing.”  
  
Rin nodded and moved to perch on the bed. “Take these. You’ll feel better.”   
  
Hanayo sat up and took the pills without question, washing them down with some water. “Thank you.”   
  
Rin took the glass of water that was handed back to her and watched as Hanayo lay back down, closing her eyes. She pouted at the fact that her best friend was using Nico’s lap as a pillow rather than her own.   
  
Nico gasped softly as Hanayo squeezed her thigh. The sound earned her a suspicious look from Rin and she quickly pasted a smile to her face.   
  
“Maybe Nico-chan is drunk.” Rin remarked. “You’re not scowling like usual…”  
  
That certainly put a scowl on Nico’s face.  
  
“Don’t be angry.” Hanayo said, her words slightly slurred. “You too, Rin-chan…”  
  
Nico felt the warmth from her lap disappear and watched as Hanayo went to Rin, huddling against her instead. Rin’s arms went around her best friend like she didn’t even have to think about it, her gaze still fixed solely to Nico.   
  
“Why are you trying to get drunk anyway?” Rin asked accusingly, mindlessly rubbing Hanayo’s back. “What’s the point?”  
  
“I guess I was just feeling stressed.” Nico answered with a shrug of her shoulders. “And this seemed like the best way to deal with it. It’s not like I can do what everyone else around here does…”  
  
“Hmm?” Rin tilted her head in confusion.   
  
Nico heaved a sigh. Rin was just too innocent sometimes, at least when it came to romance. “Nothing. Nevermind.” She caught Hanayo smirking at her and quickly looked away, her cheeks red. Drunk Hanayo was unsettling.   
  
“Nico-chan is blushing…” Rin observed thoughtfully.   
  
“I’m not, it’s just hot in here!”  
  
“You can feel the heat?” Rin asked, raising an eyebrow. She was wondering if the heat counted as physical pain or not.   
  
“A bit. I guess the alcohol might be working.” Nico lied, still not looking at the two of them. Hanayo’s behavior was just confusing her.  
  
Rin seemed to accept that, resting her cheek against the top of Hanayo’s head. “Has anyone spoken to Honoka-chan after this morning…?”  
  
She felt Hanayo shake her head and saw Nico do the same.   
  
“Oh.” She mumbled, briefly biting her lip. “Do you think she’s going to be okay?”  
  
“No.” Nico answered bluntly. “Of course she won’t be. It’s only going to get worse after the funeral. We’ll be lucky if she…”  
  
“Nico-chan.” Hanayo interrupted. Her eyes were still a bit glassy as she looked at Nico but the look on her face was serious.   
  
“She just needs time.” Nico conceded reluctantly, noticing the devastated look on Rin’s face. “All we can do is be there if she needs us, I guess. She lost her family so…”  
  
“We’re her family too!” Rin exclaimed loudly. “Don’t make it sound like she doesn’t have anyone. Everybody in Muse loves Honoka-chan, I…” She paused as her voice cracked with emotion. “R-Rin is hungry and will be in the kitchen, nya!”  
  
“Wait…” Nico trailed off as Rin used her ability to rush from the room, the door slamming behind her. “Damn it.”  
  
“You should be gentler with Rin-chan.” Hanayo remarked as she crawled back over to Nico. She slipped under the covers. “Come to bed with me, Nico-chan…”  
  
Nico tensed at the request. It was becoming more and more apparent that Hanayo was unpredictable when she was drunk. She sighed and slipped under the blankets anyway, turning away from Hanayo so the girl could slide up and embrace her from behind.   
  
“Just for a bit. Until Rin comes back.” Nico warned as she stared at the far wall, trying to ignore how warm Hanayo was behind her. “She might get jealous.”  
  
“She isn’t coming back.” Hanayo mumbled in response, her hold on Nico tightening. “Rin-chan only runs when she wants to be alone. She’s hurting for Honoka-chan. She told me…”  
  
Nico bit the inside of her cheek, feeling Hanayo’s lips brush against her neck. It was startling, how vividly she felt it. She shouldn’t be able to. Or at least she should just feel a whisper of a touch. “S-Stop that!”  
  
“Stop what?”  
  
“THAT!” Nico clutched the bottle she still held in her hand to her chest. “You’re acting…I don’t know, smooth. I prefer when you’re shy and nervous. This is weird.”  
  
“Must be from drinking…” Hanayo shrugged in response.   
  
“Well we’re never doing this again.” Nico muttered, casting the bottle away. It rolled off the bed, hitting the floor with a thud but thankfully the bottle didn’t smash. “Look just go to sleep, okay?”  
  
“Why?”  
  
Nico flinched as she felt teeth scrape against her neck.   
  
“Hanayo!” She turned over quickly, catching an unfamiliar glint in Hanayo’s eyes. “Would you just cut it out? This is…you’re making me feel weird.”  
  
Hanayo giggled at that. “But I want to help you feel…”  
  
“Well if you don’t stop I’ll…” Nico thought about that for a moment, wondering what she could say that would get through to the girl. “If you don’t stop I really will kiss you.”  
  
Hanayo looked shocked for the briefest of moments. “I-I don’t care if you do.”  
  
“What?!” Nico had been positive that would work but apparently it hadn’t.   
  
“It’s just a kiss isn’t it?” Hanayo asked confidently. “Wait…don’t tell me Nico-chan has never had a first kiss?”  
  
“I was…saving it.” Nico answered honestly, her gaze dipping to the space between them. “I’ve only wanted to kiss one person. I still do.”  
  
Hanayo’s mischievous stare softened and she reached up, gently rubbing Nico’s arm. “Let’s go to sleep.”  
  
Nico sighed in relief as Hanayo pressed close to her, innocently this time. “I’m never letting you drink again…”  
  
—  
  
“This place is really nice. I feel kind of bad about imposing though.”  
  
Chika stopped writing as she heard You’s voice and looked up to see her walking out of the adjoined bathroom. She was still towel drying her hair and hadn’t bothered to put her shirt back on. She was wearing sweats though, that hung low on her hips.   
  
For a moment Chika was distracted by the display of You’s abs but she quickly shook it off. Sometimes she felt like being friends with both Kanan and You was enough to give her a complex. She focused on a scrape that stretched around to You’s back instead. It was raw and painful looking. “You-chan, stop being careless. You’re always so careless!”  
  
“Huh?” You paused in drying her hair, baffled by the sudden irritation from her friend. “Do I need to remind you of our childhood? You were always the careless one.”  
  
“I-I just think you should cover up is all!” Chika huffed, looking back at what she was writing. She had crossed several lines out and it didn’t feel like she was making any progress at all. “Especially when you’re hurt.”  
  
“I was hot, geez. I’ll put a shirt on though.” You tossed the towel she’d been using to dry her hair onto the bed and looked Chika over for a moment. “Is something wrong, Chika-chan? You seem upset…”  
  
“I want to see her…”  
  
You pulled on a shirt and walked over to Chika. “Chika-chan…”  
  
“I know!” Chika’s grip on the pen in her hand tightened. “I just need to see her, to make sure she’s okay. I-I mean I know she’s not going to be but I want her to know I-I’m here for her.”  
  
You sighed and lightly touched Chika’s shoulder. She was taken aback when Chika turned and wrapped her arms around her waist, burying her face in her stomach.   
  
“I couldn’t even do anything. I couldn’t even save Yukiho-chan with all of these abilities.” Chika whimpered into You’s shirt. “Some hero, huh?”  
  
You pulled away and leaned down to pick Chika up. It was effortless given her ability but she had to be careful not to hold her too tightly. “Do you want me to stay the night?”  
  
Chika nodded against You’s shoulder as she let the girl carry her to her bed. “Please. I don’t want to be alone.”  
  
You set Chika down and then lay down next to her, carefully taking her best friend back into her arms.   
  
“I didn’t get to see her all day.” Chika said quietly, her chest tight. “I didn’t know what to say to her so I was writing down what I should say but I-I can’t think.”  
  
“Just tell her you’re there for her. That should be enough.” You answered, soothingly rubbing Chika’s back.   
  
Chika pressed her face into You’s chest and inhaled deeply. “You smell like home…”  
  
You smiled at the remark even as her heart tighten in her chest. Chika would never mean it the way she wanted her to but that didn’t matter. All that mattered was that they were together. “I’m glad you’re okay.” She confessed softly. “I…Riko-chan and I were so scared when the building collapsed and you hadn’t come out yet.”  
  
Chika was silent for a moment before she pulled away. “I’m okay.” She whispered, reaching up to gently remove You’s glasses from her face. “You-chan looks so different with glasses.”  
  
“Hmm?” You hummed, taking the glasses and placing them on the bedside table before wrapping her arms around Chika again. “Bad different?”  
  
“Of course not. You’d never look bad.” Chika answered with a gentle smile. “Just different. I like it.”  
  
You was silent for a moment before she spoke. “Chika-chan, I’m…so glad you’re here.”  
  
“Huh?”  
  
“I-I don’t ever want to think about what would happen if I lost you.”   
  
“Eeeh?” Chika yelped as she found herself pushed gently onto her back. Suddenly You was hovering over her but she couldn’t see her face due to her head being bowed.   
  
“I was so worried…”  
  
Chika’s eyes widened as she felt tears fall onto her face. “You-chan…” She paused as You lifted her head, revealing tears in her bright blue eyes.  She instinctively reached up with her hands and cupped You’s face, wiping falling tears with her thumbs. “Don’t cry, You-chan…”  
  
You sniffled as Chika drew her closer. “I can’t help it.”  
  
“I’m here.” Chika leaned up, pressing her forehead lightly to You’s. “I’ve got you.”  
  
“Chika-chan…” You clenched the front of Chika’s shirt in both fists. “Please.”  
  
“You-chan is so strong and cool.” Chika murmured quietly. “But has such a big heart. I love you, You-chan. You’ll always be my best friend.”  
  
“I love you.” You countered, squeezing her eyes shut in an attempt to stop crying. “I love you so much.”  
  
“Enough for me to…” Chika leaned up and lightly brushed her lips against You’s before kissing her properly. It was fleeting but she hadn’t meant for it to be anything more. Seeing You’s closed eyes and parted lips though she couldn’t help but go in for another kiss, this one deeper. She slid her fingers into You’s hair and drew her close, allowing her tongue to sweep across You’s lower lip.   
  
You whimpered and parted her lips, long enough to allow Chika entrance into her mouth. The kiss was over all too soon for her liking though as Chika pulled back after a brief moment.   
  
“So do you…really love me, You-chan?”  
  
“I’ve loved you forever.” You answered, barely able to comprehend the fact that Chika had kissed her back. Seeing Chika nervously bite her lip, her stomach sank. “I-I don’t expect anything. I know you love Riko-chan so I’m…I’m okay with it, really.”  
  
“I love You-chan.”  
  
“Huh?” You asked in surprise. “But she’s your dream girl!”  
  
“She’s not You-chan.” Chika tilted her head, confused by You’s explanation. “She’s not the person I want to kiss and touch. You are.”  
  
“T-Touch?” You’s face reddened at the insinuation.   
  
“Yeah.” Chika slid her hand under You’s shirt, allowing her fingers to wander over firm abs. “Touch. Just you.”  
  
“Does that mean…” You allowed her gaze to trail over Chika, landing on her generously sized chest. “I-I’m sorry!”  
  
“Huh?”  
  
“I-I was just wondering if that means it would…be okay for me to touch you too.” You blushes as soon as the words left her mouth. “Ah, forget I said anything!”  
  
Chika chuckled as You rolled onto her back, throwing her arm over her eyes. “Of course you can, You-chan. You don’t have to be so embarrassed about it. If you want to touch me you can.”  
  
“But I don’t know how.” You peeked out from under her arm, catching Chika grinning at her.   
  
“Sure you do.” Chika pointed out fondly. “You must have…you know, touched yourself.”  
  
“NO!”  
  
Chika chuckled. “You’re so innocent You-chan…”  
  
You’s face burned with embarrassment as she considered the suggestion lacing Chika’s words, her imagination running wild. “Shut up, Chika-chan! I’ll show you, when we do it it’s going to be perfect!”  
  
“Not now then…?”  
  
“S-Shut up!”  
  
Chika laughed at You’s flustered response and threw her arms around her friend, kissing her sweetly. “I’m only teasing. You’re so cute though.”  
  
You huffed in response. “Geez…”  
  
Chika sighed blissfully and settled down, huddling into You’s side. “Do you think I should go and see her tomorrow?”  
  
“If you want to.” You kissed Chika’s cheek. “I can go with you if you want me to. I don’t know her very well but I can be there for you at least.”  
  
“Thank you, You-chan.” Chika slid her hand under You’s shirt, fingers splaying over the girl’s stomach. “I do need someone beside me. And I was hoping it would be you…”  
  
“Of course.” You whispered, shuddering at the feeling of Chika’s cool fingers. “I’ll be there with you.”  
  
Chika didn’t say anything in response. She shifted onto her side, facing away from You and felt her best friend move closer, wrapping her arms around her from behind. Cocooned in You’s warmth it took her only minutes to fall asleep.   
  
—  
  
“You wanted to speak to me?” Maki asked after stepping into her Yume’s office. She hadn’t been sleeping much lately, tending to spend the nights lying awake and thinking so whenever she had a moment of peace she tended to drift off. She felt much more content with Kotori watching over her.   
  
Rei looked up and forced a smile. “Yes.” She answered, gesturing to the chair in front of her desk. She watched as Maki took a seat. “I don’t have good news, I’m afraid. It’s about Honoka.”  
  
“Honoka?” Maki’s heart leapt to her throat. Kotori had seemed fine when she had told Maki that her mom wanted to speak to her so nothing could have happened to Honoka. Unless nobody knew yet. “What’s wrong with her?!”  
  
“Well it’s not her. It’s her sister. It’s about the funeral…” Rei paused for a moment, aware that it was a sensitive topic amongst all of the girls. They were close to Honoka so they’d all been hurt by Yukiho’s death. “It needs to happen tomorrow or the day after. They’re on the run so she can’t have a real funeral but we can’t keep her body for too long to prepare either.”  
  
“And you want me to tell her…” Maki frowned. “Mama, why can’t you?”  
  
“Because I’m busy.” Rei ran a hand tiredly through her hair. “I’m trying to figure out how to help the girls from the shizuku prefecture so I don’t have time. I know it’s a lot to ask but I…”  
  
“No, it’s fine.” Maki stood from her seat, her irritation silent but noticeable in her eyes and the way she held herself. “I’ll figure it out. I’ll tell you when it’s done.”  
  
“Thank you, Maki.”  
  
Maki nodded stiffly before she turned and walked toward the door, her eyes prickling with tears. It wasn’t fair. Honoka wouldn’t even be able to say goodbye properly. She went to the infirmary and knocked on the door without thought. Umi opened it but Maki was more focused on the teary girl sitting up in the bed. She was in Eli’s arm, the blonde gently dabbing at Honoka’s wet cheeks with a tissue.   
  
“Eli, can I speak to you?” Maki asked quietly. She couldn’t do it herself. She couldn’t tell Honoka something like that. “Please?”  
  
“Uh…sure.” Eli stood from the bed and Umi walked over to take her place next to Honoka. Eli slipped out of the room, closing the door behind her.  “So what is it? I don’t want to be away for too long…”  
  
“My mom says we need to hurry and have Yukiho’s funeral in the next two days.” Maki forced herself to explain, her hands clenched into fists. “It can’t be official so we’ll have to do it…ourselves. She wanted me to tell Honoka but it’ll be easier if it comes from you.”  
  
Eli gritted her teeth together. “In that case you can go and tell your mother that I’ll tell Honoka myself. And she’s an insensitive…” She caught herself before she could say anything else. “Just tell her to stay the hell away from me.”  
  
“This isn’t Mama’s fault, she’s just busy. She didn’t want any of this.” Maki defended weakly. She was a bit annoyed at her mother too if she was honest.   
  
“And yet she couldn’t be bothered to come and tell Honoka herself! She could have spared five minutes!” Eli scowled. “Look, just leave it. I have to talk to Honoka.”  
  
“Eli, we’re all in danger. Don’t accuse her of something that’s not her fault. She’s just…”  
  
“SHUT UP!” Eli yelled, effectively silencing Maki. She watched Maki flinch and softened just a little bit. “Maki, I’m sorry.” She reached out but Maki stepped back in response. “I’m sorry. But I have to go and tell my girlfriend that we have to bury her sister in two days and we can’t even have a real ceremony. I have to go and make her hurt more than she’s already hurting. How would you feel if you had to do that to Kotori?!”  
  
Maki’s lower lip trembled at the sight of flames licking at Eli’s hands and she turned, rushing off down the hallway, the room she was sharing with Kotori her goal.   
  
“Damn it!” Eli took a moment to collect herself, taking a couple of deep breaths before she opened the door to the bedroom and let herself in. Umi was still in the position Eli had previously occupied though she moved to give the space back as soon as she spotted her. She was stopped by Eli shaking her head.   
  
Honoka noticed the grim expression on Eli’s face. “Eli.” She wiped at her eyes and watched as pained blue eyes focused on her. “Just tell me.”  
  
Eli perched on the edge of the bed. “Rei-san says that…” Her voice cracked and she shuffled forward, gently cupping Honoka’s cheek in her hand. She could feel the girl trembling beneath her hands, terrified of any bad news. “She says you…we need to have Yukiho’s funeral as soon as possible. Because you’re both on the run. And it can’t be official, w-we need to do it ourselves.”  
  
“Oh.” Honoka was silent for a moment, her expression unreadable before her eyes flooded with tears. “I-I can’t do it…”  
  
“I know.” Eli gently wiped a falling tear with her thumb. “We’ll be there for you every step of the way. And don’t worry, even if it’s rushed I’ll make it as traditional and deserving as possible. Please, just leave all of the planning to me. I’m sure Nozomi will help too.”  
  
Honoka grabbed Eli’s hand and pulled her closer, sinking forward into her arms. “Thank you.” She said tearfully, clutching at the back of Eli’s shirt. “I love you. I love you and Umi-chan so much it scares me. I don’t deserve either of you.”  
  
“You do.” Eli whispered while Umi silently kissed the side of Honoka’s head. She met Umi’s eyes as they focused on her and the two shared a look. As soon as Honoka fell asleep they would need to discuss what they were going to do.   
  
TBC


	34. Chapter 34

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Second part of today's double chapter post!
> 
> Warning(s): Swearing, violence, sexual scenes, angst.

Nico looked up from making breakfast when she heard footsteps behind her. She watched as Hanayo shuffled into the room in her pyjamas, blearily rubbing her eyes.   
  
“You hungry?” She asked as Hanayo sank into a seat at the table.   
  
Hanayo groaned at the thought. “Can I have some water, please?”  
  
“Sure.” Nico left what she was doing for a moment and went to the fridge, grabbing a bottle of water. She uncapped it and handed it to Hanayo. “Um…do you remember what happened last night?”  
  
Hanayo took a long drink, clearly thirsty. “Not really.” She answered, lowering the bottle. “It’s hazy. Why? Did I do something? All I remember is waking up in your room this morning but I planned to sleep there anyway so…” She rubbed her aching head, disgruntled.   
  
“Nothing happened!”  
  
“Huh? Nothing?” Hanayo tilted her head suspiciously. “But…”

She was interrupted by Nozomi walking into the room, wearing a vaguely familiar jacket. 

Nico’s eyes widened at the sight of it. “You’ve got me to be fucking kiddi…” She trailed off, shaking her head. “Actually, I can easily picture you seducing an older woman.”  
  
Nozomi shot Nico a look. “It’s not like that.”  
  
“Oh? Then why are you wearing her precious jacket?” Nico smirked, relieved to take her mind off her own problems for a moment.  
  
“Because she said I could wear it.” Nozomi said with a roll of her eyes. “It doesn’t mean anything, Nicocchi.”  
  
Nico scoffed in response while Hanayo groaned and buried her head in her arms. “She loves that jacket and you know it. If she doesn’t have a thing for you why would she even give you it?”  
  
“It’s nothing. I was just cold, that’s all.” Nozomi said with a blush. “Just drop it, okay?”  
  
“Oh? Are you blushing?” Nico sniggered.   
  
“Nico-chan, please just shut up.” Hanayo groaned, clutching at her head.   
  
Nozomi frowned as she looked over at Hanayo. She walked toward her, placing a hand lightly on her shoulder. “Hanayo-chan?” She looked to Nico in confusion. “Is she okay, Nicocchi?”  
  
“Uh…yeah.” Nico answered awkwardly. “Just hungover.”  
  
Nozomi paused for a moment as the words sank in. “You let her DRINK?!”  
  
“Nozomi-chan…” Hanayo whimpered, quietening when Nozomi gently brushed her hand over her head.   
  
Nico shrugged her shoulders. “She wanted to. I didn’t force her into anything.”  
  
“She’s fifteen, she’s a minor!” Nozomi said firmly though she did her utmost to keep her voice down for Hanayo’s sake. “What the hell were you thinking?!”  
  
“Like I said, I didn’t force her into anything. She can do what she wants.”  
  
“What…? It doesn’t matter!” Nozomi argued irritably. “Just because it doesn’t affect you that doesn’t mean you can give it to her. I told you, she’s a minor.”  
  
“I don’t care.”   
  
“Geez, what did you do this time Nico?”  
  
Future Honoka walked into the room, wearing a tanktop and sweats.   
  
Nozomi looked away, blushing when Honoka’s gaze focused on her. “It’s nothing.” She said softly before she went to make tea.   
  
Honoka cast a look at Nico before she followed Nozomi. “I thought you were going to wait for me?” She asked, her tone almost disappointed.   
  
“Sorry, I…” Nozomi gasped as she felt Honoka’s arms go around her waist from behind. “I didn’t know how long you were going to be.”  
  
Future Honoka sighed and rested her chin on Nozomi’s shoulder. “It’s fine. Hey, any chance you’re making that for me?”  
  
Nozomi forced a smile, well aware that Honoka wasn’t feeling as upbeat as she was making herself out to. “If you want me to.”  
  
“Like hell there’s nothing going on.” Nico muttered as she watched the two of them. “Nobody is that affectionate with someone they don’t like.”  
  
Hanayo lifted her head in interest, her brow furrowing as she watched the interaction. “Nozomi-chan is really mature.” She whispered back to Nico. “Maybe they’re dating now?”  
  
Nico opened her mouth to make a scathing retort but she was interrupted by Kotori and Maki walking into the room.   
  
“Morning…” Kotori yawned, causing Future Honoka to hurriedly pull away from Nozomi.   
  
“Good morning.” Honoka replied quietly, not noticing the slightly wounded look on Nozomi’s face. She did however notice Maki glaring at her. She pointedly ignored it.   
  
Kotori offered Future Honoka a small smile before her gaze shifted to Nozomi. She frowned when she noticed the jacket she was wearing. “That’s…” She trailed off, looking to Future Honoka. “But…”  
  
Maki took Kotori’s hand and gently tugged her over to the table. When Kotori opened her mouth to say something she shook her head. “I understand. I’m not upset, I’m just…I know that you still love her. And I understand. But you can’t blame me for wanting to keep you close.”  
  
“I’m sorry.” Kotori took Maki’s hand under the table, giving it a small squeeze. “I wouldn’t do anything. I’m not going after her but…”  
  
Maki nodded somberly. “I understand. As long as I get to have you, I can be okay with it.” She glanced to the kitchen, finding Honoka’s gaze still fixed longingly on Kotori. She was sure she’d worn the same look at times so she understood. For Honoka she was sure it was worse. Much worse.  
  
She continued to watch Honoka watching Kotori until Nico walked into the kitchen and pretended to bump into Nozomi, sending her stumbling toward Honoka.   
  
“You’re all so goddamn annoying.” Nico scowled as Honoka quickly caught Nozomi. She glanced at Maki who flashed her a grateful smile.   
  
“Um…is something wrong with Hanayo-chan?” Kotori asked, pointing toward the younger girl. “She’s sleeping on her plate…”  
  
“Don’t ask.” Nozomi said with a roll of her eyes.   
  
Before Kotori or Maki had time to question what was wrong another voice piped up.   
  
“I’ve told you, you can’t just keep distracting me with…that! We need to actually talk.” Kanan was saying as she made her way into the kitchen with a frown, Mari at her side. “You left me! You left me for months!”  
  
Nico waited for the inevitable English or Italian from the strange blonde girl but it didn’t come. Mari merely sighed and made her way to the table.   
  
“Kanan, you know I had a reason. Let’s just talk about it later, with Dia.”  
  
“Fine.” Kanan grumbled in annoyance. “But I’m not speaking to you until then.”  
  
As Mari lay her head on the table and Riko wandered in with a muttered greeting, Kotori vaguely wondered when so many people had moved into her house. “It’s a good thing most people are sharing rooms…”  
  
She heard Maki giggle next to her and looked over at her with a small smile. She was just thinking about kissing her when Chika and You walked into the room, hand in hand.   
  
“Good morning, Chika-chan!” She exclaimed, sitting up slightly straighter. She couldn’t put into words how grateful she was for Chika’s advice. “You-chan.”  
  
“Kotori-chan.” Chika greeted with a smile as she tugged You to the table. “Maki-chan.”  
  
Nico sighed and did a quick headcount. “Okay, who wants breakfast?”  
  
Everyone besides Nozomi, Hanayo and Honoka raised their hands.   
  
“I’ll help.” Maki kissed Kotori quickly before she went into the kitchen to help Nico, leaving the dazed second year behind.   
  
Chika smirked and leaned forward slightly. “So is it nice to kiss her officially?”  
  
“Yeah.” Kotori smiled, still staring at Maki’s back. “She’s a really good kisser. I just can’t get enough of her.”  
  
“Okay, is everyone in here dating?!” Nico exploded irritably. She couldn’t have felt more like a third wheel.   
  
Riko raised her hand. “I’m not dating anyone.”  
  
“Eh?!” Nico exclaimed. “I thought for sure you were in a relationship with those two.” She pointed to Chika and You, causing the latter to choke on the glass of water she was drinking.   
  
Riko blushed, staring at Chika. “No! W-We’re just friends!”  
  
Chika frowned though she didn’t seem as embarrassed as Riko and You. “Why does everyone always think that…?”  
  
“Well you did kind of chase her to be your friend.” Kanan pointed out.   
  
“Well yeah but…”  
  
“Um…is this a bad time?” Eli’s voice sounded from the doorway, drawing everyone’s attention toward her.   
  
Nico was about to make a sarcastic comment but the look on Eli’s face stopped her. “What is it?”  
  
“I need to tell you something.” Eli took a deep breath and glared at Maki who had hesitantly walked back into the room. The redhead ducked behind Kotori who then glared at Eli in response. Maki had mentioned that Eli had yelled at her the previous night but she hadn’t said why.   
  
Eli cleared her throat. “Apparently because Honoka and Yukiho were on the run we need to…” Eli clenched her teeth, barely able to force the words out. “We need to hurry up and have the funeral. And it can’t be official. Rei says we need to do it ourselves because she’s too busy.”  
  
Maki shuddered at the venom in Eli’s voice.   
  
“My mother says she’s been working on a counter cure against the one CORPS has. The one Nico-chan gave her before that poison girl attacked us…” Kotori stated warily as she continued to glare at Eli. “My mom and Takeshi-san are both working on ways to dismantle all of CORPS’ facilities. It’s not just Rei-san who’s busy.”

“We’re all in danger.” Mari chimed in, lifting her head from her hands."She’s right. There are thousands of facilities across the eastern hemisphere and if they keep it up it will reach the west. And who knows what might happen to ability users…”  
  
“Mari…” Kanan started, surprised by the tremor in Mari’s voice.   
  
“SHUT UP!” Eli’s fists went up in flames without warning and everyone fell silent. “Damn it, I’m trying to say something!” She took a deep breath to calm herself, trying to ignore the ache in her chest.   
  
“You don’t want to point that at me, Ayase.” Mari stood from her seat, her expression cold. “You don’t want to cross me.”  
  
“Eli…” Nico warned, stepping forward quickly. “Seriously, don’t.”  
  
“Do you want to fight me?” Mari asked, clearly amused by the idea. “Go ahead and try it. You’ll have about as much luck as you had trying to get the girl out…”  
  
“SHUT YOUR MOUTH!” Eli stormed forward and grabbed Mari by the shirt, not bothering to extinguish her flames. “Don’t fucking talk about her!”  
  
“Mari!” Kanan waved her hand and used her ability to send the water from Hanayo and You’s glasses toward Eli’s hands, extinguishing her flames. “Mari, don’t…”  
  
Mari smirked and glanced at Honoka, motioning with her hand.   
  
“What the…?” Honoka yelped as she found herself walking forward toward Eli. Her fist raised and her eyes widened. “No, no, no…” She couldn’t control herself and as Eli turned to look at her she delivered a swift punch to her jaw, sending her sprawling to the floor. “Shit! Eli, I’m…”   
  
“And now…” Mari flicked her fingers and Honoka unwittingly kicked Eli in the stomach.   
  
“ELICHI!” Nozomi hurried forward and tried to restrain Honoka only to receive an elbow to the ribs for her effort. She doubled over, gasping for air.   
  
“Nozomi!” Honoka cried out desperately. “Get back, I can’t control it!”  
  
Maki focused on Mari, trying to force herself into her head but she couldn’t. “I can’t do anything. Her mind is stronger than mine…”  
  
“Mari, stop it!” Kanan forced herself between Honoka and Mari, grasping the girl’s arms. “Stop it. I’m sorry. I know you’re not a monster, just snap out of it! Mari, please…” She felt the girl she was holding relax and then Mari blinked, her eyes slowly focusing.   
  
“Oh…” Mari looked down at Eli and then to Honoka. “Not again, not again…”  
  
“It’s okay.” Kanan took Mari’s hand, squeezing it tightly. “You’re okay.”  
  
Eli pushed herself to her feet and found herself seized immediately in a tight embrace. “What…?”  
  
“I’m sorry. I’m so sorry.” Future Honoka apologized. “I didn’t mean to.”  
  
“I know. It’s fine.” Eli gently pushed Honoka away and turned toward Mari and Kanan. “I need to speak to my friends. Can everyone who’s not in Muse get out? Except Chika.”  
  
“You-chan has to stay!” Chika exclaimed quickly, reaching for You. “Please.”   
  
“Fine.” Eli huffed. “Everybody else get the hell out.”  
  
Riko and the Aquors’ girls made their way out of the kitchen and Eli breathed a sigh of relief.   
  
“What is it you want to say?” Kotori asked curtly, feeling Maki press close to her back.   
  
“I told Honoka I would deal with the funeral preparations.” Eli answered quietly, clutching at her side. “It has to be tomorrow so I was hoping the rest of you would help me with it, I guess. I mean I know it’s not going to be something we like doing but it’s for Honoka. We all love her in some way.”  
  
“I-I want to help.” Maki piped up daringly though she was still sticking close to Kotori. “I can…I can prepare Yukiho.”  
  
“I can help with clothes and flowers.” Kotori chimed in, gripping Maki’s hand tighter at her side.   
  
“I want to help too!” Hanayo said in agreement, her headache forgotten about for the moment. “I don’t know what I could do but I’ll help in any way I can. And Rin-chan will too. I know she will.”  
  
“I can do the ceremony.” Nozomi said, still slightly breathless from the elbow to her gut. “I can do the blessings. Since I’m a shrine maiden.”  
  
Honoka noticed Nozomi’s discomfort and gently drew the third year into her arms, kissing the top of her head. “I’m sorry.” She murmured.   
  
Eli managed a weak smile as she watched the two of them. It made her happy to know that Nozomi wasn’t alone at least.   
  
Nico on the other hand, rolled her eyes. “I’ll do whatever you need me to if it helps Honoka. Our Honoka, not hers.” She pointed at Nozomi who narrowed her eyes.   
  
“Nicocchi.” Nozomi growled irritably.   
  
Eli laughed, surprising even herself with the sound. She felt somewhat guilty though. It had been so long since she’d seen Honoka even smile without having to fake it. “I suppose other than that she just needs us all to be there for her. So if everyone could come that would be…helpful.”  
  
“You don’t have to tell us that.” Nozomi said quietly. “Of course we’ll be there.”  
  
“We will too.” Chika added nervously. “Riko-chan will come with us. Riko-chan is one of the kindest people I know. She won’t cause any problems.”  
  
“We should do something after.” Nico suggested. “We should all stay with her. I can get some booze with Kotori’s help. I found a secret stash in the cellar when I was exploring.”  
  
Eli nodded absently, relieved that everyone would be coming. She knew that Honoka would need the support of each and every one of them.   
  
—  
  
The day of the funeral was a miserable one in more ways than one. It was cloudy outside, a light rain drizzling down from the sky but it was hardly what Eli was paying attention to. She was transfixed on Honoka, trying to figure out what she was thinking. Dressed in completely black with her hair tied in a low ponytail and a sombre expression on her face Honoka didn’t look like herself. She looked too sad, maybe even sadder than she had over the past couple of days.   
  
Eli watched as Umi came out of the house too, dressed in a black button down shirt and a black skirt. Her hair was tied much like Honoka’s. It was peculiar, that they had all changed their hairstyle for the ceremony. She had chosen to leave hers down.   
  
Umi took Honoka’s hand, supportively lacing their fingers together and gave a gentle squeeze while Eli put her arm around the girl’s shoulder. Together, the three of them paced across the small yard to where Nozomi was standing, talking to Honoka’s future self.   
  
“You do look nice.” Future Honoka was saying quietly. “Like a goddess.”  
  
Nearby, Nico rolled her eyes.   
  
Eli looked Nozomi up and down, taking in her Shrine Maiden outfit. She was grateful that Nozomi was going all out to make the occasion as formal for Honoka as possible.               
  
“Where is everyone else?” She asked quietly. As soon as the words left her mouth she felt a hand close around her own. She glanced over and found Arisa standing there. She looked paler than usual and her cheeks were already tearstained but she was there regardless. Eli felt a swell of pride at her sister’s strength.   
  
“Is it time?” She asked shakily.   
  
“Almost.” Umi answered, looking past Honoka.   
  
“I-I wrote something to say during the service.” Arisa stuttered, holding up a rumpled piece of paper she’d been clutching. “Please. I really want her to hear it. Can I, Honoka-san?”  
  
Honoka’s gaze slid to Arisa and she stared at her silently, seemingly thinking about it.   
  
Arisa shifted uncomfortably, feeling like she was being scrutinized. She would understand if Honoka blamed her for Yukiho dying. It had been her fault. She’d dragged Yukiho into the building and Yukiho had died for her. She looked to Eli uncertainly. “O-Onee-chan?”  
  
“Alright.” Noticing the glimmer of tears in Arisa’s eyes, Honoka pulled away from Eli and Umi and leaned down to gently hug the young blonde instead. “You can take as long as you need. I think she’d want to hear you. You’re her best friend.”  
  
“Thank you…” Arisa hugged Honoka back as tightly as she could. “I’m sorry. I’m so sorry.”  
  
Eli turned away, covering her eyes with her hand as Arisa began to cry quietly. From the tremble in Honoka’s shoulders it was clear she was doing the same.   
  
Umi placed her hand on Eli’s shoulder, trying to comfort her. “She’s really a good kid.”  
  
Eli nodded, seemingly too choked up to speak. She took a deep breath and went to Honoka and Arisa, wrapping her arms around her girlfriend and sister.   
  
Umi looked at Future Honoka. “You seem quiet.”  
  
Future Honoka cast her a brief look. “Yukiho’s dead. There’s not much to say, is there?”  
  
Umi bit her lip guiltily as Nozomi hugged Honoka’s arm. Thankfully she was saved from having to say anything else by Honoka pulling away from Eli and Arisa.   
  
“I’m going to do it.” She announced meekly. “I’m going to help carry the…” She struggled to force the word ‘casket’ out. “Her.”  
  
“Are you sure?” Umi asked warily. It was something Honoka had changed her mind about multiple times. At first she’d been determined to then her resolve had weakened when she’d really considered it and then she’d changed her mind again. “You don’t have to. We’re all here to help.”  
  
“I need to. She’s my sister.” Honoka disagreed quietly, glancing toward Eli. “W-Will you…”  
  
“Yes.” Eli answered without hesitation. “I’ll help you. And Umi will too, right?”  
  
Umi nodded in response.   
  
“Can I come?” Arisa asked quietly, wiping her tears with the sleeve of the black cardigan she was wearing. “I’ll just walk behind you…”  
  
“Of course.” Honoka said softly. “Let’s go, okay?” She offered her hand to Arisa who took it after a moment of hesitation.   
  
Umi and Eli hung back for a moment, letting Future Honoka follow her past self before they followed her. Inside they found Rin and Maki waiting for them with the casket. Someone whimpered though Eli couldn’t tell whether it was Honoka or Arisa. Either way they gripped each other’s hands tighter.   
  
“We’re ready when you are.” Maki said quietly, her eyes focused worriedly on Honoka.   
  
Honoka’s eyes watered as she looked at her sister’s casket. It was hard to believe she was in there. “I’m ready.” She choked out, letting go of Arisa’s hand. She went to the front of the casket, noticing Future Honoka do the same on the other side of her. She couldn’t complain about it. Yukiho was her sister too. She saw Eli move behind her while Umi moved to the other side behind Future Honoka. Maki positioned herself behind Eli and Rin moved to the other side.   
  
After a count to three from Maki, they lifted the casket to their shoulders. It was startlingly light but Honoka wasn’t surprised. Yukiho had always been light. As they began to walk she couldn’t help but remember when they were younger. They had been closer then and it hadn’t been uncommon for Yukiho to cling to her, especially when she’d been unhappy about having to go to bed earlier than her older sister. She’d been light then too, even when Honoka was still at such a young age.   
  
They stepped outside and Honoka noticed that everyone was there. Kotori, Hanayo, Nico, Nozomi, Chika, You and Riko. Even Kanan and Mari were there, standing a bit further back. Yume and Takeshi were there too, standing side by side with their heads lowered.  
  
Honoka could feel Kotori’s sympathetic stare but she couldn’t look at her, aware she’d start crying if she did. As they stopped next to the hole in the ground, she felt Eli grip her shoulder.   
  
“Ready?”  
  
She wasn’t but she nodded anyway and followed suit as the others lowered the casket into the ground. It was difficult, having to do it by hand but they had little choice.   
  
Honoka stumbled back after but quickly felt Umi and Eli grab onto her, keeping her steady. She couldn’t listen as Nozomi started the ceremony. She was too busy staring at the casket in the ground. She felt sick as she thought of her sister being in there and as the seconds ticked by she found herself thinking things that didn’t make sense. Like Yukiho would get cold or what would happen if it rained. It wasn’t logical but she thought it anyway.   
  
She tried to find something to distract herself and looked to Arisa instead, finding her clinging tightly to Eli, her face buried in her sister’s chest. Honoka let go of Eli and leaned into Umi instead, feeling gentle arms go around her waist.   
  
“Arisa-chan?” Nozomi called softly, recapturing Honoka’s attention.   
  
Arisa pulled away from Eli and walked shakily forward until she was standing at Yukiho’s graveside. “Yukiho-chan…” She spoke clearly, her gaze fixed on the casket. “She was always the most logical one between us and our other friends. She was careful, responsible and cynical but she was caring too. She would always go along with whatever I asked her to do and…this time I chose wrong.” Her voice cracked and she cleared her throat quickly, her eyes blurring with tears. “All I want is for us to grow up together. If I could take it back, I would. I really would.”  
  
Honoka turned fully into Umi’s arms, shaking with silent tears.   
  
“Yukiho-chan is the bravest person I know.” Arisa continued tearfully, not even reading from her notes anymore. “She would always protect me. From bullies, agents, even herself. The first time she showed me her ability she was so scared I would be afraid of her until I showed her mine. We always did everything together. I-I thought Yukiho-chan was someone who was always going to be beside me. I…” Her voice cracked and she had to pause again. She looked toward Nozomi who was watching her with a kind expression. “I-I’m sorry.”  
  
“It’s okay.” Nozomi whispered encouragingly.   
  
“I don’t want to do this without her. I don’t want to live my life without her at my side. But she saved my life s-so I’m going to cherish that. Honoka-chan?” Arisa waited until Honoka lifted her head to look at her. “Yukiho-chan told me…before she died she asked me to tell you that she loves you. That even though you fight she wants to be just like you. She loved you so much, she was just too stubborn…”  
  
Honoka felt the last shred of strength she had snap at that and she crumbled to her knees, sobbing into Umi’s chest as her girlfriend joined her on the ground.   
  
“I love you, Yukiho-chan. You’ll always be my very best friend.” Arisa said, her voice thick with emotion. She bowed her head solemnly before she turned and rushed back into her sister’s arms.   
  
Nozomi wiped briefly at her eyes. “Does…anyone else have anything they want to say?” She looked to Umi, silently asking if Honoka did but Umi silently shook her head in response. Honoka had mentioned that she wouldn’t be able to.   
  
Nozomi glanced at Future Honoka next but the young woman was looking at the ground so she didn’t even notice. She was sure that Future Honoka wouldn’t feel comfortable saying anything anyway.   
  
“I do.” Honoka pushed herself to her feet, tears still sliding down her cheeks. Her knees were slightly muddy now, the black dress she was wearing doing nothing to hide that. “I want to say something.”  
  
“Honoka…” Eli started in concern. She couldn’t help but worry that Honoka was pushing herself far too much. Even for her it was too much. She watched as Honoka stepped forward to the graveside. “Yukiho…I don’t know what I’m going to do without her. She’s been there for as long as I can remember…” She trailed off, staring at the casket that held her beloved sister’s body. She felt like she wanted to crawl in there with her and give up. If she could just be with Yukiho again everything would be fine. She didn’t realize she was crying again until a choked sob escaped her. She felt a small hand close around her own and looked down to see Arisa standing there, her own face streaked with tears.   
  
“You can do it, Honoka-san.” Arisa whispered supportively, pressing herself into Honoka’s side. “Just talk to her.”  
  
Honoka squeezed Arisa’s hand and gave a shaky nod. “You were such a pain sometimes. You were bossy and too responsible and you were smug about that. But you helped me keep myself grounded. You believed in me and you made me believe in myself. You gave me hope and…you were the only person who made me feel like a normal person. I-I miss you so much. But I will see you again, I swear it.” She sniffled loudly and stepped a bit closer to the hole You had dug. “I love you, Yukiho. I always will.”  
  
—-  
  
It wasn’t easy to fit so many of them in one bedroom, Eli realized as she watched the others. Most of them were drunk or well on their way to being drunk. She had personally chosen not to drink, wanting to keep watch over Honoka.   
  
Nozomi was no longer there. She’d left earlier when Future Honoka had, briefly apologizing to Eli for having to leave so early. Eli understood in a way. If it had been her Honoka who was clearly so upset, she would want to be with her too. That was exactly what she was doing.   
  
Rin was passed out on the bed. She didn’t exactly have a high tolerance for alcohol. Neither did Hanayo who was snuggled up to Nico near Rin. The flustered third year was drinking as much as she could but she never managed to actually get drunk.   
  
Maki and Kotori weren’t drunk. They were both hovering around Honoka, trying to keep her spirits from sinking any further. Kotori’s arm was around Honoka’s shoulder, the drunk girl leaning into her side. Maki was sipping at the glass of wine in her hand, keeping a close eye on the two of them.   
  
Umi was nowhere in sight. On Eli’s request she had taken Arisa to her room. She hadn’t returned yet so Eli figured Umi must be staying until Arisa fell asleep. Her sister was quite fond of Umi, she knew, which was why she’d suggested Umi go with her.   
  
She watched as Honoka rested her head on Kotori’s shoulder and Kotori gently ran her fingers through Honoka’s hair. She was torn between feeling relieved for the both of them and feeling slightly jealous that it wasn’t her supporting Honoka. She supposed it was her own fault. She’s been leaning against the wall for a while now, watching from afar. Somehow she felt like Honoka needed to be surrounded by her friends as much as possible. Kotori and Maki seemed to be doing a good job of consoling her anyway.   
  
Honoka shifted, burying her face in Kotori’s neck and Eli realized for the first time that Maki was clutching Honoka’s hand. She managed a small smile at that. She was glad that Honoka had such strong support from the other members of Muse at least. She was going to need it.   
  
She shuddered, remembering Nozomi’s warning from the day before. She could see that Honoka was on some kind of downward spiral. That had only been confirmed by the way Nozomi had spoken and the look of fear in her eyes.   
  
Eli was startled from her thoughts when Honoka and Kotori appeared in front of her. Honoka lurched forward into her arms and Eli automatically caught her, fixing Kotori with a wide-eyed stare afterward.  
  
“She wanted you.” Kotori answered with a weak smile. “I’m going to head to bed with Maki-chan. But Honoka-chan is um…kind of drunk. And really upset. Will she be okay?”  
  
“Of course.” Eli gently rubbed Honoka’s back. She didn’t take offense to the question, aware that Kotori was only worried. They all were. “I’ll take care of her. Don’t worry about that. And Umi should be back in a few minutes.”  
  
“I’ll see you tomorrow, Honoka-chan.” Kotori said quietly. She hesitated for a moment before she took Maki’s hand and left the room with her.    
  
Glancing around, Eli decided it would be best to leave Nico with Hanayo and Rin. “Come on, Honoka.” She murmured to the girl in her arms. “Let’s go back to our room.”  
  
“Mmm. Carry me.” Honoka mumbled against Eli’s neck.   
  
Eli wouldn’t have protested even if she’d wanted to. Ignoring the slight ache in her ribs, she picked Honoka up bridal style and carried her out of the room and down the hallway to the room they shared. As carefully as she could, she placed Honoka on the bed and leaned back, intending to stand up. She didn’t get very far though, before Honoka’s hand went to the back of her neck and she pulled her back down, kissing her hard.   
  
She almost pulled away until she realized that Honoka most likely needed the distraction. Tentatively, she kissed back, easing herself further onto the bed. She was taken by surprise when Honoka pushed her down onto her back and crawled on top of her, her thighs on either side of her legs.   
  
Eli whimpered under her breath as Honoka deepened the kiss, pressing her tongue gently past her lips.   
  
Umi chose that moment to walk in and froze at the sight of the two of them. She’d seem them kiss before of course but what they were doing was more intimate. She quickly closed the door and stood there for a moment, uncertain as to what to do. Finally she stepped away from the door and climbed onto the bed with them.   
  
She gently brushed Honoka’s hair aside and gently pressed her lips to her girlfriend’s neck, drawing a soft moan from her. She carefully unzipped Honoka’s dress, following the zipper with gentle, open-mouth kisses to Honoka’s back.   
  
“Umi-chan…” Honoka gasped softly against Eli’s lips as Umi pushed her dress down, her hands moving around to her front to cup her breasts. “U-Umi-chan…” She leaned back unwittingly into Umi and felt soft lips kiss at her neck.   
  
She closed her eyes, distracted momentarily by the feeling of Eli’s fingers trailing up her thigh. “Eli-senpai…”  
  
Eli looked up, meeting Umi’s eyes and they shared a look of mutual understanding.   
  
Umi gently kissed the space behind Honoka’s ear, causing her to gasp. “I love you.” She murmured softly, wanting Honoka to know that. She was sure she did but she also knew of the self-hatred Honoka felt. “I love you so much. I love you because of your kindness and your willingness to keep fighting. Even now that my mother’s gone, I don’t feel like I have no family. You’re my family.”  
  
Eli cupped Honoka’s face in her hand and tenderly kissed her. “So do I.” She added in agreement. “You’re what keeps me from distancing myself. You and Nozomi helped me move forward. I-I look up to you more than you know…”  
  
Honoka’s lower lip trembled. “Eli-senpai, Umi-chan…” Her eyes filled with tears and she fell forward against Eli’s chest, sobbing loudly.  
  
Eli shuffled up the bed and lay down, drawing Honoka with her. The girl clung to her as though she were a lifeline, her sobs not pausing.   
  
Umi gently helped Honoka out of the dress that had wound up slipping down to her abdomen before she lay on her side next to her, embracing her from behind. She kissed her girlfriend’s trembling back between her shoulder blades and blinked against her own tears.   
  
“I-I do want to. I want to die. I know it’s selfish but I don’t want to be alone. I want Yukiho back.” Honoka spoke through sobs. “I want my mom and dad. I want to go h-home! It hurts so much, I-I can’t do this. Please. I-I just want Yukiho…”  
  
Umi heard another choked cry and looked up to find tears streaking their way down Eli’s cheeks. It was clear from Eli biting her lip that she was doing her very best not to break down but she was fighting a losing battle and soon enough she buried her face in Honoka’s shoulder, sobbing softly herself.   
  
Umi tried as hard as she could not to cry but even she couldn’t manage it. She reached her arms around Honoka and hugged them both, her hand gripping Eli’s shoulder hard. She was afraid she would lose both of them. She couldn’t do that. She knew she wouldn’t get through it.   
  
—-  
  
Nozomi stepped into the bedroom with Future Honoka and watched as the near frantic girl grabbed her bag from the corner of the room. “Senpai.” She said warily as Honoka began to pick up the clothes that were strewn around the room and shove them into the bag. “What are you doing?”  
  
“I’m doing more harm than good here.” Honoka answered gruffly without turning to look at Nozomi. “I have to g-”  
  
“Don’t!” Nozomi interrupted sharply. “Don’t say it. You can’t. You are doing good here. You’re…”  
  
“I got Yukiho killed!” Honoka exclaimed loudly, the corners of her eyes stinging with tears. “Even my future is better than this. At least Yukiho is alive even if she won’t talk to me. At least she has a life!”  
  
“It’s not your fault that she died. It’s not anyone’s fault!” Nozomi argued, taking a hurried step forward. She watched as Honoka tried to put on her backpack. Quickly she surged forward and tore it away from her, tossing it to the ground. “Stop it! I’m not going to let you leave. I’m not going to let you leave me, do you understand?!”  
  
“You can’t sto-”  
  
Nozomi moved forward and pushed Honoka onto the bed, pinning her hands at either side of her head. She held tight as Honoka tried to push her off. “I know you. I know you want to run but it’s not the answer. At times like this you need to be with the people who love you.”  
  
Honoka shook her head, tears spilling freely from her eyes.   
  
“You need to be with me.” Nozomi continued purposefully, her voice thick with emotion. “Why don’t you get it? I LOVE you!”  
  
“I’m only going to get you killed too.” Honoka sobbed quietly. “Everyone I care about dies. I can’t lose you too.”  
  
Nozomi gritted her teeth together. “It’s going to take more than that to scare me off. I’m staying with you, Senpai. I’ll always be with you. Until the end.”  
  
“Nozomi…” Honoka trailed off and leaned up instead, crashing her lips to Nozomi’s.   
  
Nozomi’s eyes widened in surprise, just briefly before she melted into the kiss. Her grip loosened on Honoka’s wrists and a moment later the young woman’s arms were wrapped around her shoulders, holding her close.   
  
Honoka knew it was risky, to do what she was doing but she couldn’t help it. Nozomi made her feel more loved than anyone else. She knew it would only hurt Nozomi in the end. She pulled away suddenly. “Nozomi.” She spoke quickly, her eyes wide. She was running purely on desperation. “Come with me.”  
  
“Hmm?” Nozomi tilted her head in confusion.   
  
“We can go, just you and me. We can get away from this and just live.” Honoka explained hurriedly. “All you have to do is say yes.”  
  
Nozomi smiled kindly and brushed a strand of hair from Honoka’s face. “You wouldn’t leave. You came here to protect our friends and that’s what you’re going to do. If you still want me to afterwards then we can think about it. I’ll be graduating soon.”  
  
Future Honoka sniffled but didn’t reply.   
  
“I can’t promise you a future right now. But I can promise a distraction.” Nozomi gently kissed Honoka’s lips before she drew herself up to her knees and crossed her arms in front of her stomach, gripping the hem of her shirt and dragging it up. She unclipped her bra, tossing it to the side too. “For real this time.”  
  
“I can touch you?” Honoka blinked rapidly against her tears. Her fingers twitched at the side at the fourth of drowning herself in Nozomi’s warmth, of losing herself in the girl in front of her. She licked her lips, looking Nozomi up and down. “You’re not a distraction. You’re a necessity to me. I want this. Do you want this? Me?”  
  
Nozomi nodded silently and Honoka leaned in to kiss her softly. She kissed her back, her hands lifting to Honoka’s shoulders to push off the jacket she was wearing. Her fingers hurriedly unbuttoned the black dress shirt Honoka was wearing and she tossed it aside, wanting to feel their bare skin pressed together. She suddenly found herself being flipped over and she gasped sharply as her back made contact with the cool side of the bed.   
  
Future Honoka smiled and reached back to unclip her own bra, casting it aside after. She looked down at Nozomi and it seemed like she was going to say something for a moment before she leaned down and kissed her, pulling the blankets over the two of them. 


	35. Chapter 35

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you guys enjoy the chapter. Again feel free to let me know if I'm uploading too fast! I know this is pretty long...

Nozomi woke the next morning, missing the feeling of arms around her. Without bothering to open her eyes she turned onto her other side and reached across the bed for Honoka, expecting her hand to come into contact with a warm body. Instead her palm hit the cool sheets. “Hmm?”  
  
“Don’t worry, I’m still here.”  
  
Nozomi felt a cool hand reach out and clutch her hand and smiled tiredly. “Good morning…” She opened her eyes and found Honoka sitting in a towel on the edge of the bed, towel drying her hair. “How long have you been awake?”  
  
“Not too long.” Future Honoka answered. She was about to say something else when Nozomi stretched and the blankets that had been covering her slid down her bare chest, just a little. “Are you okay with last night?”

“Yeah. Are you?” Nozomi blinked rapidly to wake herself up faster. She was relieved when Honoka nodded in response. “That’s good. I’m glad, I didn’t want things to be awkward between us now.”

  
“They’re not.” Honoka leaned over and kissed Nozomi softly. “Everything’s fine. We both know what last night was about so there’s nothing to worry about.”  
  
“I guess, I…” Nozomi was about to press further when the door flew open and Nico barged in.   
  
“Nozomi, can I hide out in…oh.” Nico quickly shut the door behind her as Nozomi scrambled to cover herself up. “So much for not dating, huh?”  
  
Honoka growled under her breath. “Did you have to barge into our room without knocking?!”  
  
“Well excuse me, I didn’t know you two were getting it on in here.” Nico said with a roll of her eyes as she walked over and sat herself down on the edge of the bed.   
  
“We would have been if you hadn’t barged in.” Honoka snapped irritably.   
  
“Senpai!” Nozomi grabbed the pillow next to her and tossed it at Honoka. Her face felt hot with embarrassment though she found it oddly endearing that Honoka was being so bold. “Stop it.”  
  
Honoka huffed but quietened down and Nico burst out laughing.   
  
“God, you’re so whipped!”  
  
Honoka growled under her breath and launched herself at Nico, knocking her off the bed.   
  
“Hey, you’re wet! Get the hell off of me!” Nico struggled to get Honoka off of her though thankfully Nozomi was there a moment later, hauling her off.   
  
Nico looked up, about to make a sarcastic quip when Honoka’s towel fell off. “Damn, those scars are badass. Maybe you really are lucky, Nozo-”  
  
“NICO, GET THE HELL OUT!”  
  
“Alright, alright.” Nico got back to her feet, brushing herself off. “I guess I’ll make breakfast or something. You two better be coming down in a few minutes though.”  
  
“We will.” Nozomi said quickly before Honoka could think to make a snappy retort. She watched as Nico left the room, closing the door after herself. She breathed a sigh of relief and looked to Future Honoka. “Maybe you should relax. She’s just teasing, you know that.”  
  
Honoka grumbled something under her breath as she put her towel back on.   
  
“Hey.” Nozomi reached out and grabbed Honoka’s towel, tugging her toward her. It inevitably came off again and Nozomi moved her hand to the back of Honoka’s head, drawing her into a deep kiss.   
  
Honoka couldn’t do anything but melt into it even as she was eased onto her back, Nozomi crawling over her. The girl’s skin was enticingly warm as it pressed against hers. “Mmm, Nozomi…” She gently pushed against Nozomi’s chest. “But Nico…”  
  
“Screw her.” Nozomi muttered breathlessly, nipping at Honoka’s lower lip. “Breakfast can wait. I just want you to myself for a while longer.”  
  
Honoka opened and closed her mouth but she couldn’t argue with that. She didn’t want to face anyone anyway. She nodded instead and Nozomi grinned as she kissed her again.   
  
—  
  
Nico cast an impatient look toward the doorway. Nozomi and Future Honoka still hadn’t made an appearance. Most of the others were already there besides them and a couple of others. Just as she was thinking about that the other two missing girls walked into the room.   
  
“Good morning.” Maki yawned tiredly as Kotori walked along, holding her hand. “Is there coffee?”  
  
Nico gritted her teeth together as she noticed the bite marks on Maki’s neck. “Looks like you two had an eventful night.”  
  
She nodded to the marks on Maki’s neck and Kotori blushed profusely.   
  
“Yeah, so what?” Maki asked sharply, her eyes narrowing at Nico. “What we do in our own time is nobody’s business.”  
  
Nico turned back to her cooking and stared at it intently, trying not to think about Maki’s admission. She’d expected a denial at least.  
  
“Spicy!” Mari exclaimed from the table where she sat with Kanan, Chika and Riko. “Did you enjoy it? Your first time is special if it’s with someone you love.”  
  
Kotori didn’t notice Mari’s look and Maki choked on her coffee.   
  
Nico sighed and turned back around, wanting to end the conversation. She was distracted for a moment by Hanayo walking into the kitchen but quickly refocused. “Honoka’s future self and Nozomi aren’t coming down. Neither are Honoka, Eli and Umi so I guess it’s just us. Unless your girlfriend’s coming down?” She stared at Chika who frowned.   
  
“Her name is You. And no, she’s busy so she won’t be coming down.” Chika answered, a bit of a sharp tone to her voice. It still irked her a little bit that Nico had rejected her help when she had tried to heal Maki.   
  
“What did you do to You, Chika?” Kanan piped up teasingly. “There must be a reason she won’t come down.”  
  
“It’s not like that!” Chika exclaimed in embarrassment. Her relationship with You hadn’t gone beyond kissing and neither of them were in a hurry to rush things.   
  
Nico gritted her teeth. “Can everyone just shut the hell up about what they did last night? I’m sick of hearing about your love lives!”  
  
Mari looked up. “If it makes you feel better me and Kanan didn’t do anything besides cuddle last night. Right, Kanan?” As if to prove her point she hugged Kanan from the side.   
  
—  
  
Eli woke to the feeling of being tangled in Honoka and Umi’s arms. Honoka’s arms were wrapped around her middle while Umi was holding Honoka from behind, her hand clutching the back of Eli’s shirt.   
  
“Hmm…” Eli sat up a bit only for both girl’s to tighten their hold on her. She smiled at the unconscious action and leaned down to briefly press her lips to Honoka’s. Pulling back, she brushed her fingers gently over Umi’s cheek.   
  
Umi turned into the touch but she didn’t show any sign of waking up.   
  
“I’m not going to lose either of you.” Eli whispered to herself as she watching Umi try to press herself closer to Honoka. It was sweet, the way they gravitated toward each other. And her, she reminded herself.   
  
She tried to sit up but again both Honoka and Umi held on tight, instinctively drawing her back to them.   
  
“Senpai….” Honoka whispered sleepily though she didn’t wake from her sleep.   
  
Eli smiled as Umi pressed closer to Honoka’s back. Carefully, she untangled herself from the two of them but not without waking Umi in the process.   
  
“Where are you going?” Umi mumbled, wiping at her eyes. “You’re not going out, are you?”  
  
Eli shook her head. “No, I’m not. I won’t be long, I promise.”  
  
Umi breathed a sigh of relief. If she was honest she didn’t want Eli or Honoka to leave her side. She wasn’t sure what either of them would do. Knowing Eli, she’d go out looking for revenge or something equally as foolhardy. “So where are you going?”  
  
Eli raised an eyebrow as she carefully stood up. “I’m just gonna check on everyone. Relax, I’ll be back before you know it.”  
  
Umi’s brow furrowed. “Please don’t do anything reckless. I need you to protect you and Honoka. I need you with me if I’m going to protect her.”  
  
Eli nodded hurriedly and reached down, placing her hand over Umi’s. “I’m with you.”  
  
Umi glanced up, blushing as she was met with a serious icy blue stare. “D-Don’t look at me like you’re saying someone r-r…”  
  
Eli grinned at Umi’s embarrassment. “I can’t help being a romantic.” She teasingly kissed Umi’s cheek then Honoka’s before she turned and left the room, leaving a spluttering Umi behind.   
  
Once out in the hallway she took a deep breath and started off down the corridor, intent on checking in on everyone else. Hearing a noise from the bathroom she paused before inching her way forward. The door was ajar and when she reached it she gently pushed to open it further.   
  
Nozomi was leaning back against the counter behind her, Future Honoka in front of her. Her eyes were closed as Honoka pressed light kisses to her lips, jaw and neck.   
  
“Senpai.” She giggled though she didn’t loosen her grip on Honoka’s waist. “I need to shower.”  
  
“I like showering.” Honoka mumbled, her voice low and seductive. “I could keep you company, hmm?”  
  
Nozomi bit her lip, her body tingling in excitement in wake of Honoka’s words. “You’ll just distract me. I love you but you’re like a…” She gasped softly as Honoka nipped at her neck. “A teenage boy sometimes.”  
  
“Maybe if you weren’t so hot it wouldn’t be a problem.” Honoka growled, pressing closer. She paused though at her own words. “That’s not the only reason I’m with you. You’re pretty and smart and you don’t take any of my crap. You challenge me and I love that about you. I love being with you.”  
  
Eli was about to back away when Nozomi opened her eyes. Her ex’s gaze briefly focused on Future Honoka before shifting to her. “Elichi, what are you doing here…?”  
  
Future Honoka stepped back guiltily and put some distance between herself and Nozomi.   
  
“It’s fine.” Eli said with a small smile. “I’m glad the two of you have each other. I-I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to interrupt. I just wanted to make sure you’re both okay. Especially you.” She nodded toward Future Honoka. “Can I do anything?”  
  
“No, I’m…I’m fine.” Honoka answered quietly, her stomach churning with guilt. She knew that Eli was meant to be with Nozomi in the future. It was the way it was meant to be. “I have Nozomi. I mean…if I need anyone.”  
  
Eli’s smile slipped just a little bit. It was hard for her to differentiate between her Honoka and this Honoka sometimes. “Oh, okay. If you think of anything just come and find me, okay?”  
  
As Eli turned to walk away Honoka felt herself panic. “Eli-sen…um, Eli.” She paused as Eli stopped and looked back at her. “Um…I guess I just wanted to thank you for trying to get Yukiho out. I can always depend on you. I know you tried your best.”  
  
Eli looked surprised for a moment before her features softened. She crossed the room back to Honoka and wrapped her arms around her, hugging her tightly for a long moment.   
  
Nozomi watched the two, her chest tight as she recalled what she’d seen when Maki had taken her into Future Honoka’s mind. She watched as Eli pulled away and flashed her a brief smile before she left the room without saying anything.   
  
“She’s in love with you, you know. You should see her with your past self.” Nozomi said softly as Honoka stared after Eli. “Did you never think…”  
  
“Nozomi.” Honoka’s voice was sharp for a moment. “Don’t, okay?” She stepped toward Nozomi and wrapped her arms around her waist, drawing her close. “I don’t know the answer to what you’re asking. My relationships in the future are a mess. Except with Kotori-chan. Can we just go back to what we were doing before? Like taking a shower together?”  
  
Nozomi thought about that for a moment before she grabbed Honoka’s shirt and pulled her toward her. She kissed her deeply as she stepped back, guiding them both to the shower.   
  
Eli, who had paused outside of the door, sighed under her breath and pulled it closed behind her before she made her way down the hallway.

—

It had been a while since Eli had left and Umi was starting to wonder where she was. She couldn’t help but worry that Eli was going to try to do something reckless, like going after CORPS by herself. They couldn’t act yet, not when they didn’t know what they were going to do.   
  
Eli was hellbent on revenge though and she partially blamed herself for Yukiho’s death so Umi knew the blonde wouldn’t be especially logical in her approach.   
  
Honoka whimpered as she reached across the bed, her hand coming into contact with cool sheets.   
  
“It’s okay.” Umi soothed gently, pressing closer to Honoka. She knew there was only so much she could do in the situation. “I’m here.”   
  
“Eli-senpai…” Honoka mumbled sleepily. She jolted upright, her eyes wide with panic. “W-Wait, where is she?! ELI!”  
  
“She’s…” Umi trailed off as Honoka pulled away from her and clambered off the bed. Noticing her girlfriend reach for her pants she quickly followed her, pulling her close again. “Honoka, she’s just checking on everyone. She’ll be back, I promise.”  
  
Honoka shook her head, her chest heaving with panic. “I-I need to see her. Now. She said she’d be here when I woke up…”  
  
“She’ll be back soon.” Umi said quietly, glancing toward the doorway. She hoped she was right. Even without looking at Honoka she could tell the girl was close to tears. “Just breathe.”  
  
Honoka shook her head. She could barely even catch her breath. She gripped Umi’s hand in front of her chest, hard. “I need Eli-senpai. What if she’s…she’s…”  
  
“She’s fine, just calm down.” Umi pressed her forehead to Honoka’s back. “She’s just checking on everyone, I told you.”  
  
“I need to find her.” Honoka struggled against Umi’s hold but her friend was a lot stronger than her and she couldn’t get free. “Something might have happened, Umi! Please, I need…”  
  
Eli chose that moment to walk through the door. Her face fell as soon as she saw Honoka. “Honoka?!”  
  
“E-Eli-senpaaaii.” Honoka struggled out of Umi’s arms and rushed toward Eli instead, throwing her arms around her. “Where were you?!”  
  
“I was just checking on everyone.” Eli said carefully, confused by Honoka’s state. She looked at Umi, silently asking what had happened while she was gone.  
  
“You shouldn’t have left her.” Umi said, a hint of irritation in her voice. “I told you not to leave her, damn it!”  
  
Eli was surprised by Umi’s cursing and realized the second year must have been quite shaken. “I’m sorry.” She said quietly, stroking Honoka’s hair. “I’m here, Honoka. I’m not going anywhere.”  
  
Honoka pressed her face into Eli’s shoulder. “I can’t…i-if you two leave me, I…” She choked on a sob and gripped Eli tighter. “I just want my mom and Yukiho…”  
  
Eli kissed the side of Honoka’s head. “It’s okay. We know. We’re not going anywhere. Neither of us.”  
  
Umi noticed Eli look at her pointedly and took the hint, crossing the room to them. She hugged Honoka from behind, effectively holding her between herself and Eli. “We’re right here. The three of us…” She hesitantly met Eli’s gaze. “We’re always going to be together. I promise.”  
  
After a few minutes Honoka began to calm down until her breathing was normal and there was barely any tenseness in her shoulders.   
  
—  
  
Maki watched Kotori out of the corner of her eye as she distractedly brushed her teeth. The older girl was standing near the shower, casually disrobing, letting the clothes pool at her feet. She seemed perfectly content with the idea that Maki was there but even now Maki couldn’t tear her eyes away.   
  
The movement of her hand stopped as Kotori unlatched her bra and allowed that to fall to the floor too. Maki smirked as she took in the few bite marks that littered Kotori’s ribs and hips.   
  
When Kotori glanced over at her Maki tried to school her features into a serious expression but she didn’t manage it.   
  
Kotori rolled her eyes. “Happy with yourself?”  
  
“A bit.” Maki confessed with a sheepish shrug. She paused to rinse her mouth. “At least I didn’t do it anywhere noticeable, huh?”  
  
Kotori grumbled something under her breath.   
  
“Hmm?” Maki smirked, turning around. “Unless you want me to do it somewhere noticeable?”  
  
Kotori blushed in response. “Just go back to brushing your teeth, Maki-chan.”  
  
“Fine, if that’s what you want.” Maki went back to what she’d been doing, placing her toothbrush back into the cup next to Kotori’s . She kept her eye on Kotori though as the girl finished stripping down and stepped under the shower. She was mulling over how she’d gotten so lucky when the door across the room opened and Future Honoka walked in, looking a little worse for wear.   
  
“Oh, sorry. I didn’t hear the shower.” Honoka apologized, coming to a stop. Reluctantly, her gaze was drawn to Kotori and she swallowed thickly, her eyes wide. “Uh…”  
  
“Hey!” Maki snapped irritably. “Eyes on me, future girl!”  
  
“Huh?” Future Honoka briefly looked at Maki. “What? It’s not like I haven’t seen her naked before.” Her gaze inevitably slid back to Kotori whose face was red. “I-I’m sorry, I’ll leave.”  
  
“It’s fine!” Kotori said hurriedly. “I-I mean it’s not fine but we’ve seen each other naked before. When we were kids, when…”  
  
“We were together.” Honoka interrupted softly.   
  
Maki groaned in exasperation, causing Honoka to look back at her. The young woman’s eyebrows furrowed when she noticed the marks on Maki’s neck. “Wha…?”  
  
“She likes to mark where people can see. Not my style.” Maki said, annoyed by the idea of Honoka looking at Kotori.   
  
Honoka glanced back at Kotori, her eyes widening when she caught sight of marks on her hips and thighs. “Oh…”  
  
Kotori quickly grabbed a towel to cover herself, easily noticing the crushed look on Honoka’s face. That look hadn’t changed from when she was young. “Honoka-chan…”  
  
Honoka forced a smile despite the ache in her chest. “It’s fine, you found someone else. I get it. I-I have too actually. Nozomi is…well I don’t know what we are but I guess we’re something to each other. She says she loves me. She’s the only one who really sees me, she’s…she’s perfect. But…”  
  
Maki sighed in irritation. She didn’t want to feel guilty for what she’d said but she did. And she knew Kotori would be annoyed with her later too. “I’ll give you two a minute. I’ll be in our room, Kotori.”  
  
“Okay.” Kotori almost wanted to follow Maki, noticing the look on her face but she stayed, noticing that Honoka was trembling, her fists clenched at her sides. She waited until Maki left the room before she spoke up. “What have you been doing? You look bruised. And sweaty.”  
  
“Sparring with Nico.” Honoka answered faintly as she heard the door shut behind Maki. “She goes all out.”  
  
Kotori nodded in response, relieved it hadn’t been anything else. “What are you thinking? You were going to say something before Maki-chan left.”  
  
Honoka shook her head and wrapped her arms around herself. “Just…it’s funny. You’d think I’d be happy, that I have it all. My past self has Umi and Eli-se…and Eli. The person I almost loved and the person I think I did love. And I have Nozomi now too so I’m not alone. But it’s not the same.”  
  
“Honoka-chan…”  
  
“A-And it’s not just about me! I should be happy. I mean do you know how messed up Maki-chan is in the future?! She doesn’t let any of us in, even Nico-chan. She pushes us away and she smokes like a chimney. Most of the time I don’t even know if she wants to be there, she didn’t even tell us she knew you! I’m glad she won’t end up like that but it’s so fucking hard seeing you with someone else.” Honoka’s fingers slipped into her hair and she gritted her teeth together. “I love you more than anyone. I just want to be with you. I know I’m a mess and I’m broken and I’m not your Honoka but…but my Kotori loves me. I don’t understand what I did to make you not feel the way you did.”  
  
“It’s not that…” Kotori stepped forward as Honoka bowed her head. She had caught the sheen of tears in her eyes. “Of course I love you. But I loved Maki too and I already made my decision. I’m sorry. Maybe it would have been different if Honoka-chan had chosen me but she chose Umi-chan. She loves her. And Eli-chan. Not me.”  
  
Honoka looked up, her eyes filled with tears that occasionally fell but she looked defiant and betrayed. “We were going to get married, did I tell you that?” She caught a flash of shock on Kotori’s face and instantly felt guilty but her own hurt was fuelling her. “We had promise rings…we were going to run away together.” She mindlessly rubbed the finger she had worn her ring on. “I bet Maki didn’t tell you that.”  
  
“Maki?” Kotori’s voice shook slightly. “She knew…?”  
  
Honoka nodded. “I thought this was some kind of fling, with Maki. Because you were waiting for me. But it’s not, is it?”  
  
“I’m sorry. I love her.”  
  
“More than me?” Honoka’s voice cracked despite her best efforts. “More than my past self?”  
  
“No!” Kotori exclaimed quickly. “E-Even if I didn’t love Honoka-chan in that way, I’d…I’d still love her the most. She’s my best friend. My family. But I’m with Maki-chan and if you know me as well as I think you do, you know I’d never leave the person I’ve chosen to be with.”  
  
“What have I done?” Honoka covered her face with her hands, a sharp sob passing her lips. “I’ve killed my sister, you’re in love with someone else, I broke Eli and Nozomi up a-and…it’s not meant to be like this. I just…I just want to go home. I-I want Kotori-chan and Eli-senpai…”  
  
Kotori could only gape at Honoka for a moment as the girl seemed to crumble, sobbing into her hands. “Honoka-chan, listen to me.” She moved forward, grasping Honoka’s hands and drew them away from her face. “You didn’t kill Yukiho, it was an accident. And Nozomi-chan and Eli-chan broke themselves up, it’s nobody’s fault. As for me…your past self chose someone else, Honoka-chan. You want me to be happy, don’t you?”  
  
Honoka sniffled softly. “More than anything.”  
  
“Okay.” Kotori smiled, her own eyes laced with tears. “Maki-chan makes me happy. She loves me. And you said that you have Nozomi-chan too, didn’t you? So you’re happy sometimes, right?”  
  
“I-I don’t know.” Honoka stuttered, her voice still clogged with emotion. “Nozomi’s my best friend. But…”  
  
Kotori shook her head. “We’re different people. I’m not your Kotori and she…well she’s not future Nozomi but she’s your Nozomi. Is that right?” She didn’t wait for an answer before she continued. “Tell the truth. Would you rather be here crying with me or with her?”  
  
“N-Nozomi.” Honoka whispered hoarsely. “I want Nozomi.”  
  
Kotori gave a sad smile. “Then go to her.”  
  
Honoka nodded faintly and turned, leaving the bathroom. She went to the bedroom she shared with Nozomi first but when she didn’t find her there she hurried down the stairs. Hearing voices from the kitchen she headed in that direction, passing Chika on the way.   
  
“Honoka-senpai, are you…okay…?”  
  
Honoka ignored her and kept walking until she found Nozomi in the kitchen. She walked over to her and took her hand, turning her around to hug her tightly.   
  
Nozomi’s eyes went wide with surprise. “Senpai?” She hesitantly wrapped her arms around the girl in question, noticing that she was shaking. “A-Are you okay?”  
  
Nico rolled her eyes at the two of them. It was like they were in some kind of J-drama. “Would you two hook up already?”  
  
Nozomi cast a warning look at Nico before she turned her attention back to Honoka. “Hey…”  
  
Honoka blinked back tears. “Can we go to our room? I just want to be alone with you for a while. I-I talked to Kotori-chan…”  
  
Nozomi didn’t say anything as she gently rubbed Honoka’s back. Obviously it hadn’t gone the way Honoka had wanted it to. “Yeah.” She finally whispered. “Let’s go.”  
  
—  
  
Kotori took a few more minutes to herself in the bathroom before she got dressed and made her way down the hallway to her room. She slipped into the room and breathed a sigh of relief when she found Maki sitting at the small desk, a laptop open in front of her.   
  
Kotori made her way over and leaned down, wrapping her arms around Maki from behind. She felt the redhead flinch then relax when she realized who was holding her. “Whose laptop is that?” Kotori asked faintly.   
  
“My mom’s. I um…borrowed it.” Maki answered sheepishly. “I just want to know what she’s doing. We should be doing something more. We should be going after them but we’re not. We’re just sitting around, acting like everything’s normal.”  
  
“Did you find anything?”  
  
Maki sighed. “No. She has really strong passwords and I can’t open the documents. She’s blocking me in her mind too.”  
  
Kotori was silent for a moment. “You didn’t tell me that I was engaged to Honoka in the future.”  
  
“It wasn’t my place to tell you. Honoka told me that in confidence, I didn’t want to betray that.” Maki answered softly, looking down at her hands on the keyboard. “I wanted to tell you. At least at first. Later on, I didn’t. I didn’t want to give you another reason to be with her. Are you mad?”  
  
“A little.” Kotori answered honestly. She felt Maki tense under her hands. “What you said to her earlier wasn’t fair. Seeing us together hurts her. I don’t want to flaunt our relationship in front of her to hurt her more.”  
  
“I know. I’m sorry.” Maki tucked her lower lip between her teeth. “But she was looking at you and it made me angry. I hate being so jealous, I really do. But I hate when things are taken from me. Especially you. I already lost you to Honoka and Umi when we were younger, I-I can’t do that again. I want to keep you with me. Is that so wrong? And she loves you enough to want to marry you, to take bullets for you…how can I compete with that?”  
  
Kotori frowned when teary eyes met her own. She’d always hated seeing Maki cry, ever since they were kids.   
  
 _“No!” Maki was clinging to Kotori’s shirt, tears streaming freely down the five year old’s face. “I want Koto-nee to stay!” She tugged anxiously at Kotori’s shirt. “Don’t go, don’t go! Mama, I want her to stay!”_

Kotori remembered that seeing Maki cry had made her cry too and so she had ended up staying. A few months later the visits ended.

“You’re going to end up with her and I hate it!” Maki stood up from her seat, running her hands through her hair. “I want you to be happy, but…I want it to be with me! She doesn’t…”  
  
“I chose you.” Kotori interrupted as tears spilled down Maki’s cheeks. “I told her I choose to be with you and that I love you. That I’m in love with you. You’re right…I love Honoka-chan but she chose Umi-chan. And Eli-chan, I think. I could never make her as happy as them but…I make you happy, right?”  
  
Maki nodded hurriedly.   
  
“And you make me happy.” Kotori said, her voice choked with emotion. “And you always put me first, no matter what. And I’m in love with you so, I-I want to be with you. I want to stay with you. If you still want me.”  
  
Maki barely managed to bite back a sob as she stepped forward and threw her arms around Kotori. “Please.” She said, quickly nodding her head. “I love you too. I love you so much.”  
—  
  
Honoka cast a glance back into the darkened room. She was relieved to find that Eli and Umi were still sleeping, both of them gravitating to the centre of the bed in her absence. She smiled faintly as Eli’s arms went around Umi, drawing her in closer. Her gaze lingered on them for a moment before she closed the door and crept down the hallway.   
  
She found Chika already waiting for her at the top of the stairs. “Are you ready to go?” She asked in a whisper.   
  
Chika nodded though she looked anxious. “M-Maybe we shouldn’t. Don’t you think it’s a bad idea?”  
  
“No.” Honoka said blankly, glancing down at the herself. Thankfully she had managed to find some old clothes so she was dressed all in black. She’d be less noticeable that way. She reached down, gripping the handle of the knife tucked into her belt. It was still there thankfully. “Copy my ability.”  
  
“Are you su-”  
  
“Just do it!” Honoka said harshly, causing Chika to flinch slightly.   
  
“F-Fine, do something with it.” Chika said carefully, not wanting to upset Honoka further. “So I can copy it.”  
  
Honoka grabbed Chika’s hand and used her ability to stop time around them. “Got it?”  
  
“Yeah.” Chika whispered worriedly. “I’ve got it.”  
  
“Let’s go then.” Honoka tightened her grip on Chika’s hand and focused intently on where she wanted to go. She felt the familiar tugging sensation of being pulled away and then it faded like it always did.   
  
“Where are we?” Chika whispered, looking around the dark room. It was small, she could tell that much.   
  
“In the estate.” Honoka said, her eyes glittering in the dark as she looked at Chika. “Sonoda’s estate. Can you believe Takashi-san and Yume-san knew Sonoda was still here and didn’t do anything about it? Even after everything CORPS have done.”  
  
Chika swallowed thickly. “I don’t know if this is a good idea.”  
  
“Why? Are you scared?” Honoka asked, raising an eyebrow. “You still have Nico’s ability so you can’t die. Why would you be scared?”  
  
“You can. You can still die.” Chika said meekly. “I don’t want anything to happen to you.”  
  
Honoka’s expression darkened. “I don’t care what happens to me. I can’t let them get away with what they did. Come on, let’s go. I want to get this over with.”  
  
Chika glanced anxiously between the door and Honoka. “But what about Eli-san and Umi-san? What would they do if you…”  
  
“We’re not talking about them. Let’s go.” Honoka pulled Chika from the room without giving her any more time to argue. “We have to hurry up and find Umi-chan’s mom. I’m not leaving until she’s dead.”  
  
“W-Why?” Chika stuttered as she allowed Honoka to drag her down the hallway.   
  
Honoka looked at Chika as if she’d just asked an especially stupid question. “Because she’s evil. She hurt Umi-chan and she’s the head of CORPS so it’s her fault Yukiho is…”  
  
When Honoka’s voice broke off Chika wisely decided to stay quiet.   
  
“I’m sick of CORPS taking everything away from me.” Honoka briefly wiped at her eyes. If it was up to her she would take every one of them down, even if it meant dying herself. She hardly cared about that now. “Do you still have Kotori-chan’s ability?”  
  
“Um…yeah.”  
  
“Use it.” Honoka ordered, gripping Chika’s hand tighter. She glanced at Chika, waiting until she used the ability to turn them both invisible. “Let’s hurry.”  
  
Chika swallowed thickly as Honoka led her up the stairs. She couldn’t help but worry that Honoka was leading them directly into harm’s way. Umi and Eli were going to kill her when they found out. Not to mention the other members of Muse.   
  
—  
  
Umi was startled awake by the door flying open and hitting the wall. In a flash she was up on her feet, the knife she kept tucked between the mattress and the bedframe in her hand. Behind her Eli had bolted upright but she was still bleary eyed.   
  
“Yume-san…” Umi relaxed slightly when she found Yume standing at the doorway. “W-What’s wrong? I’m…” She paused, looking back at the bed. “Where’s Honoka?”  
  
The anxious look on Yume’s face only panicked her further. “Where is she?!”  
  
“She’s gone. You have to stop her.” Yume said frantically, her eyes wide. “She doesn’t know who she’s going up against. There’s a reason that…woman is the head of CORPS.”  
  
Umi’s blood ran cold. “M-Mother?” She saw Yume’s hesitant nod and quickly scrambled to get dressed. Behind her she heard Eli get up to do the same. “Where is she?!”  
  
“Your mother’s estate.” Yume answered hurriedly as Eli and Umi threw some clothes on in a rush. “She’s hiding out in the open. She has a habit of it.”  
  
Umi tucked her knives into her belt while Eli slid on her fingerless gloves.   
  
“What happened?” Eli asked bluntly. “You had a dream?”  
  
Yume nodded. “Kasumi is going to destroy Honoka mentally. She’s going to damage everything within her mind. Chika-chan is with her too but she can’t do anything.”  
  
“No…” Umi muttered to herself. She couldn’t let that happen. She remembered how bad it had been when she’d lost her own memories. She couldn’t let that happen to Honoka. “I’m going to get her.”  
  
“Umi…” Eli cursed under her breath as Umi fled the room. Quickly she rushed after her, finding her running down the hallway. She stopped at one of the rooms and threw the door open.   
  
“Rin! Rin, wake up!” Umi exclaimed, startling the girl in question awake. “I need you to take me back to my old house. Honoka’s in trouble. My mom’s going to kill her if we don’t hurry!”  
  
“Honoka’s in trouble?” Rin’s eyes sprung fully open and she used her ability to quickly get changed. “Let’s go!”  
  
“Umi, wait!” Eli grabbed Umi’s wrist. “Rin can’t take both of us. I can’t let you go alone, I don’t want anything to happen to you. Let’s find a way to leave together. Please.”  
  
“We don’t have time for this, Eli. Find a way!” Umi wrenched her arm away from Eli and stepped toward Rin who turned, instructing her to get on her back. Umi didn’t hesitate to do as she was told and within a second the two were gone.   
  
Eli stepped back out into the hallway only to be met with a worried looking You.   
  
“What’s going on? I can’t find Chika-chan anywhere!”  
  
“She’s with Honoka.” Eli answered irritably, her hands clenched into fists. “They’re going after the damn head of CORPS. I’m…” She trailed off as another door opened and her father stepped out of Arisa’s room.   
  
“What’s going on, Eli?” Takashi asked in a hushed voice as he closed the door behind him. Arisa had been woken by nightmares again and he’d only just managed to get her to sleep again. “You look upset. Maybe you should stay with your sister tonight. It might help both of you. I just managed to get her off to sleep again. She was having nightmares…something about being scared about where Honoka is.”  
  
“Dad, I-I need you to take me to Sonoda. You’re the only one who can get me there fast enough. Honoka is…she’s going after her. Yume-san says Sonoda’s going to destroy Honoka mentally. Maybe even kill her.” Eli stepped forward and pleadingly clutched her father’s shirt. “Please! Please, I can’t lose her.”

  
“No. There’s no way I’m taking you there. That woman is evil, Eli. I can’t put you in danger.” Takashi argued with a shake of his head. “I’ll go inst-”  
  
“No, please!” Eli exclaimed loudly, her eyes stinging with tears. “I love her! You would do the same if it was Rei-san!”  
  
Takashi opened his mouth to argue but Eli made a good point. “I’m staying with you the whole time. And you can’t do anything stupid, understand?”  
  
Eli nodded quickly. “Yes. I won’t.”  
  
“Wait, I’m going too!” You said quickly, not wanting them to leave without her. “Can you take me too, Ayase-san? My…friend is with Honoka-chan too.”  
  
Takashi gritted his teeth. He really didn’t want to take more kids into danger but he understood her need to go. “Same rules. Stay by my side the whole time, okay?”  
  
As the girls quickly agreed and walked over to him he couldn’t help but wonder what he’d gotten himself into. 


	36. Chapter 36

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you guys enjoy this chapter. Thanks so much for the comments etc.

Yume wasn’t at all comfortable with the idea of Eli, Umi, Rin and You going off to find Honoka. The knowledge that Takashi was going too did little to comfort her.   
  
Needing to know what was going on, she hastened to Kotori’s room where she knew Maki would be. If she could have some kind of communication with them it would be better than nothing at all.   
  
In a hurry she rushed into the bedroom without knocking and instantly wished she hadn’t. Maki was straddling Kotori’s waist, her hands sliding up Kotori’s stomach to her breasts, which were fully bared because she wasn’t wearing a shirt. Or a bra. Their lips were locked heatedly, Kotori’s hands underneath Maki’s shirt. Yume yelped and covered her eyes with her hands.   
  
“MOM!” Kotori exclaimed from the bed as Maki bolted off of her .   
  
The redhead fell off the bed and Yume hesitantly uncovered her eyes.. “I didn’t even see this coming…” She watched as Maki got to her feet, bowing in apology.   
  
“I’m sorry, Minami-san!” Maki exclaimed apologetically, her face a furious red. 

Yume crossed her arms in front of her chest. “I’ll let you off the hook this time, Nishikino. For a favor.”  
  
“Y-Yeah, anything!” Maki said hurriedly. “Anything you need, sensei!”  
  
“Create a telepathic connection to Takashi-kun and Umi-chan.” Yume instructed. “Right now I believe Eli-san would be far too unstable for you to get through to. Those two have the strongest level heads.”  
  
“I can do that.” Maki said with a slight frown. It was an odd request. “But if you don’t mind me asking…why?”  
  
Yume took a deep breath. “Honoka has gone after Sonoda. She intends to kill her.”  
  
Maki gaped at Yume in shock. Kotori on the other hand, took the information in within seconds and jumped out of bed to put a shirt on, flickering in and out of invisibility.  
  
“Y-You have got to be…that fucking idiot!” Maki finally spluttered, barely able to comprehend Honoka’s idiocy.   
  
“ _Maki-chan_!” Kotori exclaimed as she hurriedly pulled on her shirt. She didn’t wait for any response from Maki before she turned to her mother. “We have to go and help her!”  
  
“No. No, you’re not going anywhere.” Yume said without hesitation.   
  
“What? Why?!” Kotori asked loudly.   
  
“Because there’s already four girls out there. And Takashi.” Yume said irritably. She couldn’t believe everything had gotten out of control so fast. “I can’t afford for anyone else to put themselves in danger. Especially you.”  
  
Kotori took a step back at the annoyance in her mother’s voice. It wasn’t often that Yume even  _got_  angry.   
  
“Your mom is right, Koto-nee.” Maki noticed Yume twitch out of the corner of her eye. “I-I mean Kotori. Um…we should stay here and do what we can.”  
  
“Maki-san, can you please refrain from calling my daughter that? You’re not a child anymore.” Yume snapped in annoyance. “I’m going to have to tell your mother about this unfortunately.”  
  
“WHAT?!” Maki cried only to shrink back at the glare Yume shot her. “Uh…I mean y-yes, Sensei. S-Sorry!”  
  
Yume huffed out a sigh. “Would you please just come with me so we can open a communication link to the others? We don’t have time for this right now.”  
  
“Y-Yes Ma’am. Of course. After you.” Maki offered what she hoped was a reassuring smile though she was sure it hadn’t worked when Yume scoffed before leaving the room.   
  
She was about to follow when Kotori stepped in front of her and kissed her, her arms going around her waist. “Jeeze, you’re such a wreck. Are you that scared?”  
  
“S-Shut up!” Maki whisper yelled. She swatted gently at the hands that went under her shirt. “And stop that, what if she comes back in?!”  
  
“Let her…”  
  
“KOTORI!”  
  
“MAKI!”  
  
Maki jumped as Yume yelled back to her. “YES MA’AM!” She gently pushed Kotori away and turned on her heel to run after Yume.   
  
Kotori could help but chuckle. Maki was too cute when she was flustered.   
  
“Damn it, what’s HER problem?!”  
  
Kotori cried out in surprise as she looked toward the doorway to find Nico standing there, rubbing her eyes. “N-Nico-chan, why are you up?”  
  
“Maki’s shrieking woke me up. Probably the rest of the house too.” Nico said as she entered the room. “So what’s going on? What was she screaming about?”  
  
“Apparently Honoka is going after Umi’s mom.” Kotori said, worry setting in again. “Umi-chan and Eli-chan have gone after her.”  
  
“Great. All we need is another repeat of what happened with Umi.” Nico said with a roll of her eyes. She paused suddenly, noticing something. “You have a…hickey. And your shirt is inside out. Oh god, she walked in on you, didn’t she? No wonder your mom is pissed at her…”  
  
“She’s not pissed, she’s just protective.” Kotori said with a shrug of her shoulders. “She just doesn’t want anyone to hurt me, I guess.”  
  
—  
  
Nozomi walked down the hallway, sleepily rubbing her eyes. She wasn’t sure why she had woken up but she’d decided to get up and get something to drink. Warm milk should work to ease her back to sleep, she’d decided.   
  
She noticed Maki and Yume on the way past though she paid them no mind. It was only when she got to the top of the stairs that she wondered why they had been up so late and why they were together. She shrugged it off and kept walking, wanting to get to the kitchen as soon as she could.   
  
She reached the kitchen, shivering against the chill and wished she had brought a blanket or Honoka’s jacket. Quickly, she began to heat up some milk. She wanted nothing more than to hurry up and get back into bed with Future Honoka. Already she missed the feeling of the girl’s arms around her, of her slender frame pressed against her back. She sighed softly and ran her fingers through her hair. “Damn feelings…”

“Oh, you’re up too?”  
  
Nozomi glanced over her shoulder to see Nico walk through the door. “Yeah, I couldn’t sleep. Do you want some warm milk?”  
  
Nico snorted at the question. “No. I’m not five.”  
  
Nozomi rolled her eyes and went to pour herself a cup. “Suit yourself, Nicocchi.” She sat down, sipping at the warm milk. “So why are you awake so early?”  
  
Nico shrugged. “Why are you?”  
  
“I don’t know.” Nozomi suppressed a yawn with the back of her hand. “I didn’t go to bed more than a couple of hours ago.”  
  
“Oh? Were you two fucking too?” Nico asked, raising an eyebrow.   
  
“Huh?”  
  
“Kotori’s mom caught her and Maki together apparently.” Nico explained with a shrug of her shoulders. She watched as Nozomi blushed and looked away. That was enough to know the answer. “I feel like I should find someone. Waiting around for…the person I like isn’t working so…”  
  
Nozomi shook her head. “Being alone isn’t so bad, Nicocchi.”  
  
“Easy for you to say.” Nico muttered irritably. “At least you have someone. What could be so bad about that?”  
  
Nozomi looked down into her glass of milk. “I think I might be in love with her. That’s what’s so bad about it.”  
  
Nico frowned. “I don’t get it. Why is that bad?”  
  
“When all of this is over she’s not going to be here anymore. She’s going to…finish it. And I don’t think I can stop her.” Nozomi admitted softly. “I don’t know what I’ll do when she’s gone.”  
  
“Maybe if she loves you back, she won’t go anywhere.” Nico suggested. “It’s kind of obvious you make her happy. She doesn’t talk to the rest of us like she talks to you.”  
  
“Maybe.” Nozomi said quietly, remembering Honoka telling her they should run away together. That she was her best friend. She couldn’t help but hope that maybe she would be enough for her. “I hope so.”  
  
“Look at it this way. She lets you wear her jacket…” Nico looked Nozomi over with a critical eye. “And her shirt. I think she likes you. Like a lot.”  
  
“Really?” Nozomi beamed at that and tugged at the t-shirt she was wearing. She had borrowed it from Honoka, knowing she wouldn’t mind. “I-I guess she does. But all she really thinks about are her feelings for Kotori-chan. I don’t think she’s ready to move on. I don’t know if she’ll ever be ready…”  
  
Nico gave a bitter laugh and clapped Nozomi on the shoulder, almost causing her to drop the mug she was holding. “I know what that’s like. I guess Kotori must have something we don’t.”  
  
Nozomi glanced at Nico, her eyes widening slightly. “Huh?”  
  
“Nothing.” Nico said, shaking her head. “You’ll just have to wait and see how things turn out with Honoka.”

  
“No, tell me, Nicocchi. You’re obviously angry at Kotori-chan.” Nozomi put her drink aside and focused solely on Nico. “I’m your friend too, you know.”  
  
“It’s nothing.” Nico huffed out an exasperated sigh. “Look, you’re obviously sneaking your way into Honoka’s heart. She cares about you. Otherwise she wouldn’t have made a scene in the kitchen.”  
  
Nozomi didn’t seem to be listening. “Is it because she’s with Maki-chan?”  
  
“You really don’t know when to give up.” Nico hopped up onto the seat next to Nozomi and sat there, gritting her teeth for a moment. “Fine. It is because she’s with Maki. I’m…in love with her or whatever.”  
  
Nozomi stared at Nico for a long moment. “Nicocchi…”  
  
“I know, okay?!” Nico slid her fingers into her hair. “I know I’m not supposed to be able to feel anything but it’s different with her. There’s the irony. The one person I feel things for just won’t look at me twice. Pretty pathetic, huh?” She avoided Nozomi’s gaze, expecting her to try to reassure her. Instead there was a moment of silence before arms wrapped around her torso and she found herself pulled close to Nozomi’s warm body. “Nozomi, come on…”  
  
“Shh, Nicocchi. Just let me hug you.” Nozomi rubbed Nico’s arm and the girl slowly relaxed. “I guess we’re both unlucky in love, huh?”  
  
Nico snorted out a laugh. “You can say that again. But Honoka loves you. I can see it. And if I can, so can everybody else. Besides ours obviously. Might want to talk to her about that one before you start making out with future girl in front of her. Anyway, the point is you don’t know what’s going to happen. You just need to think about what you want.”  
  
“Maybe…I could live with her after graduation. I could go to university a-and I guess she could get a job. It would be nice.” Nozomi said hesitantly. She felt her chest tighten with apprehension right after. Imagining a future with Honoka in it wasn’t something she was confident enough to do.   
  
“Who knows?” Nico smirked. “I could be your roommate. I could be the person who makes fun of you two, being all sappy and in love.”  
  
“We’re not…sappy.” Nozomi disagreed though the idea of being considered as such wasn’t unappealing. She finally let Nico shrug her off and sat back down. “Fine, maybe we are. I can’t help it, okay? I really like her. Love her.”  
  
“Love who?”  
  
Nozomi looked up sharply at the sound of Future Honoka’s voice. She found her shuffling sleepily into the kitchen, rubbing her eyes. “U-Um…Milk! I-I really just…love milk.”  
  
Nico burst out laughing, quickly covering her mouth with her hand though it did no good.   
  
Future Honoka smiled and wandered closer. She slipped in behind Nozomi, wrapping her arms around her waist. She lay her head on her shoulder and closed her eyes. “It’s fine if you were talking about Eli. I get it.” She mumbled wearily. “I was kind of hoping it was me…”  
  
Nozomi’s eyes widened in surprise at the comment. “Wha…?”  
  
“Alright, I’m gonna leave you two to…do whatever.” Nico said, still struggling with laughter. “Don’t do anything I wouldn’t do.”  
  
Nozomi glared at Nico as she left the room.  
  
“So you…really hoped it was you?” Nozomi asked hopefully as she felt Honoka press closer, her front flush against her back.   
  
Honoka hummed in response. “You might not have noticed but I’m a little bit…” She trailed off and Nozomi was left trying to figure out what she was going to say. She had told Honoka she loved her on a couple of occasions but Honoka had never said it back. “Nevermind. Will you come back to bed? It’s cold…”  
  
Nozomi released a slow breath. Honoka not saying anything stung more than any kind of rejection. “Would you care? If I went back to Elichi? Would you…want me back?”  
  
Honoka went quiet suddenly and as the seconds ticked by Nozomi began to think she wouldn’t answer. “You’re meant to be with Eli. That’s how it’s supposed to be. In the future…you two are happy. But this isn’t the future and we’re not the same. You’re not Eli’s Nozomi-chan. You’re  _my_  Nozomi. My-my best friend and…”  
  
“Yours?” Nozomi echoed when Honoka trailed off. “So you wouldn’t want me to go back to her?”  
  
“She doesn’t deserve you. She has feelings for my past self and you deserve someone who only loves you.” Honoka bit her lip for a moment, thinking. “Which means I don’t deserve you either.”  
  
“I think you do.” Nozomi disagreed softly. She gently nudged Honoka, causing her to loosen her embrace and turned around in her arms. “You’re the one I want. That has to count for something, doesn’t it?”  
  
Honoka leaned in and pressed her lips insistently to Nozomi’s. The kiss was fleeting but it took Nozomi’s breath away.   
  
Honoka pulled back, meeting Nozomi’s wide eyed stare. “Can we just go back to bed? Please? I’m exhausted and I just want to hold you until I fall asleep.”  
  
“God, you’re such a softie.” Nozomi reached up and brushed her fingers against Honoka’s cheek. “You do love me, don’t you? Not like you love them, not…like I’m a different version of the person you really care about. You love me. Your Nozomi you said, right?” She quickly continued before Honoka could say anything. “It’s okay. I know you can’t.”  
  
Honoka kissed Nozomi again, hoping it would be enough of an answer. Her feelings for Kotori still very much clouded her judgement so she couldn’t answer for certain. “Let’s go.” She whispered against Nozomi’s lips before she pulled away. She took Nozomi’s hand, leading her from the room.   
  
—  
  
When Rin finally stopped Umi was surprised by how much everything was spinning.   
  
“Ugh, I think I’m going to be sick.” She muttered as she leaned over slightly, clutching at her stomach. “Just give me a minute.” She inhaled and exhaled slowly, trying to calm the nausea she felt. Finally, she straightened up, finding Rin glancing around. She knew where they were immediately. Inside the Sonoda estate, just outside. “Kotori would have been really useful to have here…”  
  
 _“Hey Umi, can you hear me?”  
_  
Umi gasped and spun around, her eyes wide but she didn’t see Maki anywhere. She’d definitely heard her voice though. “What the hell? Maki?!”  
  
“ _Calm down, I’m in your head. You should…talk internally too_.” Maki said somewhat awkwardly.  _“I know you don’t like this but I have to do it. It’s important we all stay in touch_.”  
  
“ _Do I even want to know why you’re contacting us right now, Yume-chan?_ ”   
  
Umi frowned in confusion. That was Eli’s father she just heard. “Wait, how many people are in my head right now?”  
  
“ _Internal voice, Umi!_ ” Maki thought firmly. “ _And um…a few_.”  
  
“ _You still haven’t learned how to close channels, Maki_?” Rei asked thoughtfully, a slightly amused tone to her voice. “ _Oh and Yume-chan told me what you were doing earlier. Don’t think we’re not going to talk about that_.”  
  
“ _Ma maaaa…_ ” Maki whined in complaint. “ _I didn’t do anything wrong!_ ”  
  
“ _Well I know that but Yume-chan is a…_ ” Rei trailed off as Yume cleared her throat. “Nevermind. We’ll talk about it later. Probably.”  
  
“ _Rei-chan, seriously_!” Yume exclaimed incredulously.   
  
Umi groaned and rubbed her head, feeling a headache coming on. Feeling a hand on her shoulder she looked up to find Rin staring at her in concern. “I’m fine. Let’s just go in.”  
  
“ _Wait, a minute, Umi-chan. We’re almost there_.” Takashi thought hurriedly. “ _Wait, I can see you. Okay, landing in 3…2…1_.”  
  
Umi saw him coming before he even declared that he could see her. She held still, not wanting to move but she was wary that he could easily run into her. She was relieved to see that Eli was with him and as the blonde broke free from her father’s hold, she hurried over to her.   
  
“You’re here. I’m glad you came.” She admitted, barely paying attention to You, Rin and Takashi. “Are you ready to do this?”  
  
Eli nodded resolutely. “Anything for her. Just like we agreed.” She met Umi’s eyes intently for a moment, finding her wearing the same determined look she knew she was. “Let’s go.”  
  
“Yosoru!” You exclaimed, putting her hand to her head in salute while Rin jogged on the spot. “I’m ready!”  
  
“Come on then.” Umi said, trying to ignore bickering going on in her head. It was nothing if not distracting. “I know where they’ll be going. My mother’s office. I can get us there.”  
  
“Kotori would have been damn useful for this.” Eli muttered, voicing Umi’s thoughts from a few minutes ago. She didn’t quite understand the small smile Umi shot her.   
  
“ _Umi-chan, do you have your katana_?” Yume asked through Maki’s telepathic connection.   
  
“No, it’s in the dojo. Why?” Umi replied aloud, earning herself a surprised look from Eli. She laughed nervously. “It’s nothing.”  
  
“ _You should get it._ ” Yume advised. “ _You might need it._ ”  
  
“ _Okay._ ” Umi thought back. She made a sharp right turn, grabbing Eli’s hand to take her with her. “I need my katana. In case I need to fight. It’s in the dojo so…”  
  
“Oh, I can get it!” Rin exclaimed from where she was walking at Takashi’s side. She sped off in a flash and within a couple of seconds she was back at Umi’s side, handing the katana over.   
  
Umi muttered a quick thanks. “We need Kotori…”  
  
“ _Well my daughter was a bit too busy_.” Yume said testily, her words taut with annoyance.  
  
Maki groaned in response. “ _I said I was sorry, what else do you want me to say?!”_  
  
“ _Rei-chan!_ ” Yume exclaimed in her head. “ _Don’t you have anything to say about this?”_  
  
“ _She’s definitely my daughter?_ ” Rei thought back. “ _Just relax, they’re fine. Maki wasn’t taking advantage, I’m sure. If anything I should assume Kotori-chan was the one taking advantage. Maki’s younger than her.”_  
  
Umi sighed loudly as she stormed toward the main house. “ _Could you all please just shut UP? I need to focus.”_  
  
“ _I agree with Umi-chan_.” Takashi chimed in, catching Umi’s eye. “ _We can’t concentrate with everyone in our heads like this. Let’s talk about that later. If we even have to, I don’t see the need to.”_  
  
Umi sighed again, causing Eli to frown over at her. “It’s fine. Don’t worry. I just want to get Honoka back.”  
  
Eli nodded without argument, mostly because they didn’t have time to discuss the situation. The door to the house swung open and two guards emerged, their weapons drawn. They opened fire before Umi and Eli had a chance to do anything. Umi closed her eyes, bracing herself but no pain came.   
  
“Ah, hot!”  
  
Umi opened her eyes to see Rin dropping several bullets from her hand. She quickly drew a knife from her belt and threw it at one of the guards, hitting him in the shoulder while Eli hurled a fireball at the other. They both fell to the ground at the same time.   
  
Eli was about to go ahead when Umi caught her by the arm and turned to Rin. “Rin, can you run us into the house? It’ll be faster.”  
  
“Eh…I can only take you two.” Rin glanced at Takashi and You. “They’ll have to walk.”  
  
“It’s fine.” Eli said, catching on to Umi’s idea. “Just get us up there, quickly.”  
  
“No, wait. I’m coming too!” You exclaimed, quickly stepping forward. “You’re not leaving me behind. Please. I need to get to Chika-chan!”  
  
Rin sighed. “I don’t have enough hands, nya!” She stepped between Eli and Umi, grabbing their shirts so she had something to hold onto them with before she took off for Umi’s mom’s office. They burst through the double doors of the office less than a second later.  
  
Eli didn’t have time to focus on how sick the sudden movement made her feel. Her gaze fell upon Honoka who was across the room, on her knees in front of Umi’s mother. There was blood smeared across her cheek but Eli couldn’t tell where the blood was coming from.   
  
“HONOKA!” Umi yelled, her heart leaping to her throat. She remembered a time when she’d been in that exact position. She drew her katana and took off toward her mother, raising it to strike. She was within a few feet when something hit her from the side. She barely had time to gasp before she found herself across the room.   
  
“Don’t do that.” Rin warned seriously as she steadied Umi. She sped away in a flash and Umi watched as Honoka seemed to disappear from where she was on her knees. A second later, Rin was setting Honoka down next to her.   
  
“Honoka!” Umi cried, crouching down next to her girlfriend. Out of the corner of her eye she noticed Eli move to stand in front of them, her body ablaze. Honoka wasn’t looking at her so Umi gently cupped her face in her hands. “Hey. Hey, look at me, Honoka. It’s me, it’s Umi. Do you know who I am?”  
  
“Umi-chan. “ Honoka answered, her voice a bit raspy. “You’re Umi-chan. My girlfriend.”  
  
Umi gave a sigh of relief. She had thought for certain that her mother would have tried to take Honoka’s memories but they seemed to be intact. “That’s right. I’m your girlfriend.”  
  
Eli glanced over at the two of them, a hint of a smile tugging at her lips.   
  
“Well, well, well…” Kasumi drawled, stepping closer to the three of them. “I take it you haven’t come back to stay, Umi.”  
  
“I came back for Honoka, that’s all.” Umi answered coldly.   
  
“You belong with us, not with them. I will get you back.” Kasumi stepped closer and reached down to touch Umi’s cheek.   
  
Eli hit Kasumi’s hand away with her flaming palm. “Don’t fucking TOUCH HER!” She moved further in front of Honoka and Umi. “If you want her you’ll have to go through me.”  
  
“That can be arranged, Ayase-san. But not today.” Kasumi stepped back, watching Eli with a hint of amusement. “You think yourself close to my daughter, correct?”  
  
“Shut your mouth!” Eli snarled angrily, resisting the urge to look back at Honoka and Umi. She knew she shouldn’t take her eyes from the woman in front of her but she wanted to make sure they were okay. Her gaze travelled briefly past Kasumi’s shoulder to Chika who was fighting Tsubasa. She seemed to be holding her own quite well. Eli supposed it was to be expected, given that she had so many abilities.   
  
Eli couldn’t help but notice that she wasn’t using them though. Neither was Tsubasa it seemed. They were just fighting hand to hand. Dread formed in her stomach but she didn’t have time to warn Chika that Tsubasa was probably planning something. As soon as she opened her mouth to speak, she felt herself being pushed back quickly, across the room. For a split second she thought it was Rin, trying to get her out of the way of something but then her head hit the wall, stunning her for a moment.   
  
When her vision finally cleared the first thing she noticed was Umi looking at her, distress evident on her face. The second thing she noticed was a familiar older woman approaching her.   
  
“ _Mom_.” Eli spat, struggling against the invisible force that held her to the wall. “What the hell are you doing here?!”  
  
“My job. I work for Sonoda-san.” Irina glanced briefly at Kasumi before she turned her attention back to her daughter. “I believe I should be the one asking why you’re here, Eli.”  
  
“That’s none of your DAMN BUSINESS!” Eli struggled harder against Irina’s hold but it was impossible to break free from her telekinesis. “LET GO OF ME!”  
  
“Irina, put our daughter down,  _now_.”  
  
Irina smirked at the sound of the new voice and turned toward the doorway as Takashi stepped into the room. He looked livid, his jaw clenched and his hands curled into fists. It was laughable. “Takashi. It’s nice of you to join us. I have to admit, I’m surprised you managed to tear yourself away from your teenage sweetheart long enough to notice Eli was missing.”  
  
“ _Irina_.” Takashi warned seriously.   
  
“You’re pathetic.” Irina’s smirk suddenly slipped away. “Weren’t you two planning to run away and yet she chose Jin in the end? He must have had something you didn’t. Like a sense of pride. What kind of man keeps going back to a woman who thinks as little of him as Rei thinks of you?”  
  
“ _Shut up_!” Takashi growled, taking another step forward. “You know damn well it was an arranged marriage, she didn’t have a goddamn choice!”  
  
Irina chuckled low in her throat. “Yes, and we were just supposed to be fuck buddies, remember? Of course things never go the way we want them to, do they? You hear that, Eli? Unlike Arisa, you were a mistake. Your father never wanted you. But he married me because of you. You ruined his life. Both of our lives.”  
  
Eli turned hurt eyes toward her father.   
  
“I SAID SHUT UP!” Takashi yelled, his chest tightening as he watched Eli’s lower lip began to tremble. “Eli, don’t listen to her, okay? Everything she has to say is a lie!” He turned his angry gaze back to Irina. “Unlike you I’ve grown to love both of them. I hated every second of being married to you but if I had a choice I’d do it again for them. I would die for both of my children.”  
  
Irina scoffed. “You can pretend as much as you like but…”   
  
“I’m not pretending!” Takashi was close enough to get to Irina in one swift dash but he resisted the urge to attack. “Eli is my pride and joy. I thank the gods she takes after me and not you. And I would never ever give her up for anything else.”  
  
“Even your precious Rei?” Irina asked smugly. She glanced around as if searching for her. “I assume she can hear us?”  
  
Takashi gritted his teeth together. He knew that Rei could hear everything that was being said. “Even her. That’s the difference between you and her. She would say the same thing about her own daughter. There’s nothing more important to us than our children.”  
  
“ _You’re right_.” Rei’s voice sounded in his head and he tensed slightly in surprise. “ _But I would also die to keep your daughters safe. As you would for mine.”_  
  
“Rei-chan cares more about our daughters than you ever will.” Takashi continued, his voice still trembling with anger. “Were you there when Arisa could hardly sleep because her best friend had just died and she wanted her mother? You weren’t. That was Rei-chan. I know when Eli and I aren’t there, Arisa is safe because it’s Rei-chan who takes the role of her mother. She does it willingly.”  
  
With a growl of anger, Irina threw her hand out and Takashi went flying across the room, stopping when his back hit the wall near Eli.   
  
“DAD!” Eli cried out in panic.   
  
“I will take her back from you.” Irina threatened, her eyes ablaze with anger. “That child and her ability are mine.”  
  
“Arisa is not a weapon, she’s a CHILD!” Takashi yelled back. “And if you want her you’ll have to go through me, Eli and Rei first. We’ll do anything to protect her.”  
  
“So will we.” Umi spoke up angrily. She was trembling in fury, her grip on Honoka much too tight but she couldn’t help it. Eli’s mother was infuriating. “You’ll have to go through all nine of us to get to her.”  
  
“As your mother said, that can be arranged. I’ll start with you.” Irina drew a knife from her belt and paced toward Umi, glancing briefly at Kasumi who nodded in approval.   
  
Umi quickly covered Honoka with her own body, squeezing her eyes tightly shut. She couldn’t get out of the way, not without putting Honoka in harm’s way.   
  
“NO!” Eli screamed, her stomach sinking and her blood running cold. She went up in flames suddenly. With a yell she wrenched herself free of Irina’s hold on her. She ran forward and skidded to her knees in front of Umi just as her mother brought the knife down. She gasped as the blade was driven into her chest.  
  
—  
  
Rei wasn’t sure what had happened at first. Takashi’s thoughts had suddenly gone out of control and Maki hadn’t been able to maintain the connection with him. The same thing had happened with Umi a moment later though from what Rei had been able to gather, something had happened to Eli.   
  
She didn’t have time to ask a wide eyed Maki about what had happened. The sound of screaming suddenly filled the room. Before she could think about it, Rei took off running for the door and upon opening it followed the sound back to Arisa’s room. She threw it open and found Arisa sitting up in bed, tears streaking their way down her cheeks.   
  
“ONEE-CHAN, ONEE-CHAN!” Arisa was still screaming, clutching onto the blankets as tightly as she could. “ONEEEE-CHAAAAN!”  
  
Rei hurried to Arisa’s bedside, perching on the bed next to her. “Arisa-chan. It’s okay, it’s just a dream. Everything’s okay.”  
  
Arisa shook her head. “I-I can barely sense her anymore.” She sobbed. “Just like I stopped s-sensing Y-Yukiho-chan! I-I WANT ONEE-CHAN!”  
  
Rei wasn’t sure what to do so she settled for pulling Arisa close to her, the young girl sobbing openly into her chest.   
  
“She can’t be gone, s-she can’t be. I need her. Please…” Arisa was gasping through her sobs, clutching desperately at Rei’s shirt. “Please, please…”  
  
“She’s telling the truth about what she’s feeling.”   
  
Rei looked up to see Nozomi in the doorway, her cheeks damp with tears. Future Honoka was behind her, a panicked look on her face though she seemed to be holding Nozomi steady. “What?”  
  
“Something happened to Elichi. I felt it.” Nozomi stepped further into the room. “And then I felt her start to fade. I-I think she’s…” She couldn’t say it. She couldn’t say that Eli seemed to be dying and she could feel her slipping away.   
  
Arisa looked up finally. “Nozomi-chan!” She scrambled free from Rei and rushed toward Nozomi. She slammed into her, her arms going around her waist.   
  
“What the hell happened?!” Future Honoka exclaimed, narrowing her eyes at Rei. She kept her hand planted on Nozomi’s shoulder in an attempt to keep her calm.   
  
Rei averted her eyes. “Your past self and Chika went after Kasumi. Eli, Umi and Rin followed them to get them back. Taka-kun and You went too.”  
  
“That IDIOT! I’m going to find her. And I’m gonna save her. Then I’m going to kill her.” Honoka was about to teleport away when Nozomi grasped her arm.   
  
“Please be careful.” Nozomi pleaded tearfully. “Honoka, please. I mean it. I can’t lose you both. Don’t do anything stupid.”  
  
Honoka kissed Nozomi hard before quickly pulling away. “I’ll come back to you.” She promised before she disappeared from sight.   
  
Nozomi choked back a sob and hugged Arisa tighter.  


	37. Chapter 37

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning(s): EXTREME violence. Kind of gory. Sexual scenes. 
> 
> Thanks for the comments guys, I really appreciate them! :)

You wasn’t sure how she had managed to fall so far behind Takashi but before she’d realized what was happening she’d found herself surrounded by guards, all of whom seemed intent on killing her. She’d barely managed to scramble to cover before they had opened fire at her.   
  
She hadn’t been able to get close to them so she had settled for throwing whatever she could, ducking and diving between using couches, coffee tables and walls for cover. She was largely distracted by the thought of where Chika could be though and finally one of the guards somehow managed to get behind her and hit her hard on the head.   
  
She vaguely heard him demand that she not be killed, because she could be useful if she was taken to a facility. She could be used as a weapon, he had said. She’d felt a small prick on her arm and then the room started to spin. She quickly realized the guard had tried to sedate her and as she struggled free she realized her abilities weren’t working. The drug wasn’t enough to knock her out but it kept her from breaking free. 

She struggled as best she could as she was dragged up the stairs by two guards. She couldn’t get free though and she felt herself begin to panic. Maybe she would never see Chika again. Or Riko and the others. Maybe she was going to be taken somewhere and tested upon like she’d heard had happened to other ability users. She would never get to kiss Chika again, she’d never get to tell her she loved her or tell her how much their friendship had meant to her. She’d never hear her voice again.   
  
She heard it clearly though, a moment later as she was dragged into a large office.   
  
“YOU-CHAN?!” Chika cried out, ducking a slash of a blade. She tried to make a dash toward You only to be caught by a punch to the stomach.   
  
You looked up, her eyes widening as she watched Chika fall to her knees, clutching her stomach. “Ch-Chika-chan…” She could hear sobbing and yelling and she looked around, finding Eli on the floor, her head in Umi’s lap. There was a pool of blood forming around her. Honoka was nearby, sobbing uncontrollably into Umi’s shoulder. “No…”  
  
The man she recognized as Takashi was seemingly pinned against a wall, his cheeks wet. He was yelling at Umi, asking her to tell him if Eli was still alive but she wasn’t answering. Umi was crying too, You could see, but she was talking. You couldn’t hear what Umi was saying over Takashi’s yelling. He was alternating between pleading with Umi and telling the woman holding the bloody knife that he was going to kill her when he got his hands on her.   
  
Umi was leaning over slightly, her shirt lifted up so that she could press it to Eli’s chest to help with the bleeding. Eli wasn’t awake. Her eyes were closed, her hands limp at her sides.   
  
“I found this ability user.” The guard who was holding You stepped forward with her. “Thought she’d be useful.”  
  
“Oh, she will.” It wasn’t Kasumi who spoke but Tsubasa. “Bring her to me. And sedate this one.”  
  
“NO!” Chika screamed though as she tried to push herself up, Tsubasa kicked her in the head, sending her sprawling back to the ground. Nico’s ability kept her from passing out but it hurt and she was left dazed long enough for one of the guards to inject her.   
  
You dug her heels into the ground as she was dragged toward Tsubasa but she couldn’t fight it. She was powerless.   
  
“Good. Hold her.” Tsubasa commanded the two guards. She held up the knife in her hand, smirking to herself. “This might hurt a bit.”  
  
“NO!” Chika screamed, desperately fighting against a guard who was holding her back.   
  
“Please, don’t.” You pleaded, her heart pounding relentlessly in her chest. She stared into Tsubasa’s eyes but it was as though they were empty, devoid of feeling. “Please, please…”  
  
Tsubasa gripped You’s chin with her free hand and lifted the knife, a smirk on her lips. She precisely cut straight across her forehead, causing You to scream out in pain.   
  
“NO, STOP IT!” Chika screamed tearfully as You’s screams stopped. She had passed out, from pain it seemed. “PLEASE! Please stop, take me instead. I-I have more than one ability, I can…I can memorize them. Up to five at a time. PLEASE. YOU DON’T NEED HER!”  
  
Tsubasa paused at that, thinking about it. She didn’t have much time though as someone appeared right next to her. She looked to her right, her eyes widening when she recognized the time traveller they’d been after.   
  
“HONOKA!” Takashi yelled from across the room. “Eli. Get her out of here, please!”  
  
Future Honoka’s gaze shifted to Eli and she felt her heart skip a beat in her chest. There was so much blood and Eli looked so pale. She was reminded of her own time, when Eli had thrown herself in the way of a shadow to protect her.   
  
Anger boiled up quickly and she growled furiously, her fists clenching. She threw her arms up and focused intently on the space in front of her.   
  
Tsubasa backed away in alarm as a portal opened up in the middle of the room.   
  
Future Honoka stormed over to Irina and grabbed her by the collar. With a yell of anger, she threw her into the portal.   
  
“RIN, GET ELI BACK TO THE BASE!” Future Honoka yelled at Rin as she rushed for another guard, forcing him into the open portal. She noticed Rin didn’t move. “RIN!”  
  
“R-Right!” Rin dashed toward Eli just as Takashi did. She grabbed her and Umi, using her ability to get them out as quickly as she could.   
  
As the guards decided to run, You fell to the ground and Chika crawled over to her. “You-chan…” She felt for a pulse and released a choked sob when she found one. “Oh god. I thought…”  
  
The clang of a knife hitting the floor drew her attention and she looked up to see Tsubasa shaking, staring at her hands.   
  
“Get out of here.” Tsubasa said shakily, looking up to meet Chika’s angry stare. “I-I don’t want your ability. Or the one with the strength. Just take her and go!”  
  
Chika frowned as she quickly took off her jacket, pressing it to You’s head. “But you were just…”  
  
“IT WASN’T ME!” Tsubasa slid her hands into her hair, breathing heavily. “But i-it could take over at any seconds so please just leave. It’ll sense your ability. Please get away from me. I-I can’t let it win…”  
  
It took Chika a moment but she finally realized what Tsubasa was saying. “Y-You’re just like Mari-san, aren’t you? She told us that her ability has a mind of it’s own. L-Like a parasite…You can’t control it. W-We can help you, if you come with us.”  
  
Tsubasa shook her head and gritted her teeth. “I just need Erena. I can’t go anywhere without her.”  
  
“Your friend? We can go back for her, we can…”  
  
“NO!” Tsubasa yelled loudly. “They’ll kill her before we have the chance! Just get away from me before I kill you both! Now, I’m…”  
  
Chika mistook Tsubasa’s sudden quietness for hesitation. “We can help. You don’t have to…”  
  
Tsubasa’s cold laugh sent a shiver down Chika’s spine, effectively silencing her. Slowly, Tsubasa bent to pick the knife up. “I don’t need your help. I’ll just have your abilities. Now where was I? Oh yes, carving your head to get access to those delicious abilities. I believe you were offering yourself up?”  
  
“What?” Chika stared at Tsubasa in terror. It was like she was a completely different person. The emotion that had lingered in her eyes just a moment ago was replaced with pure, murderous intent. “Shit, you’re…”  
  
“Hmm.” Tsubasa smirked as she stepped forward. “Now stay still while I take your pretty little head off. Don’t worry, it won’t hurt too much. You’ll still be alive at least.”  
  
Chika tried to shrink back but she couldn’t leave You behind so she stopped as Tsubasa advanced on her with the knife in her hand.   
  
“Takashi, can you take my idiot past self?!” Honoka called over to Takashi as she slowly advanced on Kasumi.   
  
Takashi, who was holding Honoka close to him as she sobbed into his chest, looked up. “Yeah, I’ve got he-” He was cut off by the sound of a loud scream from Chika.   
  
Future Honoka stopped in her tracks and turned to Chika and Tsubasa in time to see the leader of A-Rise cutting Chika’s head open. “Oh god…” She hadn’t thought about the possibility that Tsubasa could take Chika’s power, of all people. She didn’t have time to move before Tsubasa pointed her knife at Chika’s head, moving it slowly to the right in a cutting gesture. She knew what that meant. It was Tsubasa’s ability. She’d seen it before in the future. She swallowed against the bile that rushed to the back of her throat as Tsubasa ruthlessly prised Chika’s head open, the girl screaming the entire time.   
  
She glanced back at Kasumi briefly. She wanted nothing more than to kill her but she couldn’t. And she had to stop Tsubasa. She couldn’t let the girl get her hands on such a powerful ability. She took off at a sprint toward the girl.   
  
“TSUBASA!” Kasumi called just as Honoka teleported.   
  
Tsubasa narrowed her eyes at Honoka, memorising the ability and focused intently. Just as Future Honoka appeared next to her she disappeared, teleporting herself over to Kasumi. She grabbed the older woman and teleported them both away.   
  
“DAMN IT!” Honoka cried though she didn’t have much time to think about the situation she was in. Chika was a mess, sobbing loudly as blood spilled down her face. “Oh god…fuck!” She quickly reattached the top of Chika’s skull, having to swallow hard again as her stomach shifted uncomfortably. “Fuck…it’s okay. It’ll heal in a minute. It’s okay.”  
  
Chika clutched at the front of Honoka’s shirt, unable to hold back her sobs. It hurt so badly and she couldn’t even pass out. She was just glad that You wasn’t awake to see what had happened.   
  
Future Honoka looked up, relieved to see that Takashi had taken off with her past self. She didn’t move yet, slumping down onto the ground instead as Chika continued to sob. “I’m sorry.” She choked out, pulling the hysterical girl into her lap. She should have been faster. She shouldn’t have hesitated. “I’m so so fucking sorry…”  
  
—  
  
Umi lightly brushed Honoka’s hair from her face. Her girlfriend had been hysterical when she’d gotten back to the base with Takashi. Rei had only been able to calm her down by injecting her with a strong sedative. Umi had fallen asleep at her side for a few hours but Honoka was still sleeping soundly. She was glad of that at least.   
  
She glanced at Eli in the other bed. She’d been injected with Nico’s blood and her injury had mostly healed. There was still a wound and Eli had to wear an oxygen mask to breathe for the time being but she was alive.   
  
You was in a bed on the other side of Eli’s, having not regained consciousness yet. There was a bandage on her forehead from her wound. Chika had a similar one though her wound had seemed much worse. Even with her regenerating abilities it had still been bleeding when she came back to the base. She’d been just as hysterical as Honoka, if not moreso, and she’d been sedated too. She was with Kanan and Riko now.   
  
Umi wondered if whatever had happened to Chika had been what Future Honoka had seen, to make her so quiet and closed off when she’d gotten back. The moment she’d arrived she’d went straight to Nozomi and hugged her as tightly as she could. Even Nozomi had looked surprised by the strength of the embrace.   
  
Hearing movement from Eli’s bed, Umi got up and went over just as Eli reached up to take her mask off. She gently grasped Eli’s hand to intercept it. “Hey, hey…stop that. You need it on.”  
  
Eli’s brow furrowed slightly in confusion. “H-Hono…”  
  
“She’s safe. See?” Umi pointed to the bed to her left and Eli painstakingly pushed herself up into a sitting position so she could see. She relaxed slightly when she saw Honoka sleeping.   
  
Eli reached up to take the mask off so she could speak only for Umi to gently stop her again.   
  
“I told your dad I would watch you.” Umi said, giving Eli’s hand a gentle squeeze. She decided not to let go this time.  
  
Eli nodded in understanding. “Are you…” She winced, her hand going to he aching chest. “Hurt? H-Honoka…?”  
  
“I’m fine. We’re both fine.” Umi said with a shake of her head. She’d probably gotten off the lightest out of all of them. She hadn’t been hurt at all.   
  
“W-What ha-happened?”  
  
“Honoka’s future self saved us. She um…” Umi paused for a moment, biting her lower lip. “She did something really bad to your mom.”  
  
“G-Good.” Eli choked out, her tone emotionless. “Wait…H-Honoka isn’t awake. I-Is she…”  
  
“Rei-san sedated her.” Umi answered quietly, glancing at Honoka. “She was hysterical. She wouldn’t stop screaming for you. A-And Yukiho…she should be calmer when sh-”  
  
She was cut off by the sound of Eli trying to suck in a large breath of air. She glanced over to see she had taken off her oxygen mask. She knew immediately that Eli had planned to get off the bed and go to Honoka but she couldn’t breath.   
  
Umi grabbed the oxygen mask and pressed it back to Eli’s mouth as the blonde desperately tried to breathe. Her other hand went to the back of Eli’s head to hold her in place. “It’s okay. Just breathe slowly. I’m right here.”  
  
Eli’s watery eyes locked with Umi’s and she followed her instructions, her breathing gradually slowing down.   
  
“Why did you do it?” Umi whispered, gently stroking Eli’s hair. “This was meant for me.”  
  
“I-I couldn’t…let you die.” Eli said hoarsely, each word an effort. She hadn’t really thought about it before she’d jumped in the way. She’d needed to do it, that was all.   
  
Umi looked down at Eli’s bandaged chest, her own eyes stinging with tears. She hugged her as carefully as she could before she pulled back and kissed her cheek. “I’m glad you’re okay.”  
  
“You’re awake…”  
  
Eli looked past Umi to the door where Takashi had walked in, clutching Rei’s hand. “Yeah…” Eli raised an eyebrow at their joined hands but she was too tired to question it. It didn’t take her father more than a couple of seconds to let go of the hand he was clutching. He crossed to her and hugged her gently and she allowed herself to sink into the protective embrace.   
  
Umi decided to give the two of them a moment and crossed back to Honoka’s bed, perching on the edge next to her. “She’s going to be okay, isn’t she?” She asked Rei in concern.   
  
“She’s going to be fine. So is Eli-chan, I’m sure.” Rei answered with a small smile as she looked over her notes. “Don’t worry.”  
  
—  
  
“Hey.” Maki said softly as she rubbed Kotori’s back. Her girlfriend was staring into space from her position at the kitchen table. “You need to get some sleep.”  
  
“I need to wait for Honoka-chan to wake up. Umi-chan said she’ll tell me when…” Kotori trailed off wearily.   
  
Maki glanced at Yume who was watching her daughter in the concern. Her attention quickly turned back to Kotori though. “She will. She’ll wake you up. Now come on, let me take you to bed. We both need to rest.”  
  
“In different beds.” Yume reminded them, narrowing her eyes.   
  
“In the same bed. For tonight.” Maki’s voice wavered but she was adamant she wasn’t going to be swayed. “Kotori needs me there. She’s worried about Honoka and the others. I need to be with her.”  
  
“With the door open.” Yume declared, crossing her arms in front of her chest.  
  
“Come on, do you really think I’d try to have sex with her when she’s…” Maki quietened down at the livid glare she received. “Fine. Come on, Kotori.”  
  
Kotori allowed Maki to take her hand and pull her to her feet. With a mumbled goodnight to her mom, she left the room, Maki tugging her along. They headed up the stairs together to Kotori’s room and Maki left the door open as asked. Kotori however, closed it halfway.   
  
“Wha…?” Maki didn’t have time to question the decision before Kotori’s lips were on hers. She automatically kissed back, her arms going around the other girl. She quickly came to her senses though and pulled away. “Wait, wait…we can’t.”  
  
“I need you. I need a distraction…” Kotori mumbled, pouting as Maki leaned back to keep their lips separated.   
  
“But your mom…”  
  
“I don’t care. I need my girlfriend.” Kotori said with a shake of her head.   
  
“Y-You’re tired too.” Maki argued meekly, aware she wouldn’t be able to resist for long. “I don’t want to make it worse.”   
  
“We can take it slow. Like we did yesterday morning.” Kotori drew away from Maki’s loose embrace and shrugged off her shirt as she made her way to the bed.   
  
Maki watched, her mouth slightly ajar as Kotori stripped until she was completely naked. “Damn it, Kotori…”  
  
Kotori climbed onto her bed and lay down on her back under the blankets.   
  
Maki glanced back toward the door, hesitating for a moment before she stripped off her shirt and skirt and went to join Kotori under the covers. If she stayed focused enough she should be able to hear anyone before they got too close, she told herself rationally. She was taken by surprise when Kotori grabbed her arm and pulled her down on top of her.   
  
“If your mom comes we need to stop.” Maki warned even as she allowed herself to sink into Kotori’s warmth.   
  
“Talking about my mom isn’t sexy, Maki-chan.” Kotori said, rubbing her hands up and down Maki’s back to warm the slightly chilled girl up.   
  
“Well sorry. Your mom is going to kill me if she walks in on you again.” Maki said with a heavy sigh as she looked to the door. “She thinks I’m taking advantage of you or something.”  
  
“Maybe I’m taking advantage of Maki-chan.” Kotori said with a smirk. She turned serious though when Maki still looked worried. “I’ll pull the covers over you if she walks in. That way I can just tell her that you’re visiting Nico-chan and Hanayo-chan.”  
  
“So lie to her?”  
  
“Sure. It’s not like I haven’t done it before.” Kotori answered casually. “Wait…don’t tell me you never lie to your mom?”  
  
“Of course not! I mean…maybe once or twice.” Maki said sheepishly. Technically she had lied to her mom earlier when she’d promised not to do anything to anger Yume even more. She hadn’t meant to though. It was just that Yume was being unreasonable.   
  
“Let’s just forget about it for a while.” Kotori suggested softly. She pulled Maki down closer to her and smirked playfully. “Come on, it’s fun to be naughty sometimes Maki-chan. I know you wanna. I’ll even let you give me visible bites.”  
  
Maki’s face turned red at the insinuation. Usually she only left scattered marks over Kotori’s lower half but the idea of doing something different was appealing. “D-Damn you…”  
  
Kotori smiled at Maki’s reaction. “I guess that’s a yes then.” She leaned up and lightly nibbled Maki’s earlobe. “Come on then. Do what you want with me…”  
  
Maki shuddered at the sensation. She’d had no idea that Kotori could be so seductive. “Anything I want?”  
  
Kotori swallowed thickly as Maki licked her lips. “Yeah. Anything you want, Maki-chan. I trust you.”  
  
“Good.” Maki leaned down and kissed at Kotori’s neck before gently scraping her teeth against the area. She grinned at her girlfriend before she slipped down under the covers.   
  
She was perplexed for a moment before she realized what Maki was going to do. Her eyes widened at the first brush of Maki’s tongue. “Oh my…aaah!”  
  
“Kotori, are you okay?”  
  
Kotori’s eyes widened at the sound of her mother’s voice. Thankfully she sounded quite far away. She didn’t expect her to have come upstairs already though.   
  
“I-I’m fine! Just getting ready for bed!” Kotori hissed as Maki’s tongue pressed against her again, firmer this time, her fingers rubbing at her too. “Maki-chan, don’t.”  
  
Maki stopped what she was doing to crawl back up the bed. “I thought you wanted me to be dirty?” She asked with a smirk. She slowly licked at her fingers, knowing it would drive Kotori crazy.   
  
“I-I meant maybe…like what we did yesterday, remember?” Kotori asked shakily. She remembered it well, waking up to Maki languidly kissing her chest, a hand already making it’s way down into her underwear. The thought of it caused her to groan softly, her hips bucking up into Maki slightly. “I-I need to be able to cover for us if someone comes in. I need to be able to speak properly.”  
  
“You sounded fine to me.” Maki smirked before she slid back under the covers to resume what she was doing.   
  
Kotori quickly clamped her hand over her mouth, barely managing to suppress a moan as Maki picked up where she left off. She breathed through her nose, grinding her hips up with the movement of Maki’s tongue and fingers. She wanted nothing more than to stop holding herself back but she couldn’t, not if she wanted to avoid attracting attention. Her free hand snuck under the cover to the back of Maki’s head, drawing her closer.   
  
There was a light knock on the door followed by Yume’s voice. “Kotori, can I come in? I wanted to talk to you and Maki-chan about earlier.”  
  
Kotori cursed under her breath. She didn’t need this. Maki didn’t let up though. “Mom, please don’t come in. I-I’m changing. And Maki-chan went to see Nico-chan and Hanayo-chan. Maybe we can talk tomorrow, a-all three of us?”  
  
There was a moment of silence before Yume sighed. “Alright then. Goodnight.”  
  
“Goodnight!” Kotori called out. As soon as she heard Yume’s footsteps fade away she clamped her hand back over her mouth and focused on Maki again. “Fuck…” She mumbled into her hand, the tightness in her lower stomach building as Maki’s tongue slipped inside of her. “Mmm…”  
  
Maki pressed down against Kotori’s hip as the girl bucked into her, almost pushing her away. She pulled away briefly, sucking firmly at Kotori’s left thigh before she delved back in again. She wasn’t sure how she had managed to convince herself that she’d be able to focus on anything but Kotori. All she could do was lose herself in the ashen haired girl. Kotori needed a distraction though so she was going to give her one like she’d asked.   
  
It didn’t take more than a few more laps of her tongue and a slight thrust of two fingers for Kotori to reach her climax, a soft cry passing her lips as her back arched off the bed slightly. She shuddered through her climax for a moment, whimpering and moaning until she slumped back down.   
  
Maki slid back up to Kotori, lightly kissing her lips. Her hand slid down until she was brushing her fingers against already sensitive folds. “Do you want to stop?”  
  
Kotori shook her head and Maki smirked to herself as she went in for another kiss. It seemed like it was going to be a long night.

—  
  
Riko and Kanan had been watching Chika from opposite sides of the bed for what felt like hours. Riko could feel her eyes growing heavier with every passing second but she couldn’t let herself sleep. She brushed her fingers against the bandage on Chika’s head, frowning to herself.   
  
“You’re worried about her.” Kanan said softly, her fingers tangled with Chika’s.   
  
Riko nodded. “I’m angry. With Honoka-chan. As soon as I can speak to her, I’m going to tell her what I think.”  
  
“What do you think?” Kanan asked, intrigued. She was angry too but she wasn’t sure whether Riko’s anger was a reflection of her own.  
  
“Honoka-chan shouldn’t be taking Chika-chan out on her suicide missions!” Riko’s voice was harsh but Kanan knew it wasn’t directed at her. “She’s too important to all of us! Something happened to her out there. You saw how she was reacting. And the way Honoka’s future self looked…something really really bad happened to her, Kanan-chan.”  
  
“Yeah.” Kanan murmured, focusing on Chika’s bandaged head for a moment. She couldn’t remember Chika ever looking so distraught as she had when she’d gotten back with Future Honoka. “Yeah, I know.”  
  
“Kanan-san, she looked like…she looked like you did that night. With Mari-san.” Riko said reluctantly. She didn’t want to bring it up but it needed to be said.   
  
Kanan bit her lip. She’d been hysterical that night when the others had found her. Mari had lost control and used Kanan's body to beat Dia up. It had been bad. Really bad. And neither of them had really been able to look Dia in the eye since that night. “You think she encountered a parasite ability user?”  
  
Riko kept her eyes on Chika as she gently stroked her hair. “Is that what Mari-san calls herself?”  
  
Kanan nodded. “Yeah. She explained it to me after what happened with Eli. I already knew she couldn’t control it but I didn’t know how out of control she was until then.”  
  
Riko swallowed thickly, watching as Chika’s hair slipped through her fingers. She didn’t want to look at Kanan, aware of the haunted look that would be on her face. “Why are they called that?”  
  
“Because their abilities have a mind of their own.” Kanan explained quietly. “They trigger a certain part of an ability user’s functionality. I don’t think even a strong mind ability user like Maki could help her to get rid of the impulse. It’s as though it’s a part of her ability, not part of her. A person who has a parasite ability gains an unbearable hunger. For Mari it’s to have complete control of her companions.”  
  
“Well then how does she stop herself?” Riko asked though she wasn’t certain she wanted to know the answer.   
  
Kanan took a deep breath. “I let her control me. At night, when she needs it. It helps her.”  
  
“Kanan-san!” Riko’s voice rose in alarm but she couldn’t say she hadn’t expected it. Kanan and Mari were so secretive recently, and they never came out of their rooms at night.   
  
“Shh, you’ll wake Chika!” Kanan reached out, grasping Riko’s arm. “It’s only when she’s really stressed. I need to help her, Riko. She hates her ability. She hates hurting people. She’s not a bad person, she’s just…she’s Mari. She’s harmless but she’s a different person when her ability takes control.”  
  
Riko was silent for some time after that, her mind racing with thoughts about Mari, Chika and the friends who weren’t with them. “I’m scared.” She finally said, looking up at Kanan. “I’m scared that Chika-chan is…traumatized, like…like you were. And the person who hurt her is as traumatized as Mari-san was. A-And now Mari-san is…maybe going to lose control eventually. That’s how it works, right? She’ll lose herself?”  
  
Kanan nodded somberly. “She’s fighting a losing battle. I don’t know how long she’s going to be able to keep it up. Probably not much longer. I’ll deal with her when I have to.”  
  
“Deal with her?!” Riko’s voice was high and shrill, her eyes suddenly brimming with tears. “What does that mean? Kanan-san? Kanan-san!”  
  
Kanan lowered her head, her own eyes prickling with tears. “I love Mari. I do. But I need to keep my promise. She belongs in a facility, Riko. We were wrong to break her out.”  
  
“H-How can you say that?” Riko’s words were choked as she got to her feet, tears spilling down her cheeks. “Those places aren’t right!”  
  
“For everyone except her.” Kanan wiped roughly at her eyes. “She told me she never wanted to be out. She wanted to get the people who didn’t belong there out. That’s part of the reason we were arguing the first night. I didn’t know why she’d want to stay there. You saw her lose control that day with Eli. You saw what she did. What she can do. Chika is our leader and the most powerful of all of us but when it comes down to it she won’t be able to stop Mari. It’ll have to be me, I…”  
  
“STOP IT!” Riko cried out, silencing Kanan completely. “Please. Please, just stop it!” She slumped back down over the bed, crying quietly into her arms.   
  
Kanan felt her stomach twist with guilt. She knew Riko wasn’t ready to hear any of that and yet she’d still told her almost everything. “I’m sorry.” She reached out and touched Riko’s shoulder only for the girl to draw away from her. Kanan sighed. She deserved that. “Let’s just focus on Chika now, okay?”  
  
—  
  
Nozomi sat on the edge of her bed, her gaze fixated on Future Honoka. She hadn’t said a word since she’d gotten back from the Sonoda estate. All she’d done was hug Nozomi tightly for a few long minutes. She’d grown distant after that, sitting at the desk across the room. She wasn’t doing anything, she was just sitting there.   
  
Nozomi winced and grasped her chest as a wave of desperation, panic and grief hit her. She didn’t know where it was coming from and she couldn’t block it out. After what had happened, everyone’s emotions were out of control.   
  
She wasn’t sure how long she sat there, staring at Honoka’s back until the future version of her friend turned toward her.   
  
“I can’t do this.” Honoka’s voice cracked slightly as she spoke. “I-I thought I could come back here and make things better but I can’t. I just keep making things worse.”  
  
Nozomi frowned. “Okay, just tell me what happened.”  
  
“Tsubasa took Chika’s ability. Which means she can hold up to five abilities now.” Future Honoka ran a hand over her face, exhaling loudly. “She killed all of you with just one and now…” She paused again, seemingly reflecting on that.   
  
Nozomi was about to say something when Honoka stood quickly and crossed the room, kneeling down in front of her. “Nozomi, you need to get out of here. You need to run.”  
  
“Senpai, I’m not going to-”   
  
“YOU HAVE TO!” Honoka grabbed Nozomi’s hands, her voice rising to a yell. “I can take you somewhere safe. I can take you anywhere in the world, you know that!”  
  
Nozomi swallowed thickly. The fear and desperation in Honoka’s eyes hurt more than anything else she was feeling. “I won’t run away and leave my friends.”  
  
Tears gathered in the corners of Honoka’s eyes. “Nozomi, please. You don’t know how dangerous it is. She’s going to kill you! I need you to go!”  
  
“Why?”  
  
“Because I do, because I can’t let you get hurt, because I…because I love you!” Honoka gripped Nozomi’s hands as tightly as she could, pleading with her to understand. “Please just let me take you away from here.”  
  
Nozomi opened and closed her mouth in shock. She’d never expected to hear Honoka say that. “W-What about you? You won’t leave, I know you won’t.” She cupped Honoka’s face in her hands and kissed her trembling lips. “I’m with you until the end, remember? Until A-Rise win. Or until we win and you decide you’re done with this. I’ll be with you for all of it.”  
  
Honoka choked out a sob and gripped Nozomi’s wrist. “I have to kill her. I have to before she gets Nico’s ability. When she does she’ll be unstoppable.”  
  
Nozomi wrapped her arms around Honoka, drawing her close. “We need a plan…”  
  
—  
  
Nico wasn’t all that surprised to find Hanayo waiting for her in her room. She was surprised to find the girl pacing agitatedly though. “I guess you heard what happened?”  
  
“Rin-chan told me.” Hanayo walked over to Nico and quickly looked her over. “Are you hurt? You look exhausted.”  
  
“Of course I’m not hurt, don’t be stupid.” Nico shrugged Hanayo off and walked over to her bed, lying down on it. “I had to give Eli some of my blood. And You. Then I had to hold Chika down because she was losing it. God, they’re all such a mess. Where is Rin anyway?”  
  
“She came by but she didn’t want to stay. She said she needed to be alone and she needed to sleep.” Hanayo answered with a tired sigh. “She looked really shaken up. I don’t know what she saw but it must have been bad.”  
  
Nico hummed in response and slid into bed. “I’m going to sleep…”  
  
“I’m tired too. Do you mind if I stay?” Hanayo didn’t wait for an answer before she turned off the light and crawled into bed next to Nico. “We’re in danger, aren’t we?”  
  
Nico sighed in response. “We’re always in danger.”  
  
“No, I-I mean we’re in more danger than usual.” Hanayo said anxiously. “People are coming after us again. Eli-chan is hurt, Honoka-chan is losing control…and we could be attacked at any second. They could find out where we are.”  
  
“Hey.” Nico turned onto her side and shuffled close to Hanayo, curling an arm around her waist. “Nobody’s going to hurt you while I’m around. I promised in the facility, remember? I’ll protect you.”  
  
Hanayo nodded in response. Nico had kept her promise back then so she should trust her now. It wasn’t easy though. They were up against so much danger. “Do you think…maybe one day this might be over?”  
  
Nico paused for a moment, thinking about that. “I hope so. We’re just in the thick of it right now so you can’t see a way out. Don’t worry. We’ll beat them.”  
  
“Do you think Honoka-chan will be okay?” Hanayo turned in Nico’s embrace so that she was facing her. “And Eli-chan?”  
  
Nico forced a smile to her lips. “Of course.” She lied softly. Saying anything else would have only upset Hanayo more than she already was. “They always are. And they have Umi.”  
  
“I guess.” Hanayo murmured thoughtfully. She bit her lip for a minute, clearly zoning out before she spoke again. “I-Is it weird for me to say I’m glad we were taken together?”  
  
“Very.” Nico said with a roll of her eyes.   
  
“I’m just glad we’re better friends now.” Hanayo confessed tentatively. “Rin-chan is so distant now when something is bothering her. I-I’m glad I have you too.”  
  
Nico scoffed despite the strange warmth she felt. “Well just don’t get attached. I’m not very good at this whole ‘best friend’ crap.”  
  
Hanayo smiled. Nico’s words were scathing but her tone was anything but. “I disagree.” She mumbled, closing her eyes once more. “Let’s sleep, Nico-chan…”  
  
—  
  
You was worried. It had been two days since Chika had gotten back from her ordeal at the Sonoda estate and she hadn’t said a word about what had happened to her. She had woken up screaming each night but she wouldn’t talk to You or anyone else about the nightmares she was having. Riko and Kanan had both tried several times to get Chika to open up to them but she was adamant that she wasn’t going to talk.   
  
You had learned from speaking to Eli’s dad that Future Honoka was the person who’d brought her and Chika back. She told Kanan as much and the older girl had gone to Future Honoka, asking her what happened. She’d been told to ask Chika or figure it out for herself before Future Honoka had slammed the door in her face.   
  
Chika barely spoke now, unless she had to. There were odd times when she’d try to seem optimistic but it always failed. She was only doing it for You and the others. You knew that already. It was sweet, but it didn’t make her worry any less.   
  
She was at a loss for what to do. Neither she, Kanan nor Riko could get through to Chika and Kanan had ruled out Mari even trying for some reason. You wasn’t sure why but even Riko had been completely against that.   
  
Whatever was wrong with Chika, You knew they couldn’t help so she decided to get help from Muse instead. She thought immediately of Honoka who Chika looked up to but it was clear that Honoka wasn’t ready to help anyone. She was still heartbroken over her sister being killed.   
  
Nozomi came to mind next. From talking to people in Muse, You had quickly learned that Nozomi was the most nurturing of the group. They looked to her for help and advice. Besides that, she was an empath. If anyone could help Chika with her emotional distress it would have to be Nozomi.   
  
She paused in front of Nozomi’s door and took a deep breath. Even Kanan was intimidated by Future Honoka. You knocked on the door, hoping that Honoka wouldn’t be the one to answer it. Unfortunately she was. “Uh…hi.” You said nervously. “I was hoping to speak t-to Nozomi-san about something.”  
  
Honoka narrowed her eyes. “She’s not here. What do you want her for anyway?”  
  
“I was hoping um…to ask if she could help me with something.” You stuttered nervously under Honoka’s glare. “I can come back la-”  
  
“Don’t be like that, senpai.” Nozomi interrupted, appearing behind Honoka at the door. She gave a soft smile when she noticed You standing there. “You-chan, right?”  
  
“Yes.” You answered hurriedly, deciding to focus on Nozomi instead of Honoka. “I was wondering if you would talk to Chika-chan for me. Since she came back she’s-”  
  
“No.” Future Honoka said, effectively cutting You off. “You’re not dragging her into that crap.”  
  
“But Chika-chan needs help!” You insisted desperately. “She needs someone who can relate to her. Someone who’s good at talking to people. Everyone in Muse says Nozomi-san would be the first person they’d go to if they needed to talk about something.”  
  
“I said NO!” Honoka exclaimed angrily.   
  
“I’ll help.” Nozomi’s softly spoken answer earned her a look of disbelief from Honoka. She quickly continued before Honoka could argue. “I’m doing it. I need to help someone. I’m not just going to hide behind you and keep being useless.”  
  
“Nozomi, it’s dangerous!” Honoka exclaimed in alarm. “We talked about this. We have to be…”  
  
“Careful, I know. But we have to do this. I have to do this. I’m sorry. I’ll be back later.” Nozomi kissed Honoka briefly on the lips before she turned back toward You. “Can you take me to her?”  
  
“Uh…yeah.” You said, blushing slightly. She didn’t look at Honoka, not wanting to see the time traveller glaring at her. “She’s just in our room so…if you want to follow me.”  
  
Nozomi cast an apologetic look back at Future Honoka before she followed You down the hall. She’d briefly heard what had happened from Honoka so she already knew it must have been quite traumatic for Chika.   
  
“Thank you for doing this.” You said gratefully, looking back at Nozomi. “I really want to help her. And so do Kanan-san and Riko-chan. But we can’t get through to her and we just feel so helpless…”  
  
“I can’t promise anything but I’ll try.” Nozomi said uncertainly. She wasn’t even sure what she was going to say to Chika. They didn’t even know each other. “Has she said anything at all?”  
  
You somberly shook her head. “Just that she’s glad I’m okay. She’s trying to pretend everything is fine so we don’t worry but she’s not herself.” She paused at the door to the room she was sharing with Chika. She opened her mouth to say something. Maybe to plead with Nozomi to try as hard as she could but instead she stayed silent. She opened the door and stepped into the room. Chika was lying on her back on their bed, her gaze fixed on the ceiling. “Hey, Chika-chan. I um…brought someone to see you.”  
  
Chika pushed herself into a sitting position and frowned when she saw Nozomi.   
  
“Sorry for intruding.” Nozomi said politely. “My name is…”  
  
“Nozomi-chan. The empath. I know that already.” Chika said curtly. “What do you want?”  
  
“Chika-chan, please don’t be rude.” You glanced apologetically at Nozomi who responded with a shrug and walked further into the room.   
  
“Honoka-chan told me you were her childhood friend. You used to live right next door to her, right?” Nozomi asked quietly, stopping at the foot of the bed. “You must have been pretty happy to see her again.”  
  
Chika watched Nozomi with a hint of distrust. “Yeah, of course. It’s been a long time since I saw her.”  
  
“Do you mind if I sit?” Nozomi requested motioning toward the bed. Chika nodded her bandaged head and Nozomi sat, looking at the bandage in contemplation. The wound must have been bad, for it to be taking so long to heal. “You-chan is your childhood friend too, right? What about Riko-chan? You two seem close.”  
  
Chika drew her knees to her chest. “I’ve only been friends with Riko-chan for about a year. W-We have a connection though. She’s one of my best friends. Kanan-chan too, s-she’s been my friend for a long time.”  
  
Nozomi smiled softly as Chika spoke. “That sounds nice. I didn’t have a childhood friend myself. I was always too quiet. And being moved around all of the time. I have a best friend though. Elichi. The girl with the fire ability. You probably remember her, she can be a bit…hot headed. No pun intended.”  
  
Chika snickered at the joke, much to her own surprise. “U-Um, I thought Honoka might be your best friend. You seem close to her future self.”  
  
Nozomi shook her head. “Honoka is one of my closest friends and she’s precious to me. To us all. But she’s not the reason I’m close to her future self. It’s complicated. Besides Elichi, I suppose…Nicocchi is my best friend. She’s always there for me when I need her.”  
  
Chika scoffed and looked down at her knees. “Is this the part where you tell me my friends are here for me and I need to open up to them? Because that’s crap.”  
  
You shifted uncomfortably, trying not to take offence.   
  
Nozomi gave a soft laugh. “No. Sometimes the last person we want to open up to is our friends. Especially if it’s about something bad that’s happened to us. Sometimes they’re too close to it and it’ll just hurt them. Is that why you won’t let them in?”  
  
Chika shrugged her shoulders.   
  
“Does it still hurt?” Nozomi continued, not dissuaded. “I can help with that. I’m an empath so I have a high pain tolerance. So don’t worry about hurting me.”  
  
“I’m not.” Chika said dully. “I’m just…I don’t have anything to give you. I don’t really feel anything anymore. Nothing hurts. I saw You-chan crying because she couldn’t help me last night and I didn’t care. I don’t feel anything.”  
  
Nozomi’s brow furrowed in concern. “Do you mind if I…?” She reached out to Chika’s chest, pausing before she touched her. When Chika shrugged she pressed her hand against the girl’s chest and closed her eyes, focusing intently. Nothing. She gritted her teeth in concentration but there was nothing there.   
  
“See?” Chika murmured. “Nothing.”  
  
“We need Nicocchi.” Nozomi said, taking her hand away. “Maybe it’s an effect of her ability. I know you said you don’t get the effects with the abilities but maybe it’s different with hers.”  
  
“I don’t have that ability anymore.” Chika said with a shrug of her shoulders. “Honoka-chan’s future self made me copy over it. That’s why this is taking so long to heal. It would have anyway but I don’t have Nico-san’s ability now…”  
  
Nozomi leaned close to Chika, gently pressed her hand to the girl’s cheek to turn her head as she looked at the bandages. “Did something happen to your nerves?”  
  
“Huh?”  
  
“Chika-chan, do you remember exactly what happened to your head?” Nozomi asked seriously, lowering her hand again. She wouldn’t be able to see anything.   
  
Chika shook her head. “I just remember it hurting a lot. And…being glad it wasn’t happening to You-chan.”  
  
Nozomi looked to You who was hovering anxiously in the doorway. “Get me Honoka. The one I’m…dating. And Nicocchi. And Rei-san.” As You hurried off to do as she asked, she turned back to Chika. “We’ll need to go to the infirmary, Chika-chan.”  
  
Chika nodded. “It’s fine. I just want to get better. I want to feel like myself again.”  
  
“We’ll do everything we can to help you.” Nozomi promised, getting to her feet. She hoped they could. Obviously Tsubasa had damaged something in Chika’s head. “Come on, let’s go.”  
  
—  
  
Future Honoka decided to use her time wisely after Nozomi left and headed down the hallway to Nico’s room. She let herself in, finding Nico and Hanayo sitting on the bed.   
  
“I need to speak to you, Nico.” She said directly. She cast a pointed glance at Hanayo. “Alone.”  
  
Hanayo got the hint and scrambled off the bed before scurrying from the room. Honoka watched her go, raising an eyebrow. “I wish I could say messing around with the first years isn’t like you. I’m surprised it isn’t Maki this time.”  
  
Nico scowled. “Is that what you came to talk to me about? Not that it’s any of your business but I don’t need to be screwing someone to be friends with them.”  
  
Honoka scoffed. “Friendship suggests you care about them. That’s not very like you.”  
  
“You know what?” Nico rose from the bed, already irritated. “Fuck off and get out. I don’t want to speak to you. You’ve caused nothing but problems since you got here.”  
  
Honoka crossed her arms in front of her chest. “I came to tell you that Tsubasa is after you. After your ability. And when she gets it, none of us are going to be able to stop her. Not even me.”  
  
Nico looked shocked for a moment but then she shook her head. “What the hell do you want me to say to that? Maybe she already has my ability. Maybe she took it from Chika. What does it matter? If they can take me prisoner there’ll be a way to stop her. And then we’ll just have to destroy her brain or…”  
  
“This isn’t a damn joke, Nico!” Honoka exclaimed loudly. “Tsubasa managed to kill all of your friends in the future with just one ability. Do you have any idea how unstoppable she’s going to be with five? And your ability?! She’ll be fucking immortal!”  
  
“And whose fault is that?!” Nico countered, storming over to Honoka. “You said it yourself. In your future she only had one ability. But you had to come back and screw EVERYTHING UP. IF YOU WANT SOMEONE TO BLAME, LOOK AT Y-” She was cut off by a sharp punch to the jaw that sent her reeling back. “Well if that’s how you want it…”  
  
She bounced back within seconds, countering Honoka’s punch with one of her own. Unlike her, Honoka had to pause because of the pain and it gave Nico a chance to land another punch, to the young woman’s cheek this time.   
  
With a roar of anger, Honoka tackled Nico to the ground and hit her again.   
  
You walked in in time to see Nico kick Honoka in the lower back, using her distraction against her. She flipped them over and raised her fist again. “Hey, hey, hey!” You rushed over and grabbed the back of Nico’s shirt, easily picking her up. She set her back down on her feet and put herself between the two. When Honoka made to get to Nico again, You shoved her, sending her flying back onto her ass. “Stop fighting! Nozomi-san needs your help with Chika-chan.”  
  
Future Honoka grimaced as she got back to her feet, wiping blood from her lip. She had to admit, Nico could punch hard. Not nearly as hard as her Nico though. “Shit, you really are strong. Fine. Take us to her.”  
  
“This isn’t over.” Nico warned, her hands still clenched into fist. She held it up to show the bleeding grazes healing. “And unlike you I can go at it longer.”  
  
Honoka scowled. “Fuck y-”  
  
“HEY!” You yelled in frustration. “Both of you, stop! We need to help Chika-chan, not bicker amongst ourselves!”  
  
“Yeah, ‘Honoka’.” Nico glared angrily at Future Honoka. “We need to do something useful. Not that you would know what that’s like. I don’t know what Nozomi sees in you. You’re nothing like our-”  
  
Honoka growled under her breath. “You little…”  
  
“ENOUGH!” You stormed over to Honoka and threw her over her shoulder, causing her to yelp in surprise. “You two are coming with me.”  
  
Nico tried to back away but before she knew what was happening she was being lifted too, You’s arm under her stomach. “What the hell?! Hey future girl, aren’t you going to stop her?”  
  
Future Honoka was busy trying to wriggle free of You’s iron grip. Finally with a grunt of frustration she fell still and allowed herself to be carried out of the room. “Yeah, I can’t. She’s too strong.”  
  
“This is humiliating.” Nico muttered with a huff as she glared at the ground. She could only hope that Maki and Hanayo wouldn’t see her.   
  
Finally she found herself being set back onto her feet along with Future Honoka.   
  
“I’ve got them.” You announced, crossing her arms in front of her chest. “They were busy bickering so I had to carry them here.”  
  
Nico looked around, for the first time noticing they were in the infirmary. “Huh? Why are we here?”  
  
“I ran into Rei-san when I got here.” Nozomi said, not answering Nico’s question. She nodded toward the doctor who was standing next to the bed Chika was lying in. “Chika-chan needs our help.”


	38. Chapter 38

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Second part of the double chapter post and we're almost caught up now!
> 
> Warning(s): Sexual scenes, swearing, implied torture.

Hanayo glanced between Kotori and Maki and Yume who was staring at them silently. The atmosphere in the kitchen was tense to say the least.   
  
“So um…” Hanayo pause when the three of them turned to look at her. “Does anyone know how Honoka-chan is? I haven’t seen her since she got back.”  
  
“She’s still upset but Umi-chan and Eli-chan are helping her.” Kotori answered. She wished she could help Honoka herself but she knew that Eli and Umi were what was best for her right now. She couldn’t help as much as they could and if Honoka needed her she would come and find her. “Don’t worry, I’m sure she’s going to be fine.”  
  
“Right…” Hanayo glanced over her shoulder at Nico who was finishing up with making breakfast. She wished the girl would hurry up. 

“Kotori, what is that on your neck?” Yume asked suddenly, having noticed the circular bruise when Kotori had turned to Hanayo. She watched as Kotori’s hand went right to it while Maki choked on her coffee. 

“Uh…what?” Kotori asked guiltily.   
  
Yume turned to Maki, fixing her with an annoyed glare. “Nishikino?”  
  
“D-Don’t look at me, I didn’t do anything!” Maki exclaimed hurriedly. She hardly wanted to endure another of Yume’s lectures.   
  
“What’s everyone looking at?” Nico was suddenly at Kotori’s side, tugging at her collar so she could see the mark. “Ah, that looks like a hickey. Maki has them too. See?” She tugged Maki’s collar down next, displaying numerous marks scattered across her skin.   
  
“Nico-chan!” Maki cried in betrayal.   
  
Hanayo snickered into her hand.   
  
“Kotori.” Yume spoke in a clipped tone of voice.   
  
“I’m sixteen, mom!” Kotori retorted defensively. She already knew what her mom was going to say. “And Maki-chan is my girlfriend. You like Maki-chan, remember? You were happy about this when we first got together.”  
  
“That’s before I knew you were sleeping together!” Yume argued, her eyes widening. She had been happy about it. Kotori was good for Maki and Maki was good for Kotori in return, at least she hoped that was the case. She wasn’t as happy as Rei about it though. The woman had been ecstatic when she’d found out.   
  
“Everyone in Muse is sleeping with someone else in Muse.” Nico said with a roll of her eyes. “You’ll have to get used to it.”  
  
“That’s…wait, who are you sleeping with?” Maki asked, turning back to Nico.   
  
“Hanayo.” Nico answered simply.   
  
“NICO-CHAN!” Hanayo cried, her face turning red. “Sh-She means sleeping in the same bed. We don’t do anything. We just sleep together. Like side by side. With…space. No touching.”  
  
“Liar.” Nico smirked, leaning against the table. “I usually have my arms around her. And she presses her face against my shoulder. It’s pretty cute, I guess.”  
  
“Wait…so when did you two get so close? Like…when did you start sharing a bed?” Kotori asked curiously, seemingly forgetting about her argument with her mom.   
  
Hanayo looked down uncomfortably. “W-When we were in the…facility Nico-chan and I slept in the same bed because it was always cold and we were safer together.”  
  
“That’s actually…kind of sweet.” Maki said, looking at Nico skeptically. She had never known her to be overly nice to anyone.   
  
Yume sighed irritably. “Can we please get back on track? Kotori, you’re too young to be going along with these types of things. I know Maki’s mother says she won’t take advantage but it’s too soon.”  
  
“I’m sitting right here.” Maki mumbled. She continued, her voice louder. “Where is Mama anyway?”  
  
Nico’s face fell at that and she quickly wandered away to fetch breakfast, Hanayo’s curious gaze following her.   
  
“I’m going to eat in my room.” She announced as she made her way back with a tray of food. “Hanayo, you coming?”  
  
Hanayo nodded quickly and got up to follow Nico.   
  
“Nico-chan, you can’t leave me with them!” Maki hissed though everyone in the room clearly heard her. Nico waved a hand in dismissal as she walked out with Hanayo.   
  
Maki turned back to Yume, finding her staring at her with a disapproving look.   
  
“Them?” Kotori asked, an almost hurt look on her face.   
  
“I-I didn’t mean…” Maki groaned and slouched down in her seat. “I’m going to be quiet now, okay?”  
  
“Honestly, Kotori. You need to pick the people you like more carefully.” Yume said, shaking her head. “First Honoka and now this one?”  
  
“This one has a name…” Maki muttered under her breath.   
  
Yume glared hard at Maki. “I think I prefered Honoka. She was polite at least. And to think you were so adorable as a toddler. You’ve changed so much.”  
  
“I think Maki-chan is still adorable.” Kotori meekly piped up. She smirked at Maki as she looked over. “And other things.”  
  
“Kotori!” Yume berated firmly. “Don’t think I don’t know what that means!”  
  
“S-Sorry mother…” Kotori slid down in her seat.   
  
—  
  
“Come on, please eat something. For me?” Umi ducked her head to meet Honoka’s downcast eyes. “I even brought you your favourite kind of bread. Please? You’re going to make yourself sick.”  
  
“I don’t care.” Honoka muttered darkly, averting her eyes again. She didn’t look at Eli. She couldn’t look her in the eye after what she had done. “You should just leave.”  
  
“Honoka, please. You need to calm down.” Umi reached up, gently caressing Honoka’s face. She watched as Honoka’s eyes briefly flitted shut. “We’re your girlfriends. We just want to help you.”  
  
“I don’t want your help.” Honoka countered, drawing away from Umi’s touch. She didn’t deserve it. “I definitely don’t want her help.”  
  
Eli paused in what she was doing, turning to Honoka. “Her?”  
  
“Honoka?” Umi patiently rubbed Honoka’s shoulder. “Do you mean Eli? She’s just trying to help too. She’s your girlfriend too, remember? She loves you.”  
  
Honoka clenched her jaw. “She should go back to Nozomi-chan.” She finally forced herself to look at Eli and noticed hurt flash across her face. “Don’t you hear me? Get out! GET THE HELL OUT!”  
  
Eli flinched at the sudden yelling and Umi quickly grabbed Honoka’s upper arms, trying to calm her. “Hey, hey…calm down, Honoka. Calm down, I’m right here. Eli’s not going to leave you. She loves you. Right, Eli?”  
  
Eli swallowed against the lump in her throat. “Yeah. Of course I do. Honoka, I love you so much. I’m not…”  
  
“I don’t love you.” Honoka was lying and all three of them knew it. It didn’t make it hurt any less for Eli though, nor did it make Umi any less shocked.   
  
“HONOKA!”   
  
“I just want you to get the hell away from me.” Honoka’s voice shook with emotion. “I want you to leave me alone so you’ll be…”  
  
“Safe?” Eli finished softly as she stepped forward. “I don’t want to be safe, Honoka. I want to be with you.”  
  
“This isn’t what you want. What either of you want. I’ve just been selfish. Making you both run into danger to save me, making you both be with me at the same time even though you don’t want to be…like that with each other.” Honoka sniffled and wiped roughly at her eyes. “Please just leave. Both of you.”  
  
“Honoka.” Eli made sure she had Honoka’s attention before she turned to Umi. It seemed like the girl had the same idea as she reached up, grabbing Eli’s shirt and as gently as she could, pulled her into a deep kiss. It wasn’t as innocent as the ones they’d shared in the past and it didn’t feel as explosive to either of them as when they kissed Honoka but it was nice all the same, especially when Umi’s hands crept under Eli’s shirt to roam over her bare stomach and up to her bandages chest.   
  
“Bolder than I thought.” Eli whispered against Umi’s lips before she kissed her harder, her hands going to the back of her neck. She pressed her tongue past soft lips and Umi moaned in response, drawing Eli down closer to her.   
  
Honoka watched the two of them, her mouth hanging open in shock. Strangely she didn’t feel jealous in the slightest. This was what she had wanted for some time now. “Eli-senpai likes it when you bit her lip, just a bit…”  
  
Umi vaguely heard Honoka and did just that, nipping at Eli’s lower lip as the blonde briefly pulled away for air. Their eyes met intently, Eli’s lip still held between Umi’s teeth.   
  
Eli whimpered at the feeling and noticed the smug look in Umi’s eyes. She drew her back to her and kissed her again, needily this time. It wasn’t just about Honoka watching them, it was about them being together too.   
  
Eli drew back, glancing at Honoka to see that the girl was transfixed by the two of them. She crawled over to her and cupped her face in her hands, kissing her softly. “I love you, Honoka.” She whispered against Honoka’s lips. “And I could love Umi, I think. Please don’t push me away. I just want to be with you. Both of you, okay? Please.”  
  
Honoka kissed Eli back hard, drawing the blonde close to her. She felt a hand on her arm and knew immediately that Umi had moved over to the two of them. Breaking away from Eli, she was soon met by Umi’s soft lips as the girl kissed her hungrily. Honoka couldn’t help but whimper. Umi seemed so worked up already.   
  
Eli hadn’t planned for this but as long as it was helping to distract Honoka she had no problem going along with it. She gripped the hem of Umi’s shirt and helped her out of it, forcing Umi and Honoka to break their kiss for a moment.   
  
Umi shuddered as Eli kissed her back, heated lips tracing down her spine. She felt Honoka’s hands go around her waist to draw her closer and then Honoka was nipping and sucking at her neck. She wondered when the attention had turned to her. With both of them focusing on her she felt like she was burning up. It didn’t help that Eli’s body was hot to the touch.   
  
Eli’s hand shifted around to Umi’s front, fingers skimming over her stomach. She paused when her fingers were stopped by Umi’s bra. “Can I touch you?” She whispered, nipping at Umi’s ear.   
  
“Not yet.” Umi answered, pulling away from Honoka. She turned and cupped Eli’s face in her hands, kissing her deeply. She felt her submit to her touch right away, practically melting into her and she gently guided her down onto her back. “I want you first. And so does Honoka, I can guarantee.”  
  
“What?” Eli glanced between Honoka and Umi in surprise. She hadn’t been expecting this at all. She’d had something completely different in mind in fact. “Both of you?”  
  
“Of course both of us.” Honoka crawled on top of Eli and carefully removed her girlfriend’s shirt. Her gaze shifted guiltily to the bandages on her chest. She took a shuddering breath and leaned down, planting a whisper of a kiss there. “You deserve so much love after…after what I’ve done. I’m sorry.”  
  
Eli wanted to argue but then Honoka was kissing her, a gentle hand sliding into her hair. She couldn’t resist the urge to kiss her back, tugging Honoka’s shirt up so that she could feel her skin pressed against her own. “Mmm, Honoka…”  
  
“Yeah?” Honoka took Eli’s lower lip between her own and sucked gently causing the blonde to inhale sharply. She let go of the soft flesh and smiled down at her dazed girlfriend. “Just let us take care of you, alright?”  
  
Eli nodded in response, her mind racing. It was unbelievable that she was doing this with one of them but two girls at the same time was something else. The thought sent heat directly to her core and she gasped softly. Suddenly the thought that she might end up finishing too early occurred to her. “J-Just be gentle, alright?”  
  
“I didn’t know she could be this cute…” Umi mused, gently tugging Eli’s sweats down a little. She lightly kissed her hip, earning a wanton moan from the blonde beneath them.  
  
Eli lay back and closed her eyes as Umi tugged at her sweats again, trailing light kisses down her thighs. She felt Honoka move up to her and kiss her and wrapped her arms around her to keep her close. Umi’s hand rubbed at her hip and she found herself stunned by how warm the two of them were. How much they made her feel whole.   
  
—  
  
“Just ask, I know you want to.” Nico sighed as she sat down on her bed, placing the tray she’d brought in front of her. Hanayo had been watching her silently since they had left the kitchen and Nico had spent enough time with her to know that she wanted to know something.   
  
“Why did you freeze when Maki-chan asked where her mom is?” Hanayo climbed onto the bed and sat cross legged opposite Nico. “Did something bad happen?”  
  
“No, relax. She’s just doing some tests on that Chika girl. Nozomi says that whatever Tsubasa did to her really fucked her up or something.” Nico said with a shrug of her shoulders. “I think they’re trying to keep it quiet or something.”  
  
“Oh…” Hanayo gratefully took the chopsticks Nico offered her along with a bowl of steamed rice. “Thank you.” She watched Nico for a moment, noticing how troubled she looked. “What’s wrong?”  
  
“Nothing. Just thinking about Chika. She has my condition. She can’t feel anything.” Nico frowned, staring down at the tray in front of her.   
  
“You can feel though.” Hanayo pointed out as she began to eat.   
  
“Barely. And I can’t without my stimulants.” Nico sighed and ran a hand through her hair. “So it’s not really feeling.”  
  
Hanayo set aside her rice and reached over, gently grasping Nico’s hand. “Can you feel this?”  
  
Nico held her breath as she stared at their hands. She had felt that. She could even feel her skin tingling as Hanayo’s thumb rubbed the back of her hand. “Yeah but…”  
  
Hanayo nudged the tray aside and moved forward, wrapping her arms around Nico in a careful hug. “What about this?”  
  
Nico closed her eyes, focusing on the warmth of Hanayo’s body against hers. “If I focus on what I should feel, I can.”  
  
“Then maybe you can teach Chika-san how you feel things.” Hanayo slowly drew back, plopping into her previous position. “Maybe it’ll help her. That’s what you want, right?”  
  
“Maybe…” Nico scoffed as Hanayo went back to eating her rice. “You’re such a know-it-all.”  
  
“No, I’m not. There is something I want to know though.” Hanayo said, a hint of a smirk tugging at her lips. Nico merely raised an eyebrow. “Why did you tell Maki-chan we were sleeping together? To make her jealous?”  
  
Nico winced. “Technically I didn’t lie about that.”  
  
Hanayo narrowed her eyes as she chewed. “You made it sound like something it’s not. That’s not telling the truth. So why did you do it? Was it to make Maki-chan jealous?”  
  
Nico shrugged her shoulders. “I don’t know. Maybe. I just don’t want her to think that I’m alone, that’s all. It sucks to be the only person who’s alone. Eli has Honoka and Umi, Nozomi has future Honoka though I don’t know what the hell she sees in her. Maki has Kotori. You have Rin.”  
  
“As my best friend. But that’s all.” Hanayo said with a roll of her eyes. “You’re not the only person who isn’t dating someone, Nico-chan. I don’t like Rin-chan like that and even if I did she has no interest in…romance. All she cares about at the minute is getting faster.”  
  
“I don’t care about dating anyone.” Nico crossed her arms in front of her chest and pouted. “It’s the other stuff I care about. I mean…you know. It’s not like I know for sure I’d be able to feel it but still. But whatever. It’s embarrassing that I haven’t yet. Even Maki has!”  
  
“Oh.” Hanayo’s eyes widened for a split second. “I-I see.”  
  
“Don’t laugh at me!” Nico exclaimed, noticing Hanayo’s eyes were alight with amusement. “It’s not funny. Is it so bad that I want someone to like me?!”  
  
“Right, sorry.” Hanayo schooled her features into a serious expression and cleared her throat. “Maybe if all of this gets worse we could just do it together. We might all die soon anyway.”  
  
“That’s dark, Hanayo.” Nico muttered miserably. “And I’m being serious.”   
  
“So am I. I don’t exactly want to die a virgin either. And look at us. We’re being constantly attacked, we’re in hiding! And I-I believe that Honoka-chan won’t be able to save us.” Hanayo said seriously, her eyes sad and afraid. “I believe some important things need to happen. Like me killing someone. A-Rise. Maybe even our deaths. I think Honoka-chan is trying to help but she’s leading us to that without meaning to. I think she’s just speeding everything along.”  
  
Nico swallowed thickly. She had wondered the same things herself but she’d never voiced her thoughts out loud. “You…have a dark mind. If you think we’re all just going to die soon then what’s the point? Why are you even sitting here talking to me?”  
  
“Because I think we’re all going to die soon.” Hanayo looked down at her half empty bowl of rice. “And I want to surround myself with the people I love. That’s the only good thing about being stuck in hiding. You, Rin-chan and the others are all here.”  
  
Nico nervously dampened her lips. “I don’t know if I like this side of you. You’re different now, since that night. I noticed when you were running away with Rin too.”  
  
“Sorry.” Hanayo looked up through her lashes, flashing Nico a weak smile. “I figured since I killed someone and everyone keeps dying it’s best to always think of the worst outcome.”  
  
“Aren’t you afraid?” Nico asked cautiously, watching Hanayo closely. “Thinking that we’re all gonna die?”  
  
“I’m terrified.” Hanayo admitted softly. “Sometimes thinking about it keeps me awake at night but…I don’t know, Nico-chan. I’m not scared to die myself. I’m just afraid of watching everyone else around me die. Like Honoka-chan’s future self.”  
  
“This is depressing, even for me.” Nico said with a shake of her head. “Listen, we’re going to be fine, okay? How did you get all of this crap into your head anyway?”  
  
“I’ve been doing some reading about time travel and changing the past.” Hanayo answered earnestly. “About timelines and fixed points and…”  
  
“Stop.” Nico held up her hand. “Just stop reading, alright? We’re all going to be fine so just stop.”  
  
“You know Maki-chan and Rei-san are doing the same thing, don’t you?” Hanayo huffed. “In fact me and Maki-chan have been talking about it privately for a while. We’ve been trying to unlock her mom’s laptop documents.”  
  
“What?! Are you freaking CRAZY?! Wait…how do you even know how to do this stuff?”  
  
“The internet?” Hanayo shrugged her shoulders. “Maki-chan says that there’s a reason those three are helping us…”  
  
“Beside being parents?” Nico muttered in disbelief.   
  
Hanayo looked around and lowered her voice to a whisper. “Something big is about to go down, Nico-chan. Maki-chan has heard Rei-san talking to Takashi-san and Yume-san about it. We think Yume-san must have made Rei-san document her entire cognitive dream. We know she had one. They’re always talking about it.”  
  
“Ugh, you’re giving me a headache. Just stop.” Nico stood up and paced across the room, rubbing her forehead. “I don’t get you. I thought you were scared. I thought that’s why you stayed in my bed every night, because you…” She threw her hands up, at a loss. “I just don’t understand. I thought we…” She paused, laughing at her own naivety. “I thought we trusted each other more than anyone else and you didn’t even tell me you were doing any of this. Did you think I wouldn’t care or something?”  
  
“No, it’s not that. We just wanted to focus on what’s happening.” Hanayo felt guilty as she watched Nico shake her head. She wondered if she was imagining the hurt look on Nico’s face. “We’ve been trying to help Rin-chan get faster, she’s even phasing now, like me! We were thinking that if everything does happen like Honoka-chan said, we could at least have a backup if Rin-chan is fast enough. It might be risky but all three of us think we should have a plan B. Honoka-chan had the right idea to go after Sonoda-san but she was being reckless. But we need to be on the offence, Nico-chan.”  
  
“So you’re a team. The three of you.” Nico surmised quietly. “Just the three of you, just…best friends and teammates. Must be nice.”  
  
Hanayo’s brow furrowed. “Nico-chan, don’t make this about something it isn’t about. I wasn’t lying when I said I feel safest with you. It’s not like you’re my second choice. I’m trying to help. I’m doing the best I can here!”  
  
Nico rubbed her chest, trying to remember if she’d taken any stimulants recently. She knew she hasn’t but she had a strange feeling. Like her chest was tight and her throat was closing up. She felt sick too but she didn’t know what that was about.   
  
“You’re not saying anything.” Hanayo said slowly, stepping closer to Nico. “Did I make you mad?”  
  
Nico hesitated for a moment before she shook her head.   
  
Hanayo’s gaze drifted to Nico’s hand. She remembered in the facility, Nico was always clutching at her chest. Like the feeling of pain was so unfamiliar to her that she thought her heart was breaking. “Did I hurt you?”  
  
Nico’s jaw clenched. “Yeah.” She finally said, staring at the far wall. “I think you might have. I don’t know why. Or how. I guess I just got the wrong idea about us. I thought after the facility and after you started sleeping in my room, I thought we were closer. I guess I was wrong.”  
  
Hanayo shook her head, bewildered. “I…I’m sorry. I wanted to tell you but we agreed that it would be best not to let people know about what we were doing. Everyone is so caught up in other things. It’s not like I’m leaving you behind, Nico-chan. Or leaving you out. I didn’t want to hurt you.”  
  
Nico stayed silent, focusing on breathing through the ache in her chest.   
  
“Don’t take it personally. Please. It’s not that I don’t trust you, it’s just that we wanted to keep it quiet.” Hanayo pleaded desperately. “Nobody else knows either.”  
  
Nico gritted her teeth. “So I’m just another person to you. Great. I shouldn’t have thought otherwise.”  
  
“You’re not!” Hanayo realized she wasn’t getting through to Nico and so she would have to show her instead. She hurried forward and reached for Nico’s hand, intending to pull her close but Nico wrenched her hand back.   
  
“Don’t. I’m not into letting people touch me.” Nico’s voice cracked slightly as she spoke. She felt embarrassed by her own behavior. She never acted so irrationally. Relationships and friendships didn’t bother her. Most of all she just felt hurt and betrayed. And now guilty at seeing the hurt in Hanayo’s eyes. “Have fun with your little experiment.”  
  
“Nico-chan, please…” Hanayo trailed off as Nico turned and left the room. “Damn it!”  
  
—-  
  
Kotori knocked lightly on the door to her mother’s study, trying to ignore the dread that had been creeping up on her since she’d learned that her mother wanted to speak to her. It was Takashi who had let her know. The fact that her mother hadn’t come to her herself was evidence enough that the conversation wasn’t going to be an enjoyable one.   
  
Her mother called for her to come in and she carefully entered the room, shutting the door behind her. Yume was sitting at her desk, her hands clasped atop it in front of her.   
  
“Takashi-san said you wanted to speak to me?” Kotori asked bluntly as she walked further into the room. She paused in front of her mother’s desk but made no effort to take a seat.   
  
“Yes.” Yume forced a smile to her lips. “Can you please sit down?” She waited until Kotori sat down with a sigh. “I wanted to speak to you about Maki.”  
  
Kotori tensed at the mention of Maki’s name. “What about her? She already told you she’s sorry about what you walked in on.”  
  
“Yes, there’s…that.” Yume winced at the memory of what she’d seen. “All I’ve ever wanted is for you to be happy, Kotori. But I don’t think that Maki is a good fit for you.”  
  
“What?!” Kotori shot back to her feet, her eyes wide with shock. “Are you crazy?! She’s amazing. Smart, funny, loyal. She’s everything I could ask for and she loves me! How could she be a bad fit?”  
  
Yume shook her head. She had expected this. “She’s trouble. I know her middle school principal. She’s a troublemaker. She’s been in more fights than I can count and she’s even used her ability against people. Maki doesn’t know how to deal with people. She’s always been isolated.”  
  
“Are you…?” Kotori felt a rush of anger and stepped closer to her mother’s desk, gripping the edge. “THAT’S BECAUSE WE STOPPED VISITING HER AND REI-SAN! MAKI BECAME THAT WAY BECAUSE SHE THOUGHT I BETRAYED HER BUT I DIDN’T. WHY DID WE STOP VISITING HER ANYWAY? I ASKED AND ASKED BUT YOU ALWAYS SAID NO. OR ‘MAYBE NEXT WEEK’.”  
  
“Jin-san said that she’s started to become unstable. She was causing trouble during her check ups. Always insisting on piano lessons and going outside. I couldn’t risk letting you near her!” Yume slowly rose from her seat, steadily meeting Kotori’s accusing stare.   
  
“Maki-chan isn’t an animal, she’s a person! She deserved to do what she wanted! She’s not an a robot o-or an object you can just USE and CONTROL!” Kotori’s chest was heaving as she yelled at her mother. She couldn’t remember ever really yelling at her before. “You didn’t make me stay home all of the time. I didn’t have to do half of the crap Maki-chan did. It’s NOT FAIR! IT’S-” She was cut off as the door opened behind her. She didn’t turn to see who it was. She didn’t need to.   
  
“What the hell is going on in here? I can hear you halfway down the hall!” Rei exclaimed as she made her way to Kotori’s side. Maki, her face paler than usual stayed in the doorway.   
  
Yume opened her mouth but Rei cut in again before she could speak. “I don’t want you to speak to me right now. You realize you were just talking about my daughter, don’t you? If you have something to say about her you can say it to my face NOT to my daughter’s girlfriend!” She paused for a moment, a shaky laugh of disbelief passing her lips. There was no disguising the anger in it though. “So the truth is out…the reason you left is because you listened to Jin. There was nothing wrong with Kotori-chan. She wasn’t SICK like you said she was.”  
  
It all made sense now. She had offered to try to find out what was wrong with Kotori but Yume had completely denied her help, saying she didn’t want to affect Maki’s ‘treatment’.  
  
“I couldn’t RISK IT, Rei! I couldn’t!” Yume looked guilty but her tone remained clipped and guarded.   
  
“You were always a damn coward, Yume!” Rei growled angrily.   
  
“A coward?! Do you know what she could do with her ability if it grows strong enough?!” Yume asked in disbelief. “She could kill THOUSANDS without lifting a finger!”  
  
Maki who had been hovering near the door, piped up, her eyes wet with tears. “I’m not going t-to kill anyone.”  
  
Kotori turned toward her, having not noticed she was even there. “M-Maki-chan…” She opened her arms and Maki fled into them.  
  
“Even if she doesn’t want to kill anyone, you know something is coming.” Yume said seriously. “And you know every single detail of what happened in Honoka’s future. You can’t tell me it hasn’t crossed your mind that the person taking a bullet for your daughter won’t be Nico-chan this time!”  
  
“You’re being ridiculous.” Rei accused, glancing back at Maki before she turned to Yume. “You need to stop making accusations just because you’re afraid. I’ve had enough of idiots being needlessly afraid of my daughter. Maki?”  
  
“Yeah?” Maki was trembling as she cried but she looked up at her mom anyway.   
  
“Do you love Kotori-chan? Would you ever do anything to hurt her?” Rei asked patiently though she didn’t look away from Yume.   
  
“I do love her.” Maki squeezed Kotori tightly, tears tracking their way down her cheeks. “I would never hurt her. I’d rather die.”  
  
“Do you think what she says MATTERS?!” Yume yelled, slamming her hands down on the table. “I’ve seen the future and your daughter is not fighting with us. She’s fighting against us. Now I’ve promised you I’ll do everything I can to keep it from happening but I won’t take the risk of letting Kotori be dragged into it!”  
  
“Wait…what?” Kotori asked meekly while Maki could only gape at Yume in shock. “What do you mean she’s…?”  
  
“You two are not to see each other. I forbid it.” Yume’s dark gaze turned to them. “You’ll sleep in separate beds from now on and you will go back to being just friends.”  
  
“Maki, Kotori. Please leave. And ignore what Yume is saying.” Rei straightened up, turning toward the two of them. “Kotori-chan, please make sure that Maki is okay. Go. Now.”  
  
Quickly, Kotori guided Maki out of the room, closing the door behind them.   
  
Rei was silent for a few seconds before she turned to Yume and spoke. “Being together is what they both want. I can’t let you take that away from them. Maki already lost Kotori once, I’m not going to let you take her away from her again. If anything would be enough to sway Maki to the other side it would be losing Kotori. It’s not going to happen as long as I’m here.”  
  
“Kotori is my daughter. If I say she can’t date someone, she can’t.” Yume said firmly. “They’re over. For Kotori’s sake.”  
  
Rei gritted her teeth. “You’re such a fucking coward, Yume. And by the way, your daughter is more rebellious than mine. You never kept her on a leash like Jin did with Maki. Kotori is going to do what she wants and nothing is going to stop her. Especially you.”  
  
—  
  
Maki broke away from Kotori halfway down the hallway and tried to head toward her mother’s room. Kotori was briefly confused but realizing what was happening she grabbed the redhead’s hand and led her to another room. She wasn’t sure whose room it was but she could see clothes scattered around. Thankfully nobody was there.  
  
“We can’t…” Maki protested meekly, her voice strained from crying.   
  
“I don’t care.” Kotori stepped forward and Maki pressed back against the door. Gently Kotori began to wipe Maki’s tears away.   
  
“Kotori, you heard what your mom said.” Maki choked out. “I don’t know what she was talking about but what if she’s telling the truth? What if I am…one of them?”  
  
“Then I guess I’m joining the dark side too.” Kotori said with a small smile.   
  
“It’s not funny. I’m serious!”  
  
“I know.” Kotori leaned in and pressed her forehead to Maki’s, closing her eyes. “Let’s not talk about it like this, okay? I trust you. Just use your telepathy and focus on me. Just me.”  
  
“But…”  
  
“I trust you.” Kotori repeated firmly. “I trust you completely.”  
  
There was a moment of silence before Kotori heard Maki in her head.   
  
“I don’t trust myself with you.”  
  
“I don’t trust myself with you either. I don’t trust myself not to make out with you.” Kotori countered, trying to lighten the mood a little.   
  
Maki sighed out loud. “I’m being serious.”  
  
“So am I.” Kotori thought back. “Look, remember when Umi went bad before you saved her? I’ll do that for you. I’ll get you back, Maki-chan. I know I will. I don’t think you’re going anywhere anyway. I know you wouldn’t leave us.”  
  
“I love you.” Maki blurted out, using her voice this time. She felt her own chest wrench in surprise. She wasn’t sure when she’d decided to say that. “I-I’ve loved you since I was a kid. I know I would do anything for you but I don’t have as much confidence in myself as you have in me. I-I do think I would lose it if anything happened to you.”  
  
“Nothing’s going to happen to me.” Kotori soothed. She leaned in and pressed her lips to Maki’s. “You’re kind of stuck with me forever now.”  
  
“I-I can live with that.” Maki said, tears misting her eyes. She leaned into Kotori and buried her face in the crook of her neck, holding onto her tightly. “I don’t want to be away from you tonight.”  
  
“You won’t be.” Kotori vowed softly.   
  
“But your mom…”  
  
“I don’t care. I’m sleeping with you tonight no matter what she says.” Kotori stated defiantly. “You’re my girlfriend and I love you. She’ll just have to accept it. I’m not leaving you, alright? I know you’re worried that I will but I won’t. Not again. Everything’s going to be fine. We’re going to be better than fine. So stop crying and give me a kiss. I hate seeing you cry…”

  
Maki nodded and drew away, pressing her lips insistently to Kotori’s.   
  
“I love you.” Kotori whispered, slowly drawing away. “My opinion of you is nothing like my mother’s. You know that, don’t you?”  
  
“I know.” Maki gripped Kotori’s shirt and kissed her again, quickly turning them so Kotori was pressed against the door instead.

  
—  
  
Hanayo was exhausted when she finally decided she needed to go to bed. She had been sparring with Rin for half of the day and she’d spent the other half trying to teach Rin how to phase more effectively. At the minute she could only phase when she was running at high speed. She could easily phase through a wall she was running at but Hanayo knew she could do more. If she could just vibrate her molecules at an atomic level she could easily pass through solid objects.   
  
She remembered what Nico had said but she didn’t hesitate to go to the older girl’s room. There was no way she was letting Nico think she was really leaving her behind. She opened the door and slipped into the dark room. She paused near the doorway until her eyes adjusted to the dark enough for her to see Nico’s figure in the bed. She took a deep breath and paced across the room, getting into bed next to her.   
  
“Am I…” Hanayo’s voice shook slightly and she cleared her throat. “Am I still not allowed to touch you?”  
  
Nico didn’t answer but Hanayo knew that she was awake.   
  
Sighing, Hanayo turned onto her side so she was facing Nico’s back. “Nico-chan, I know you’re not asleep. I-I wanted to ask you something. Earlier, when we were arguing, how did I…how did I hurt you? I didn’t think that was possible.”  
  
“Heck if I know.” Nico mumbled. She fell silent for a moment before she gave a soft sigh. “When Yukiho died Eli burned me when she was trying to get back into the building. I think if the feeling is strong enough I…maybe feel things.”  
  
“So you’re saying I hurt you a lot. Alright.” Hanayo felt sick with guilt. “I’m sorry about that. I really really am. But me not telling you doesn’t mean I care about you any less. The last thing I want is to be the person who hurts you. The only person who hurts you too…”  
  
“That’s not true. Maki hurts me” Nico turned her face into her pillow a bit more. “But you already knew that after I told you everything in the facility, didn’t you?”  
  
“Maki-chan is a heartbreaker…” Hanayo whispered thoughtfully.   
  
“You’re a heartbreaker.” Nico countered, grasping her covers close to her chest. “Maki has nothing on you. At least she just breaks people’s hearts when they like her romantically.”  
  
Hanayo winced. That had stung. “I’m sorry I did that. But I’m here now, aren’t I? Because I want to be. And this…no touching rule isn’t just bad for me, it’s bad for you too. You like when I touch you, right? So can I please just come over there and hug you?”  
  
Nico shook her head.   
  
Hanayo visibly deflated. “Why not?”  
  
“Because I’m upset, you idiot!” Nico snapped though she didn’t turn to look at Hanayo. “Because when you leave me alone I’m fine. But then I think about you or hear your voice or smell you on my damn sheets and it hurts again! I don’t know what the hell is wrong with me but I don’t trust myself right now and I think that if you touch me I’m going to do something stupid!”  
  
“Stupid?” Hanayo asked curiously. “Stupid like what?” When Nico didn’t answer she lost her patience and pushed herself up. She crawled over to Nico and straddled her, gently pinning the girl’s hands when she tried to push her away. “Nico-chan, just…” She paused, noticing the slight sheen in Nico’s eyes. “Are you going to…?”  
  
“Screw you.” Nico growled, turning her face away. “I don’t need you fucking embarrassing me. Just get off.”  
  
“Nico-chan, how do you feel about me?” Hanayo asked softly, unwilling to be pushed away again. “I don’t know what you want from me, Nico-chan. I know I hurt you but I don’t know what you want me to do. Please just tell me so I can fix it.”  
  
“I don’t know! I-I don’t know, I just…I wanted…” Nico blinked back tears, cursing them for even being there. Cursing Hanayo for putting them there. “Everyone has someone and I just wanted…you, I guess.”  
  
Hanayo blinked in surprise. “Like a…girlfriend?”  
  
“No! Just…a person. My person.” Nico’s voice was choked as she spoke and it only irritated her more. “And I wanted to be yours. I feel like I can tell you anything. We’re partners. I thought so anyway…”  
  
“I’m sorry I didn’t tell you. Maki-chan made me promise.” Hanayo pressed her forehead to Nico’s. “I want to be your partner. Your best friend. I really do feel safest with you, Nico-chan…”  
  
—  
  
“Maybe after this is all over, the two of us can get out of here.” Kotori murmured, adjusting her arm around Maki as she stared out at the setting sun. It was comforting, being in her own garden but she felt bad for the others. They didn’t really have homes to go to anymore. “We can go to college together. You can go to medical school and I can study fashion.”  
  
Maki sighed blissfully at the thought her head resting neatly in the crook of Kotori’s neck. “We could live in a crappy apartment together.”  
  
“Or not so crappy.” Kotori offered with a small smile. “Our mom’s wouldn’t want us to…” Her words stuck in her throat and she cleared it quickly. “Your mom wouldn’t want you living in a crappy apartment.”  
  
“I guess you’re right about that.” Maki whispered. “But I don’t care where we live as long as you’re with me.”  
  
“You’re such a sap, Maki-chan.” Kotori said fondly, running her fingers through Maki’s hair. “Oh, we could get a cat!”  
  
Maki snorted with laughter at the thought. “Let’s wait a while on that. You would pay more attention to the cat than me. I want a puppy.”  
  
“Maybe for your birthday.” Kotori said with a fond grin. She slipped her arms around Maki, hugging her from the side. “As long as you don’t neglect me in favour of the puppy.”  
  
“I don’t favour anything over you.” Maki’s blunt but heartfelt answer caused Kotori’s chest to tighten with emotion.   
  
“I love you so much.” Kotori whispered, pressing her lips to the top of Maki’s head. “Don’t ever change, Maki-chan. You’re perfect as you are, no matter what my mother says..”  
  
Maki pulled away slightly and tilted her face up as Kotori leaned down to kiss her. Soft lips pressed against her own and she lifted her hand from her lap, gently cupping Kotori’s cheek. Her thumb brushed over warm, soft skin as she felt Kotori draw her closer, arms wrapped around her back.   
  
She heard a distant clanging sound but paid no mind to it, too wrapped up in the softness of Kotori’s lips and arms. Her free hand moved to Kotori’s back, gently pulling her closer to her. It occurred to her that anyone could walk in on them. Eli, Nozomi, Hanayo. Anyone from Muse. Her mother. More disastrously, Future Honoka could happen upon them. She had made up her mind that she wasn’t going to back down from the older version of her friend though. She felt bad about what the girl had gone through and it hurt to think of how much pain Honoka must have experience. Must still be experiencing. But that didn’t mean that she was going to back down. Kotori was her girlfriend and she wasn’t about to give that up for anyone.   
  
Kotori’s tongue brushed against the seam of her lips and Maki parted them, whimpering softly as Kotori deepened the kiss. A gently hand cupped the back of her neck to hold her close, another hand going to her hip.   
  
Their lips parted for a split second for them to take a breath but Maki didn’t open her eyes. She was certain Kotori didn’t either as her girlfriend, quickly drew her back to her, kissing her again, this time a bit more hurried. Maki heard footsteps but she ignored them, her mind focused entirely on the girl she was kissing. It was taking all of her willpower not to slide her hands under Kotori’s shirt so she could bask in her warm skin.   
  
Whichever parent or member of muse had joined them outside could either go back inside or complain to get Maki to pull away, she decided. She certainly wasn’t going to do it of her own volition.   
  
When she felt Kotori’s lips part from hers she thought for a moment that the other girl had noticed the footsteps but realized that she’d pulled away too fast for it to be that. Her eyes opened quickly, expecting to see Yume pulling Kotori away. Instead she found a man had yanked Kotori back by her shirt. And it wasn’t Takashi, the only man who actually lived with them.   
  
“KOTORI!” Maki shot to her feet and tried to lunge toward Kotori only to be caught around the waist.   
  
The man holding Kotori stuck a needle in her neck, injecting her with something Maki didn’t recognize. It slowed Kotori’s struggling though, making her sluggish.   
  
“Sedate the girl.” The man holding Kotori ordered the other agent. “Sonoda-san wants as many as we can get. Especially these two and the blonde.”  
  
“Maki-chan, run!” Kotori said as man holding her hauled her up and over his shoulder. She fought him as best she could but it was no use.   
  
“NO!” Maki struggled harder against the agent’s grip, refusing to let him inject her. As the man holding Kotori turned to walk away, she tried to focus and use her ability but she couldn’t. She couldn’t concentrate with Kotori being carried away from her. She noticed Tsubasa standing near the fence. “NO! ELI! HONOKA! UMI!”  
  
She screamed for anyone she thought might be listening but it was no use. She finally felt the needle sink into her neck but she barely felt any pain as she was injected. Her vision blurred with tears. “KOTORI, PLEASE! JUST FIGHT! Please…”  
  
Her words were futile. She couldn’t escape from the man holding her either. Kotori certainly wouldn’t be able to.   
  
The door across the garden slid open and as one, Eli, Rei and Takashi rushed into the garden. There were only four guards in total, plus Tsubasa and Eli immediately took down two of them, hurling balls of fire from her hands with an angry yell.   
  
Rei and Takashi rushed for Maki, Takashi lifting from the ground a short distance from them. He flew toward the agent, grabbing his collar and causing him to let go of Maki in surprise. Rei quickly grabbed Maki, drawing her close to her.   
  
“Get Kotori!” Maki exclaimed in panic, pushing at her mother’s chest. “ELI! ELI! GET KOTORI!”  
  
Eli turned and spotted the agent holding Kotori come to a stop next to Tsubasa. “SHIT!” She ran toward them as fast as she could, making a leap for them at the last second only for them to disappear just before her flaming fingers came into contact with them. She slammed into the fence, hard.   
  
Maki felt like everything around her had slowed down as she stared at where Kotori had been a moment ago. “No…” She whimpered, her knees giving out from under her. She fell to the ground, Rei going with her and gritted her teeth as tears slipped down her cheeks. “No, no, no.”  
  
“Maki…” Rei started, only for Maki to turn on her, anger in her eyes.   
  
“WHY DIDN’T YOU GET HER?!” She shoved harshly at her mother’s chest but Rei stayed steady. “YOU COULD HAVE SAVED HER! WHY DIDN’T YOU…?” She shook Rei’s arms off of her. She could barely breathe. Her chest was so tight. Her skin was prickling with fear. She looked up, finding Eli getting up. “What the hell are you waiting for?! GO AND GET HER BACK! She’s your girlfriend’s best friend, she’s your friend, what are you…? DAMN IT!”  
  
She felt a hand come to rest on her shoulder and looked up, finding kind blue eyes staring back at her.   
  
“We’ll get her back, Maki.” Takashi said softly, giving Maki’s shoulder a light squeeze. “I promise.”  
  
Maki let out a choked sob. “I should have done something, h-how am I going t-to tell Yume-san…?”  
  
“That’s not something you have to worry about.” Rei carefully took Maki into her arms, her own eyes laced with tears. Losing Kotori would destroy Maki. She knew that.   
  
“I should have done something.” Maki choked out through sobs. “I should have DONE something. They have her now and she might die a-and it’s my f-faul…fault.”  
  
“She won’t die.” Takashi wrapped his arms around both Maki and Rei, effectively cocooning Maki between the two of them. “I’m going to go and look for her with Rin-chan. We’ll search everywhere. We will get her back, Maki. I swear to you.”  
  
Eli could only watch as Maki sobbed in distress. She couldn’t help but think of Honoka. Losing someone else would be exactly what pushed her over the edge she was teetering on after her parents and Yukiho’s death. She didn’t know how she was going to tell her and Umi what had happened.   
  
—  
  
Maki stared down at her hands as she waited in the living room of Kotori’s house. She felt a bit groggy from the sedative she’d been given but she had refused to go to the infirmary like Rei had asked. She needed to wait until she knew that Kotori was going to be safe. Eli paced in front of her, wringing her hands while Umi and Honoka sat together next to her on the couch. She didn’t want to look at them. She felt too guilty but as well as that, she knew that their hands would be locked together, fingers laced. Like she used to hold Kotori’s hand. She flexed her fingers. She might never get to feel that again.   
  
Takashi and Rin had left quickly to find Kotori, taking Nico with them in case they needed to fight. They had been gone for over three hours now and it was dark outside. Probably too dark to really see anything.   
  
Maki focused on listening to her breathing, unable to listen to Honoka sniffle on the couch next to her while Umi, close to tears herself, comforted the girl.   
  
Finally, after what felt like hours waiting, there was a gust of wind as Rin ran into the room, a slightly dizzy Takashi holding onto her shoulder. But no Kotori, Maki noticed.   
  
“Anything?!” Eli asked her dad urgently as she stepped forward. She could only hope that Kotori was upstairs in the infirmary.   
  
Takashi somberly shook his head.   
  
“We looked everywhere they could have gone, nya!” Rin exclaimed breathlessly. “I ran around the city at least fifty times and they’re not anywhere I can find them. I checked the sewers too and it’s like they’ve disappeared.”  
  
“Or turned invisible.” Takashi said softly, straightening up. “They may have gotten her ability somehow.”  
  
“We’ll never find her now.” Maki spoke up, her voice trembling with anger. She looked up at Eli, her eyes burning with anger. “You should have gone after her. You should have gotten to her first. She was closer to Tsubasa. You LET THEM TAKE HER!”  
  
Eli flinched at the accusation. “Maki…”  
  
“SHUT UP!” Maki got to her feet, tears of frustration welling in her eyes once more. “YOU SHOULD HAVE SAVED HER. YOU’RE MEANT TO BE THE STRONGEST, AREN’T YOU? HOTHEAD ELI, ALWAYS LEAPING INTO DANGER TO SAVE HER FRIENDS, RIGHT?! IT’S BULLSHIT!”  
  
Umi wanted to say something to defend Eli but she couldn’t speak. She turned to Honoka and hugged her tightly, her chest tight with sorrow.   
  
“Maki, I’m…” Eli’s eyes widened as Maki moved quickly toward her. She backed up, but not fast enough as Maki grabbed the front of her shirt. “Maki…” She held up her hands, keeping them away from Maki just in case they ignited out of instinct.   
  
“You should have done something!” Maki snarled, her eyes full of tears and anger. “But you didn’t and now Kotori’s gone! Honoka’s going to end up with someone else she loves DEAD!”  
  
Maki’s words echoed around the room, silencing everyone for a moment until Honoka began to sob.   
  
Maki felt like doing so herself. She should have done something back there too. But she’d just frozen in fear. She couldn’t even use her ability. “I’ve lost her. I should have…I can’t do this, I can’t…”  
  
Eli swallowed thickly against the lump in her throat and gently wrapped her arms around Maki, drawing the distraught girl close to her. “I know. I know.”  
  
—  
  
Kotori glanced around the room she found herself in. It was dark and small, with not much to look at. Her wrists were bound above her head by chains and her arms already ached from it, even after what must have been less than an hour. Her feet were chained to the floor, making it almost impossible to move.   
  
The door she knew to be behind her opened but she couldn’t turn her head enough to see who was there.   
  
“Not the girl I was hoping for but you’ll do all the same.”  
  
Kotori felt a chill go down her spine. She knew that voice. Sure enough, Sonoda Kasumi stepped in front of her a moment later, a smug expression on her face.   
  
“Yes, you’ll be enough.” Kasumi murmured, looking Kotori over. She was unhurt, she was glad to see, though that wouldn’t last for long. “Minami Kotori, daughter of Minami Yume. Girlfriend of Nishikino Maki whose mother is Nishikino Rei. And of course best friend of my traitorous daughter, Sonoda Umi.”  
  
Kotori growled low in her throat. “Is Maki here?!”  
  
Kasumi shook her head. “Unfortunately the collection didn’t go as planned. You were the only one we picked up.” She watched in amusement as a look of relief appeared on Kotori’s face. “You won’t be relieved for long, believe me.” She motioned with her hand and someone stepped closer.   
  
Kotori didn’t recognize the man but for some reason his presence made her uneasy.   
  
“Go ahead.” Kasumi said, nodding for him to go toward Kotori.   
  
He did, slowly, and Kotori flinched back as she felt his hand touch her cheek. A chilling feeling washed over her, from the point of his hand, like she was being doused in ice. The young man, stepped back, his dirty black hair falling into his eyes.   
  
“Now…” Kasumi brandished a knife and stepped forward, slashing at Kotori’s arm.   
  
Kotori screamed as agonizing pain washed over her from head to foot. It didn’t just come from her arm, it came from every point in her body and she shook with the force of it.   
  
“Now, don’t worry.” Kasumi gripped Kotori’s chin and forced her to look at her. “As soon as we’re done with you, we’ll deliver your body back to your precious Maki.”


	39. Chapter 39

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks again for all of the comments, kudos etc. You guys really inspire me to keep writing! Hope you enjoy the chapter!
> 
> Warning(s): Mentions of torture, swearing, angst.

Kotori’s arms hung above her head, chained to the top of her dark, damp cell. She had no idea where she was or what it was Umi’s mother planned planned to do with her. All she knew was that she was in more pain than she’d ever been before. The guards had taken their turns with her on Umi’s mother’s command, beating her and cutting her until she passed out in agony. 

She wasn’t underground, she knew that much. There was a small barred window at the other end of her cell that sunlight occasionally filtered through. Not now though. Now it was pitch black outside and the only thing that even remotely lit the room was a lightbulb outside of her cell that flickered every few minutes. Kotori dreaded when it would eventually go out and she’d be left in complete darkness.  

“Oh god…” A man’s voice groaned from behind her.

Kotori frowned in confusion, trying to turn to the cell entrance but every time she tried to turn her head, sharp pains from her cuts pulsed through her body again. Kotori’s eyes widened in panic as she suddenly heard the sound of vomiting, following by the sound of something heavy crashing to the ground. She knew what that sound was without looking. The guard passed out but she had no idea why.

Kotori turned quickly at the sound of her cell door opening slowly, metal against stone echoing around the cell. Her eyes widened in surprise when she felt no pain at moving her head. She realized in surprise that even the pain that had been constant earlier was dulling. Her entire body felt tingly, almost numb, like the time she’d fallen while playing with Honoka and Umi and ended up having to get stitches in her knee. She couldn’t understand what was happening to her, only that it felt strange. At least the pain was gone, she supposed. She wasn’t going to complain about that.

Kotori froze as she heard the sound of footsteps slowly creeping around in front of her, fear taking over as she struggled to see who it was in the dark room. Maybe Sonoda had come back to torture her again or maybe she had outlived her usefulness and now she was going to get rid of her.  
  
Silence passed for a few seconds and she couldn’t help but think about Maki. She hoped her girlfriend would be okay without her if anything did happen to her. She had Eli and Nico and the others to support her. She thought about Honoka and Umi too, about how they might react when they found out. Sonoda had told her on more than one occasion that her body would be returned to them when it was over. She whimpered at the thought of Maki, Honoka and Umi seeing her like that.

“Keep quiet.”   
  
Kotori barely had the energy to lift her head. She was so tired. Her eyes widened in horror as she recognized the person who had entered. It was the dirty black haired man from earlier. She’d had a feeling she would be being tortured again, but she didn’t expect it so soon. She had expected another night to recuperate at least. That was how it had worked last time. She’d been tortured during the day then she’d been allowed to rest at night.  
  
“You need to stay quiet, otherwise…”

Kotori threw herself forward, using every bit of strength she had left to spit forward as the chain pulled her back. The man sighed, wiping his face. Kotori knew she was going to be put through hell because of what she’d done but she needed to be strong. She wouldn’t go down without a fight. At the very least she wanted Maki and her friends to know that she’d been brave at the end.

“I deserved that.” The man mused quietly.   
  
Kotori frowned in confusion as he lowered himself to the ground, pulling some bread and a flask of water out of the bag he brought in with him.   
  
“I had a feeling that they wouldn’t feed you, so I kept some of the food they gave me.” The man looked up at her and smiled, but it was nothing like the sadistic smile of Umi’s mother. It was soft somehow and yet still guarded. “Sorry it’s not much.”

“Why the hell would one of Sonoda’s flunkies be helping me? You’re the one who tortured me.” Kotori questioned, coughing as she finished her question. The air where she was being held was so dirty she could barely breathe in it.

“Well technically speaking, I didn’t torture you. I just heightened your senses so it hurt more. Sorry about that.” The man corrected as he placed his hand lightly on Kotori’s forehead, pushing her head back. “It isn’t much so don’t let it slip.”   
  
Kotori was silent as he started to carefully pour the water into her mouth. She wanted to fight him off but she knew that she needed the water. For a moment she had thought that she was never going to get water or food. That she might die of hunger or thirst.

“You said she gave you food. That means you’re a prisoner too.” Kotori said weakly, her head lolling forward again as he let go of her and crouched down. The inability to hold her head up allowed her to keep watching him at least. She noticing immediately when the man’s features darkened. He let out a heavy sigh before he stood up, ripping the bread into small bits so she can eat it easier.

“Yeah. But I’m on a tight leash. If I do anything wrong…going against Sonoda, someone I care about will end up punished for it.”   
  
Kotori nodded as she opened her mouth, letting the dark haired man drop the bread into it. She knew that type of situation, not from first hand experience though. Future Honoka had said that Umi did something almost identical in the future to protect Honoka. She wondered who it was that he was protecting. Umi had been doing it for someone she loved. Maybe he was doing it for the same reason.

“Who are you? And why are you helping me?” Kotori had wondered that since the stranger entered her cell. He even knocked out the guard, or at least she assumed he did. It couldn’t be a coincidence.

“Name’s Raven.” The man answered sharply, returning the empty flask to the bag. “And I don’t even know why the hell I’m helping you.” Kotori watched as he packed up his things, moving back to the cell door. “Don’t worry. I’ll try and help you any way I can as long as you keep it quiet. See ya.”

“Wait…” It was too late. He was already gone. Raven. She knew it was because of him that she felt so much pain during the torture, but she wasn’t sure she could blame him. He was a prisoner just as much as she was.

Kotori hissed as the pain started slowly spreading across her body again. She didn’t expect him to keep the pain away forever, but it was nice while it lasted at least. At least she had one ally, or she wanted to think she did.   
  
—  
  
“Senpai…” Nozomi watched as Future Honoka angrily tugged on a black tank top. She had a gun tucked into one side of her belt, a knife at the other side. Nozomi was sure that she had several others tucked away too. “Senpai, I-I know you’re upset. I am too but you can’t just run into danger. You said your past self was an idiot for doing the same thing, remember?”  
  
“It’s not the same thing.” Honoka grabbed a zip up hoodie but left it unzipped. “She went to get revenge, I’m going to get Kotori-chan back from those fucking monsters. I’m not leaving her there. There’s no way in hell I’ll leave her with them!”  
  
“You don’t even know where she is!” Nozomi exclaimed, quickly getting to her feet and moving to block the path to the door. Now that Honoka was fully dressed there was nothing keeping her from just leaving. “Honoka, think about what you’re doing! Where will you even go?”  
  
“I’ll go to Sonoda’s estate. There has to be something there to tell me where they are.” Honoka paced toward Nozomi and tried to get around her only for the girl to step into her path again. “Nozomi, get out of my way. I’m not fucking kidding around.”  
  
Nozomi felt a stab of fear at the order but as had been the case all day she couldn’t feel it much past what Honoka was feeling. Her panic was already heightened, her chest tight with anguish. “Take me with you.”  
  
Honoka’s eyes widened briefly. “No. No fucking way. Just move.”  
  
Nozomi shook her head resolutely. “If you want to get past me you’ll have to knock me out.” She watched as Honoka seemed to weigh up her options. “Don’t make me slap you. You know I can heighten your feelings.”  
  
“Nozomi, I don’t want to hurt you.” Honoka closed her hand into a fist. “But if it means getting to Kotori, I will.”  
  
“Whatever you need to do.” Nozomi took a small step back, bracing herself. “I’ve been training, Honoka. I can bounce your attack right back at you without flinching. Nicocchi’s been teaching me to not feel.”  
  
Honoka gritted her teeth. She hadn’t wanted to use too much energy before she left. She closed her eyes and focused on teleporting herself.   
  
Nozomi noticed at the last second and lunged forward, grabbing Honoka just in time to go with her. She closed her eyes and felt the familiar feeling of being moved through time and space. They reappeared just outside of Sonoda’s estate and Nozomi felt Honoka stumble.   
  
“DAMN IT!” Honoka roughly shook Nozomi off. “Look what you made me do!” She gestured around them, at the trees, frozen in the wind, at the frozen people Nozomi could see down the street. “Now we can’t get out until I calm down so I don’t cause a rift in the damn continuum! Why can’t you just take a hint?! I don’t want you here!”  
  
Nozomi was relieved that Honoka was stuck talking to her at least but she couldn’t deny the question hurt. “Honoka. Sit with me. Please? Just sit with me for a bit.” She stepped back to sit on the wall, seeing little choice. “Come on.”  
  
Honoka continued to glare at her.   
  
Nozomi took a deep breath. “Or I can talk to you from here.” It wasn’t as though there was anything to distract her. She was used to the calmness of Honoka’s time stops but something about this felt calmer, like Honoka’s own power was giving her a time out. “You asked why I can’t take a hint? It’s because I’m in love with you. I can’t leave you because I love you.”  
  
“You need to find someone else to love.” Honoka muttered with an indignant shake of her head.   
  
“If I did you’d want their head.” Nozomi joked quietly. “And I wouldn’t want to see you with anyone else either.”  
  
“Kotori-chan is my main priority.” Honoka crossed her arms in front of her chest. “She’s always going to be my main priority, no matter what.”  
  
Nozomi sighed softly. “Kotori-chan is with Maki-chan though. I mean…have you seen them together? Have you seen Maki-chan now? She’s a mess. Kotori-chan has moved on.”  
  
Honoka gritted her teeth. “It doesn’t change anything for me. I’m still in love with her and I’ll still do anything I can to save her. It doesn’t matter whether she loves someone else, she’s always going to be my Kotori-chan.”  
  
“I know.” Nozomi said softly. Seeing Honoka’s shoulders slump, she patted the space next to her. She was relieved when Honoka walked over, sitting down next to her. “I want to save her too but doing it like this isn’t the way, Senpai.” She reached out and took Honoka’s hand in her own, giving a gentle squeeze. “Hey. You…we’re still okay, right? I’m still…’your Nozomi’, right?”  
  
“I don’t know.” Honoka whispered, causing Nozomi’s heart to seize with panic. She gave a short, bitter laugh. “What the hell is wrong with me that I have feelings for so many people? I mean…” She leaned forward and buried her face in her hands. “I took Kotori-chan for granted. I know I used to hurt her when I turned to Eli-senpai instead of her.”  
  
Nozomi was silent, choosing not to point out that she felt a similar way as the Kotori from the future must have felt.   
  
“You know, I kissed Eli-senpai once in one of these…pauses.” Honoka said, leaning back slightly to look at Nozomi. “It was after the camp, about six months after and I was freaking out, trying to get away…” She shuddered at the memory of the nightmares that used to haunt her. She had different nightmares now. “I held her like she was the last lifeline I had and I kissed her and she kissed me back and…” She choked with emotion, her blue eyes shimmering with tears. “I know how my past self feels. I knew how she felt about me and I felt the same way but I was a fucking coward so I didn’t tell her I knew. And it’s not just Eli-senpai, it’s Umi-chan too…I can’t help but wonder what would have happened if she’d come back. How I would have felt about her.”  
  
Nozomi nodded in response, just taking in what Honoka was saying.   
  
“She protected me.” Honoka continued, staring at the ground. “She went through hell for me. She even died for me, when I was holding Kotori after…Umi was shielding me. From bullets, from whatever A-rise threw at me.” She remembered clearly, Eli in front of her and Umi to the side, both of them protecting her until they were struck down.  
  
Nozomi daringly shifted closer, resting her chin on Honoka’s shoulder as she wrapped an arm around her waist. “What would you do if you could…go back?” She whispered hesitantly. “With Umi-chan? Elichi?”  
  
“I would tear down the government and kill every agent in my way until I got Umi-chan out.” Honoka said shakily, allowing herself to entertain the idea. “I would tell her I’m sorry. And that I love her. I would hug her so fucking tightly. Trying to tell her she’s okay and she’s loved and I don’t hate her. I could never hate her.” She felt a lump form in her throat as she thought of the fact that Umi had died thinking she hated her. “She’d be starving for love, I just know it. And I would give it to her. Everything.”  
  
Nozomi closed her eyes. She wouldn’t have thought Honoka felt that way, considering she still wasn’t especially friendly toward their Umi. She was starting to understand, a bit though. “Do you think you’d love Umi-chan more than Kotori-chan?”  
  
Honoka gritted her teeth, a choked sob escaping her. “I-I don't know.” She said after a moment, bowing her head. She wondered if Kotori would have eventually reconciled with Maki. Maybe she would have and she would have been able to get the doctor to stop smoking and sleeping around. It was clear that Maki from her current timeline loved Kotori. That she would do anything for her. “I still need to save her. I love her.”  
  
“I under-” Nozomi was cut off as Future Honoka turned and hugged her, burying her face into her shoulder. She melted into it, hugging her back. “Can I ask you something selfish?”  
  
“We have nothing but time in here.” Honoka mumbled into Nozomi’s shoulder. “Go ahead.”  
  
Nozomi took a deep breath. “Where do I fit in? It’s obvious you love Umi-chan, Kotori-chan and Elichi the most but…” She trailed off. She wasn’t sure she wanted to know. “Ah, nevermind! I don’t know why I’m asking.”  
  
“Eli and Umi's future selves. And Kotori is...with someone else.” Honoka corrected as Nozomi drew away from her. “But you know how I feel about you.”  
  
“Right.” Nozomi said softly, forcing a small smile to her lips. “It’s best not to get wrapped up in relationships and love with everything that’s going on anyway, right?” She gave a sheepish laugh as she got to her feet. “I don’t want to end up like Elichi or Maki-chan, huh? Besides, you’ll be leaving me soon so…”  
  
“I love you, Nozomi. I love your future self too but it’s different with you. I don’t love you because I love my…future Nozomi.” Honoka said sincerely, lowering her gaze to the ground. “But you’re not wrong about me leaving eventually.”  
  
“And you can’t take me with you?” Nozomi asked hopefully. “If you don’t…end it, if you can go back to your future. You said Nicocchi is waiting for you.”  
  
“I could say yes.” Honoka stood up and stepped forward, taking Nozomi’s hands. “But you won’t abandon your friends. I know you. And you couldn't live with going somewhere they're not alive.”  
  
“Yeah.” Nozomi whispered, well aware that Honoka was right.   
  
“I’m sorry about what I said earlier. I would never hurt you.” Honoka leaned in and pressed her lips gently to Nozomi’s, feeling the girl sink into her.   
  
—  
  
Eli walked slowly along the hallway to Maki’s room, having left Honoka in the care of Umi. Her girlfriend was beside herself with worry, not to mention still reeling from the death of her sister but Eli knew that she would be okay with Umi. Maki didn’t really have anyone now that Kotori was gone.   
  
She was surprised to find Nico sitting outside of Maki’s door, drumming her fingers against the carpeted floor. “What are you doing here?”  
  
“Waiting until she comes out. Obviously.” Nico said with a roll of her eyes. “You saw her yesterday, right? She was a mess. I’m just keeping an eye on her, making sure she doesn’t do anything stupid.” She nodded toward the door which was cracked open ever so slightly. “She’s screwed if Kotori dies.”  
  
“Shut up, Kotori isn’t…” Eli trailed off as Nico looked away, biting her lip. She was just as worried as the rest of them, in her own way. “It’s fine, Nico. I can take over from here.”  
  
Nico looked doubtful but she got to her feet anyway. “Let me know when you leave her alone so I can come back. She doesn’t need to be by herself right now.”  
  
“Nico.” Eli’s voice stopped Nico from leaving. She paused as Nico turned to look at her expectantly. It was obvious, even from her point of view, that Nico’s feelings for Maki were complicated. “Maki’s lucky to have you even if she doesn’t think so.”  
  
Nico wasn’t sure what to say to that so she merely shrugged and walked away.    
  
Eli stared after Nico for a moment before she took a deep breath and walked into Maki’s room. She found her sitting cross legged on the floor, her hands on her knees. “Maki?”  
  
“Go away.” Maki mumbled.   
  
Eli sighed and glanced around the room, noticing the bed hadn’t been slept in. Kotori’s shirt lay on the bed though, folded neatly. “You didn’t sleep last night?” She paused to let Maki answer but she didn’t. “Um…what are you doing? Are you like meditating or something?”  
  
“I’m trying to!” Maki exclaimed angrily, opening her eyes. She got to her feet and crossed her arms, staring angrily at Eli. “What do you want? I’m busy.”  
  
“H-Hey, I’m just trying to help you!” Eli said hastily. “Our parents are close and…well we both know they’re more than friends so that kind of makes us um…something, right? So I want to look out for you, like I would with Arisa.”  
  
Maki’s expression hardened. “You’re not my sister, Eli.”  
  
Eli swallowed thickly. She had suspected that Maki would react like this. “I-I want to be. My father really cares about you and your mom, he would…he would die for both of you, I know that. And I would do the same for you. You’re one of my closest friends. Please Maki…at least let me be there for you. I want to help you.”  
  
Maki balled her hands into fists, then loosened them, then tightened them up again to distract herself from the rising ache in her chest. She couldn’t focus on how she felt. She needed to find Kotori. “I don’t know how Honoka does this. Honoka’s future self…” She bit her trembling lip and shifted from foot to foot. “I don’t know how our Honoka does it after Yukiho…”  
  
Eli lowered her eyes to the floor. “Our Honoka doesn’t. She’s really damaged, Maki. Even me and Umi think we’re going to lose her if she keeps going the way she is. She’s talked about…wanting to die, wanting to be with Yukiho…” She was surprised by the sound of a choked laugh but when she looked up sharply in surprise, Maki was grasping at the front of her own shirt, over her chest, her eyes awash with tears.   
  
“Great.” Maki said in a choked voice, her lips drawn up into a wry smile. “So Yukiho is dead, we’re losing Honoka, we’re losing Kotori, Future Honoka probably…have I missed anyone out?”  
  
Eli nervously licked her lips. She knew that Umi belonged on that list too if she lost both Kotori and Honoka. “We’ll save her, Maki.”  
  
Maki shook her head, the tears that had lingered in her eyes spilling their way down her cheeks. “Usually I hardly have to try to hear Kotori’s thoughts. She trusts me s-so she never shuts me out. If she was alive…” Her voice broke and she paused for a moment before carrying on. “I would be able to sense her. I’d be able to hear her. She’d be reaching out to me b-because she wouldn’t want…” She couldn’t speak anymore and bowed her head, sobbing quietly.   
  
Eli felt tears prickle at her own eyes. She knew how Maki felt, having experienced the same thing with Honoka. “You know there are other ability users who could block you. Umi’s mom maybe. Not being able to sense her doesn’t mean that she’s…gone.”  
  
“I don’t know what to do, Eli.” Maki choked out, looking up at Eli through teary eyes. “Kotori is…she’s the best thing that’s ever happened to me. I love her so much a-and I don’t know what to do! I want to find Sonoda and I want to KILL HER!”  
  
Eli rushed over to Maki and threw her arms around her, hugging her as tightly as she could. Maki collapsed against her chest, sobbing loudly.  
  
“O-Onee-chan?” Eli looked up at the sound of Arisa’s voice, finding her standing in the doorway. “I want to help. Kotori-chan saved me and…Yukiho-chan when the agents came for us. I want to help find her.”  
  
Eli nodded as Maki looked up, sniffling softly.   
  
“D-Do you think you could find her?” Maki choked out, hurriedly wiping her eyes.   
  
Arisa nodded confidently. “I just need something of hers so that I can track her. Do you have anything?”  
  
“Yeah.” Maki went over to the bed and picked up Kotori’s shirt before she returned to Arisa’s side, pressing it into her hands. “Do you need anything else?”  
  
“A map of Tokyo if you have one. And a push pin.” Arisa answered, clutching Kotori’s shirt in front of her. She focused on it, trying to clear her mind of anything else. Noticing Maki setting up the map on the desk across the room, she walked over to her. Noticing Maki’s hand trembling, she tentatively reached out and touched it. “I’ll do my best, Maki-san.”  
  
Maki nodded and stepped away to stand next to Eli who placed a supportive hand on her back. She watched as Arisa closed her eyes and took a deep breath, holding the push pin in her hand above the map. She didn’t dare say anything in fear of breaking Arisa’s concentration. Arisa’s brow furrowed a few times as the seconds ticked by and then with a gasp, she stumbled back, dropping the pin.   
  
“Arisa?!” Eli exclaimed, hurrying forward to steady her sister. She could feel Arisa trembling under her hands. “What happened?!”  
  
“I-I think Sonoda-san saw me.” Arisa said shakily. “She pushed me out before I could see anything.” She looked at Maki, noticing the hope on her face crumble. “I-I’m sorry. I can try again!”  
  
Tears lingered in Maki’s eyes but she shook her head. “You tried your best.” She reached out, briefly placing her hand on Arisa’s shoulders. She looked to Eli who stared back at her in worry. “Can you leave? I just want to be alone.”  
  
“But Maki-san shouldn’t be…”  
  
“It’s okay, Arisa.” Eli interrupted. She nodded at Maki. “Alright, we’ll leave you alone. But Nico…”  
  
“I don’t mind if she goes back to sitting outside the door.” Maki interrupted knowingly. “I just want to be alone in here. Please.”  
  
Eli nodded and after Arisa had wordlessly handed Kotori’s shirt back to Maki, she guided her out of the room.   
  
“Onee-chan…” Arisa said quietly as she heard Maki go back to crying. “Please, let me try again.”  
  
Eli shook her head and leaned down to hug Arisa. “It’s not a good idea if Sonoda noticed you. Just get some rest, okay? I’ll stay here with…” She heard footsteps and looked up in time to see Nico walking down the hall. “Nico.”  
  
Arisa nodded and when Eli let go of her she went back to her own room, her shoulders slumped in defeat.   
  
Nico frowned at Eli and sat down outside of Maki’s door. She only spoke when the blonde sat down next to her. “Sounds like you made it worse…”  
  
Eli sighed and drew her knees to her chest.   
  
—-  
  
Rin wasn’t sure how long she had been running for. It had been a few hours at least, she was sure. When she’d left Kotori’s house it had been day and now it was dark. She hadn’t even really noticed it was getting dark if she was honest. She had been too busy running around, trying to find any trace of Kotori. Even with her speed, she couldn’t find her.

  
“Hey you punk, stop right there and give up that damn canva-” Rin caught the start of a stern warning as she rushed past some people. Quickly, she made a U-turn so she could listen.   
  
“Hell no, why would I give you this?!” A girl in a black hoodie, ripped jean shorts and red chucks exclaimed incredulously. “CORPS can kiss my damn ass!”  
  
“Corps, nya?!” Rin whisper yelled to herself. She noticed that the girl was wearing a backpack and held some kind of canvas in her arms. It was huge, she noticed, her eyes widening.   
  
“Amagi, give us the damn painting!” A man exclaimed angrily.   
  
“FUCK YOU!” The girl spat. “I’m not giving shit to you OR my father!”  
  
“Damn brat! You’re worse than the Ayase and Sonoda brats!” The man growled, seemingly close to losing his patience.   
  
“Sonoda…” Rin echoed to herself thoughtfully  
  
“That’s because I don’t give a crap about breaking the rules.” The girl sounded fairly proud of herself and Rin couldn’t deny that she was impressed. “So you can tell CORPS that they’ll never get my paintings!”  
  
“If you don’t hand them over I WILL shoot you, Amagi!”  
  
“So go ahead and shoot me!”  
  
Rin noticed the man draw his gun and took that as her cue. She rushed over just as the man opened fire and plucked the bullets from the air. She dropped them to the floor with a grimace of pain as they burnt her fingers. She didn’t dwell on it though. She tossed the girl with the painting over her shoulder and took off running. She didn’t stop until she reached her old hideout where she put the girl down.   
  
“You shouldn’t tell people to shoot you, nya!”  
  
“Guess not.” The girl said with a soft laugh. “I was wondering when you’d come and sweep me off my feet.” She noticed Rin frown in confusion and hastened to explain. “You’re the girl I painted stopping the bullets. I’m glad you finally found me.”  
  
As the girl looked up, Rin found herself staring into startlingly blue eyes. “Nya?” She watched as the girl drew back her hood, revealing fading bleach blonde hair, double piercings and even a cartilage piercing in her top right ear. “Who are you?”  
  
“I guess I should explain, huh?” The girl brushed her hair back behind her ears. “I paint the future. Or future events. Your painting came yesterday, though it’s not the big one.” She went into her bag and pulled out a smaller canvas, handing it over to Rin. “See?”  
  
Rin cast a quick look into the blonde’s bag, noticing it was filled with art supplies. Turning her attention to the paining she was holding, she pulled off the plastic, her eyes widening when she saw it was a painting of herself, grabbing bullets from the air in front of the girl. She saw her hair, and the clothes she was currently wearing. “You have an ability. To paint the future.”  
  
The girl nodded in response. “Yeah, it’s precognition. It’s pretty rare.” She carefully set the canvas she was holding down but didn’t let go of it.  
  
Rin’s attention was immediately drawn to the large canvas. “What’s that one?” She sat down cross legged on the makeshift bed in the corner and reached for the backpack she kept in her hideout. She rummaged through until she found a protein bar which she proceeded to tear open. Maki would be angry with her if she ran for so long and she didn’t eat anything.   
  
“A future event CORPS doesn’t want people to know.” The girl answered as she watched Rin take a huge bite from the food in her hand. “Hey, I’ve kind of been running for a while, do you have any…?” She trailed off as Rin kicked the bag toward her.   
  
“You haven’t even told me your name.” Rin said, her mouth full as she watched the girl crouch to rummage through the bag.   
  
“Amagi Hibiki.” The girl answered, briefly glancing up. “And you are?”  
  
“Hoshizora Rin.” Rin answered before swallowing. She watched as the girl withdrew a candy bar from the bag before passing it back. “I guess you must be a problem child too?”  
  
“Huh?” Hibiki sat down, taking up the same position as Rin and balanced the canvas on her knees to avoid it getting dirty.   
  
“I mean your family are connected to CORPS.” Rin answered as she grabbed her bag and went back to rummaging through it. It had been a while since she had been there so she wasn’t exactly stocked up. Usually she would run right back to Kotori’s house to eat something.   
  
“You’re telling me there are more kids out there who are connected to it?” Hibiki asked in surprise. “I’ve been at boarding school most of my life so I’ve never met anyone else connected.”  
  
“Since you were a kid?”  
  
“My mother when she was alive, forced my father to send me to England. For school. After they divorced I never saw him again until I can back to Japan last year.” Hibiki explained with a shrug of her shoulders as she tore her candy bar opened. She bit into it, trying to remember the last time she’d stopped to eat. Hardly wanting to talk about her past, she quickly changed the subject. “Where are we anyway?”  
  
“My hideout.” Rin answered simply.   
  
“You hiding from CORPS?” Hibiki asked, raising an eyebrow.   
  
“Yes…well no. Yes. Kind of. I hide somewhere else from CORPS.” Rin said quietly. “This was my hiding place for…something else.” She shuddered at the thought.   
  
“You have daddy issues too, huh?” Hibiki asked as she watched Rin tear into her protein bar with much less gusto than the last. “Is he a normie too? That’s what I call non-ability users. It’s easier.”  
  
Rin stared back at Hibiki silently. She didn’t especially want to answer that question. “So you’re connected to CORPS, right? Do you mind if I ask you if you’ve seen someone I’m looking for?”  
  
Hibiki didn’t fail to notice that Rin changed the subject but she didn’t say anything. She understood. “Sure.”  
  
Rin leaned back to draw her phone from her pocket and flicked to her photo gallery. Finding a picture she had of Umi, Kotori, Honoka and Maki sitting together, she zoomed in on Kotori. “Here.” She held the phone out to Hibiki who took it without a word. “Her name is Kotori. She was taken a couple of days ago when CORPS raided our…hideout.”  
  
Recalling what Hanayo and Maki had warned her of, she kept what she was saying vague, not wanting to let Hibiki know where they were.   
  
Hibiki stared at the picture for a moment before she glanced down at the large canvas balanced against her knee. “Hmm, must be fate that we met, Rin. I’ve seen her in my paintings. Though she’s in bad shape compared to that picture.”  
  
Rin felt relieved and terrified all at once. “Is she alive? Do you know where she is?”  
  
Hibiki shook her head. “She is. And no but I may soon.”  
  
Rin gave a loud sigh of exasperation. They didn’t have time for this. “Why not now?”  
  
“This ability happens randomly.” Hibiki explained with a shrug. “It just puts me in a trance. You’ll know when I start looking for a pencil or anything to draw with. Even chalk. I call it a trance ability. I won’t rest until I’ve finished drawing out my vision.”  
  
Rin nodded in understanding. “I need to take you somewhere safer than. Who knows where you would go without supervision.” She got to her feet, reenergized by the idea that there could be some hope that they would find Kotori.   
  
“Probably a building with some spray paint. I tend to enjoy vandalism when I’m in a trance…” Hibiki watched warily as Rin approached her. “Do we have to do that running thing again? It kind of made me feel sick la-” She was cut off as Rin grabbed her arm and the painting and ran off.  
  
—-  
  
Kotori sighed in relief as the familiar feeling of numbness washed over her. She looked forward to these moments of not being able to feel things. It was the only thing that kept her her sane through the relentless torment of Sonoda and her guards.   
  
“You didn’t increase the pain as much today.” She said, her voice gruff from screaming. Even if it hadn’t hurt as much as it had the first time, it was still painful. “Where did you go when you left?”  
  
“I didn’t know we were at the stage where we told each other about our days.” Raven commented as he glanced up the hallway, making sure nobody was going to approach the cell. The guard stationed at the cell door had bolted when he’d started to feel sick. He should be gone for a while. “You know you should really tell them something or they’ll just keep this up. They don’t intend to kill you just yet but they could go too far.”  
  
Kotori hummed in response, her eyes heavy. She looked up through her lashes when he walked around her, coming to a stop in front of her. “Do you have any water with you?”  
  
“Yeah.” Raven took his bottle of water from his pocket. There was hardly any left.   
  
Kotori was silent as he gently pushed her head back, helping her drink. She was growing weaker by the day, she knew that. She couldn’t feel her arms anymore and she felt sick all of the time. She was sure she had some kind of infection, from the open wounds and the dirty cell. The lukewarm water was a relief to her throat, momentarily ridding her of the raw, burning sensation from screaming. It was short lived though.  
  
“You have a fever.” Raven remarked in concern, feeling the heat of her forehead under his hand.   
  
“Great.” Kotori whispered, closing her eyes. She forced them open, her golden eyes meeting his forest green. “The guards cut my shirt open earlier. Can you do something with it? Please?”  
  
“Huh?” Raven looked down, finding that her shirt had indeed been cut open. “Right. Shit, um…” He let go of Kotori and stepped back, hurriedly searching through his pockets for something to use. “I don’t know, I can’t exactly sew it back up…”  
  
“My ribbon.” Kotori rasped before she cleared her throat. “You can take it out of my hair and loop it through the hole. Make another hole on the other side where the button is meant to be so can tie it. If Sonoda asks, I’ll say a guard did it. I’m not really lying, right?”  
  
“I guess not.” Raven reached up and carefully untied Kotori’s ribbon from her hair, letting it fall around her shoulders. “I’m gonna um…” He put the ribbon in his pocket and reached for his knife at his belt. He reached for her shirt, bringing the knife closer but paused when Kotori flinched. “Don’t worry, I’m not going to hurt you. Where do you want me to cut it?”  
  
“Further up.” Kotori said quietly as he touched the middle of her shirt. She could live with her midriff showing but she couldn’t stand the guards leering at her chest. As he cut the fabric she continued speaking, trying to take her mind off it. “Do all of Sonoda’s prisoners get this treatment or am I just special?”  
  
Raven smirked as he focused on tying her shirt with the ribbon, trying not to make it look too obvious. “Something like that. There. Done. I have to hurry though, I’ll have to get back to my cell.”  
  
Kotori watched as he took a wrapped package from his pocket. It wasn’t the most sanitary way of bringing her food but there was little they could do about that, she knew. She obediently opened her mouth to let him pop a piece of bread inside. “I’m kind of getting tired of bread. Maybe you could bring me some ramen instead?”  
  
Raven chuckled under his breath. “This place isn’t known for it’s food menu if I’m honest.”  
  
“Guess not.” Kotori opened her mouth, letting him continue to feed her. She chewed thoughtfully, struggling to keep her head up. “Raven-san?”  
  
“Mmm?”   
  
“How long have I been in here?” Kotori asked, her voice trembling slightly. “It’s been a couple of weeks, right? Or something like that?”  
  
“Four days.” Raven answered with a shake of his head. He offered her another piece of bread but she shook her head. “I’m sorry I can’t help you more. Sonoda…”  
  
“Has you on a tight leash. Right.” Kotori said softly, bowing her head. “It’s fine.”  
  
She felt a hand lightly touch her shoulder for a split second and heard him sigh before he left her alone in the cell. As his footsteps faded out down the hallway her pain came back with startling clarity and she sobbed quietly into the stillness of her cell.   
  
“Maki-chan.” She whispered to herself, trying to reach out to the redhead. “Please hear me…”  
  
—  
Yume looked up from her desk as the door to her office burst open. She settled down from her momentary flare of panic when she saw it was only Maki. The girl’s presence brought with it a wave of anger though.   
  
“Where is she?!” Maki demanded, glancing around the office.   
  
“Maki, calm down.” Yume ordered, rising from her seat behind her desk.   
  
Hibiki sat up straight, having been slouched down in a seat in the corner of Yume’s office. The woman had demanded that she keep an eye on her though Hibiki wasn’t in any place to complain. She had her art supplies laid out in front of her, canvases on the wall and she had even been fed. She was bored though, that was her only real complaint. She could tell the woman didn’t really like her style though. Yume looked like she wanted to rip her earrings right out of her ears.   
  
Her gaze finally met wild violet eyes and she jumped to her feet as the redhead came storming toward her.   
  
“ _You_.” Maki hissed, coming to a stop right in front of Hibiki. “Rin told me you know something about Kotori. That you painted her. I want to see it.”  
  
Hibiki took a moment to look Maki up and down. “Huh. And I thought you would be cute. The temper is a total turn off. Also do-” She was cut off as Maki grabbed her collar and dragged her close to her face.   
  
“Show the me the damn picture!” Maki growled angrily.   
  
“I’ll show you if you get me a date with one of the others. The girl with the glasses is pretty cute.” Hibiki smirked. “What was her name? Hana?”  
  
Maki gritted her teeth. “You know what, I don’t have time for your fucking games. My girlfriend is out there somewhere and I need to find her. So if you don’t show me the picture I’ll dig around for it in your goddamn head and I won’t stop until I find EXACTLY what I’m looking for! You don’t believe me? I already know all about your sad little past. Don’t piss me off or I’ll spill it. I mean your dad seems crazy, too bad your mom was…”  
  
“Fuck you, you went into my head!” Hibiki exclaimed in outrage.   
  
“I can do a whole lot more to you.” Maki uttered darkly, tightening her grip on the front of Hibiki’s shirt.   
  
“Nishikino, stop it!” Yume demanded loudly. “Leave the girl alone, she’ll show you the painting when the other one is complete.”  
  
“Screw that, I’m…”  
  
“MAKI!”  
  
Maki glanced at the door in time to see Nico pause briefly in the doorway before she stepped into the room.   
  
Nico shot Yume an irritated look before she quickly made her way to Maki’s side. She reached out and touched her arm. “Just put her down.  She’s not worth it, alright?” She could feel the girl’s gaze on her but didn’t tear her eyes away from Maki’s. “Come on. We’ll find Kotori with or without her help, even if we have to search every damn inch of Tokyo.”  
  
Maki bit her lip, feeling her eyes prickle with tears. “Damn it!” She dropped the girl and turned away, running her fingers through her hair.  
  
Nico breathed a sigh of relief and turned to Hibiki, hesitating when her eyes met hauntingly blue hues.   
  
“I painted you…” Hibiki marvelled as she looked at Nico. “You’re not at all cute like the painting.”  
  
“If you think that’s going to get a rise out of me, you’re an idiot.” Nico said, her hands clenched into fists. Maybe six months ago it would have. Maybe it would even have before they’d moved into Kotori’s house. Into hiding. But not now. “Show her the damn painting.”  
  
“Nico…” Yume protested, causing the girl to whirl around in anger.   
  
“You can shut the hell up.” Nico growled at the woman whose eyes widened in surprise. “You’ve seen the damn thing, haven’t you?! You’re just keeping it from her because of your ridiculous issues with her and it’s not fucking right!”  
  
Yume flushed with anger but stayed silent.   
  
“Fine.” Hibiki moved to the canvas she’d propped against the wall. “You’re not going to like it. It’s bloody.” She waited for a nod from Maki before she drew the painting away from the wall, revealing a painted picture of Kotori, her hands chained above her head. Her clothes were shredded, her head tipped back slightly in a scream. What Maki noticed most of all was the blood though. There were cuts on her arms, neck and what she could see of her chest, blood spilling down her arms to cover her clothing and pool on the floor.   
  
Around her, there were guards. Or what looked to be guards, most of them holding weapons of some kind. A woman stood out though, undeniably Sonoda. “Oh god…”   
  
Nico didn’t have time to catch Maki as she crumbled to her knees.   
  
“I don’t control what I paint.” Hibiki said quietly. “I woke up one day with red paint all over the place and then after that CORPS wanted this so I’ve been running. So they could keep it from anyone who’d know her.”  
  
Nico felt her chest twinge painfully as Maki crawled the few feet to the painting, lightly touching Kotori’s face. She took a deep breath to steel herself. She didn’t need to be feeling things right now.  
  
“Kotori.” Maki whispered, noticing the glimmer of tears on Kotori’s cheeks for the first time. The tears that had pooled in her own eyes slipped free, streaking their way down her face.   
  
“Do you know anything else?” Nico asked, tearing her eyes from Maki. “Are they going to kill her?”  
  
Hibiki shrugged. “I only know what I see in my paintings. I’m waiting for another vision.”  
  
Yume looked away. She would never have seen this coming, even in her dreams. “Has there been anything else? Anything before this?”  
  
Hibiki thoughtfully bit her lip. “An explosion. I painted that about four months ago.”  
  
“Yukiho…” Nico murmured to herself. At Hibiki’s questioning look she elaborated. “Our friend’s…leader’s sister was killed in an explosion not too long ago.”  
  
“Oh. I’m sorry.” Hibiki said uncomfortably. “Before that I painted a girl with dark hair being tortured by the same woman who’s torturing…Kotori?”  
  
Yume looked at Hibiki. “Your paintings have all been accurate. Each one can’t be changed easily.” She watched as Hibiki shook her head. “You and I need to work together to figure these out.”  
  
Nico paced over to Maki who was crying softly, her forehead pressed to the canvas. “Hey, let’s get out of here…come on.” She tried to draw Maki to her feet only for the girl to lash out, shoving her back.   
  
“STOP IT!” Maki cried out. “I can’t leave her!”  
  
Nico swallowed thickly. She wondered how it was possible that she could barely feel anything for most people, including herself and yet when she was faced with Maki’s grief she felt it as if it was her own. She crouched down next to Maki but didn’t touch her. “It’s not her, Maki. It’s just a stupid painting. The best thing you can do for her now is get some rest. In case you need to go and get her. You want to be the first person she sees when she gets out, don’t you?”  
  
Maki looked to Nico, her eyes and face awash with tears. “She’s in pain. She’s crying and I need t-to…” She trailed off as Nico uncharacteristically leaned in and drew her head to her shoulder, hugging her tightly. “I’m scared, Nico-chan. I can’t lose her.”  
  
Nico let out a shuddering breath and pressed her face into Maki’s neck, surprised that her own eyes were misted with tears. As Maki clutched her desperately, she reached up to gently stroke the redhead’s hair. “Let’s go and get some rest, alright?” She finally said, slowly drawing back when she was sure her eyes were clear. “I’ll take you to Eli.”  
  
Maki shook her head. “Sh-She’ll be with Honoka and Umi. I don’t want…”  
  
“Then I’ll take you to Eli, Honoka and Umi.” Nico said, drawing Maki to her feet. “They’ll all want to help, trust me.” She was sure that Eli would go with Maki for a while anyway, given that she was so upset.  
  
Hibiki sighed as she turned to her painting. It sucked how much she hated her own work.   
  
“I want to know as soon as she finishes something.” Nico said, pausing near the door with Maki. “If we have to go and get Kotori, we’ll have to be fast about it.”  
  
Hibiki turned to look at Nico with interest. “You know, I’ve painted you. I’ve painted you a lot but I’ve never understood why.”  
  
Nico scoffed in response. “I’m not interested in you.”  
  
“Likewise, I’m just telling you the truth.” Hibiki said as she turned back to the painting of Kotori. “You’re always sad. Always looking like you want to cry.”  
  
Nico forced a laugh as Maki leaned into her, sniffling softly. “It’s obvious you’re new around here. Ask around and you’ll find out your paintings aren’t as accurate as you think they are.”   
  
“You always cut yourself in them.” Hibiki continued as if she hadn’t heard. “My paintings are always pretty depressing.”  
  
“I’m leaving. I don’t want to hear this.” Nico guided Maki out of the room, intent on getting her to Eli. 


	40. Chapter 40

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for the comments etc. Hope you guys like this chapter!
> 
> Warning(s): Angst, violence, underage smoking?

Kotori closed her eyes, her head pounding with pain. Her fever was getting worse, she could tell from the sweat that soaked her skin despite her being chilled to the bone. She felt sick too, leading her to believe she had an infection of some kind. She couldn’t tell whether her throat was sore. It already ached from all of the screaming she’d been doing over the past couple of days.    
  
Raven hadn’t visited in that long. He would show up for her ‘sessions’ as Kasumi referred to them, pretending to amplify her pain before he left again. He didn’t stay for the torture and he didn’t make eye contact with her either.    
  
She heard the door across the room creak open but she didn’t bother to look up. She didn’t care who it was. Even if she did she wasn’t sure she could lift her head.    
  
She heard footsteps and then Raven was crouching down in front of her.    
  
“You’re not chained up.” He observed in confusion.   
  
“I guess I got an upgrade for good behavior.” Kotori rasped, looking up at him. Her brow furrowed as she noticed he was sporting a black eye. “What happened to you?”   
  
“Nothing.” Raven lied, giving a swift shake of his head. His unkempt black hair fell into his face.    
  
“You haven’t been to see me in the past couple of days.” Kotori said weakly. She didn’t have enough strength to question him further about what was going on with him.    
  
“I had some bad news.” Raven said simply, his gaze briefly flitting away. He bit his lip and inhaled slowly as if trying to hold his composure before he looked at her again. “How do you feel?”   
  
“Like I’ve been tortured.” Kotori answered quietly. “I feel better now that I can sleep sometimes but I can’t feel or move my arms anymore. And I can’t stand up. I feel sick too.”   
  
“Can I…?” Raven waited for a nod before he reached over and grasped Kotori’s wrist. He lifted her arm before he let go. It fell limply to her side. “Probably from where they had you chained up.”   
  
“No shit.” Kotori watched as he adjusted himself to sit cross legged in front of her. “I’m not getting out of here, am I?”   
  
“I don’t know.” Raven admitted softly. He sighed as her eyes flooded with tears. He didn’t remember ever seeing her cry even through all of the pain. “Is there anything I can do for you?”   
  
“Let me speak to Maki-chan.” Kotori requested, her voice trembling. “If I’m going to die in here I want to speak to her one last time. I need to.”   
  
“I can’t, I’m sorry.” Raven said regretfully. “Maki is your...friend?”   
  
“Girlfriend.” Kotori corrected, her tone a bit harsh. Like she was daring him to say anything about it.    
  
“Oh.” Raven said quietly. He was silent for a moment, his gaze dropping to the ground. “I wish I could do something to help but there’s no way I could even get a phone in here.”   
  
“I guess I knew that.” Kotori muttered, her eyes closing. “It was worth a try though, right?”   
  
Raven watched as she shivered, huddled against the wall. “Are you cold?”   
  
Kotori nodded in response. “You don’t happen to have a blanket, do you?”   
  
“I wish. Do you mind if I touch you? Nothing weird, just…” He held up his hands, forcing a small smile to his face.    
  
“If it’s anything weird I  _ will _  hit you.” Kotori warned softly before giving him a nod to go ahead. She tensed as he placed his hands on her shoulders but quickly relaxed when the only thing he did was rub her arms, trying to generate heat. “That’s better…” She took a deep breath and opened her eyes, meeting his. “So what was your bad news? I’ve told you about Maki-chan, it’s your turn to share something.”   
  
“Is that how it works?” Raven asked, aiming to sound amused. He didn’t though. “Let’s just say someone I care about is dead. Has been for a while but I just found out about it.”   
  
“Oh. Sorry.” Kotori mumbled, deciding not to press the issue any more than she already had.    
  
Raven stilled his hands on her arms. “I have to go. I can’t stay for too long, I’m already close to being in trouble with Sonoda as it is. Hang in there, alright?”   
  
Kotori barked out a bitter laugh and Raven frowned in confusion. “Sorry.” She said, shaking her head. “But you should have said that when I was actually hanging, huh?”   
  
Raven managed a smile at that and as he stood, he reached down, placing his hand briefly atop her head. “Just don’t die, okay? I’ll be back.”   
  
“Huh…?” Kotori wanted to ask what he meant by that but before she could he was gone again, closing the cell door behind him. Sighing, she slumped back against the wall and closed her eyes, willing sleep to overwhelm her.    
  
\---   
  
You pushed open the door to the infirmary, using her elbow as she tried to balance the tray of food in her hands. She felt slightly guilty for using what was in the house but Rei and Takashi had insisted that she use whatever she need. They said that Yume wouldn’t mind and that it would be easy for them to replace whatever she took.    
  
She was surprised to find Chika up and out of bed, heading for the door. “Chika-chan! W-Where are you going?”   
  
The last time she had seen her girlfriend, all of thirty minutes ago, Chika had been hooked up to machines to monitor her heart rate.    
  
“I’m getting up.” Chika answered simply, pausing as You entered the room. “Whatever’s going on with me can wait. Honoka-chan and the others have other problems to worry about. Like finding Kotori. I’m just wasting time in here.”   
  
“You’re not! We’re...they’re running tests, remember? To see what’s going on with you.” You set the tray down on another bed and moved quickly to Chika, lightly grasping her arms. “We’re going to fix this, Chika-chan. I promise. We’re going to fix you.”   
  
Chika held her breath as You reached out and gently brushed her fingers against her cheek. She didn’t feel the thrill that came with You’s touch, nor did she feel comforted in any way. Usually You touching her made her feel so many things at once but she didn’t feel anything now. “What are we doing, You-chan?”   
  
“Hmm?” You frowned in confusion. “We’re not doing anything. I brought breakfast so if…”   
  
“No, I mean us.” Chika interrupted hurriedly. “What are we doing? What are we to each other now?”   
  
“I’m…” You paused, her stomach fluttering anxiously. “I’m your girlfriend. Right? We love each other so we’re-”   
  
“No.” Chika held up her hand, effectively cutting You off. “I mean I do. I think that I love you. But…” She paused, noticing the worried look on You’s face. Terrified really. “Uh...never mind. Forget I said anything. It’s nothing anyway.”   
  
“It’s not nothing.” You said softly, loosening her grip on Chika’s arms. She was relieved when her girlfriend didn’t pull away. “Chika-chan, I know this is hard. But all that matters is that we’re together, right? We’re both alive and together. And we’re going to fix this.”   
  
Chika shook her head. “You don’t know what it’s like…”   
  
“So tell me!” You said insistently. “I want to know what you’re thinking, even if it’ll hurt me. I want to know. Please?”   
  
Chika thoughtfully bit her lip. She didn’t want to hurt You. She knew that, even if she knew she wouldn’t feel any remorse for doing so. “You’ve been my best friend since we were kids, You-chan. I can hardly remember ever looking at you and not feeling some kind of love for you. Even if it was just friendship at first. I feel like something important is missing.” She touched her hand to her chest, catching the flash of hurt on You’s face. “I don’t feel anything. I know I love you but I don’t feel it. I don’t feel anything...”   
  
You couldn’t deny that the comment hurt but she did her best not to let it show. Chika wasn’t trying to be hurtful. She was being honest, which was what she had asked for. “It’s just emotion though, isn’t it?” She dropped Chika’s hand and stepped closer to her, brushing her fingers against Chika’s cheek. “You can feel me touching you.”   
  
Chika gave a hesitant nod. “I can feel it.”   
  
“Good.” You carefully cupped Chika’s face in her hands and leaned in, kissing her softly. She felt her girlfriend tense for a brief moment before responding to the kiss. You kept it slow and fairly platonic, not wanting to jump into anything too quickly. When she tried to pull away though, she felt Chika grab the front of her shirt and pull her close again.    
  
“I can feel it, You-chan.” Chika said softly as You’s hands slipped to her shoulder. “As long as you’re touching me, kissing me...I can feel something, not just physical. Emotional too.”   
  
“Really?” You leaned up and kissed Chika again. She would do anything to give Chika a bit of relief from not feeling anything. She was surprised when Chika kissed her back with a hint of desperation. It was rougher than You was used to with Chika and she whimpered as her childhood friend deepened the kiss, pressing her tongue past slightly parted lips.    
  
“You’re You-chan.” Chika mumbled as she drew You flush against her. Her hands slid under You’s shirt, fingers and nails lightly dragging over her back and stomach. “I love You-chan. I’ve always...”   
  
“Sshh.” You slid her fingers into Chika’s hair and tugged her close, kissing her again. If kissing her and touching her was what Chika needed she was happy to do that. It wasn’t that she didn’t want this. She loved Chika. And this seemed to be the only way she could help her. Taking initiative, she guided Chika back against the wall and pinned her their, keeping their bodies flushed together as she kissed her back with as much passion as she could muster.    
  
“Boy, I forgot how horny teenagers can be.”    
  
You pulled away quickly, her eyes widening in surprise when she found Rei standing near the door. “R-Rei-san! It’s not what it looks like, we were...we were just um...it’s a treatment. I’m helping Chika-chan feel things.”   
  
“Yeah, I bet.” Rei mumbled as she stepped further into the room. “Where are you going, Chika? You’re meant to be resting.”   
  
“Why? There’s nothing wrong with me. See?” Chika pointed to her head. “Nothing physically wrong with me. So my treatment can wait until everything else has calmed down.”   
  
Rei walked over to Chika and took a pin from her pocket. She took Chika’s hand and pricked her finger, looking up in search of a reaction. “That didn’t hurt?” She continued when Chika shook her head. “Can you feel my hand?”   
  
“Not really.” Chika answered with a shrug. “I can feel the weight of it but not your skin or warmth or anything.”   
  
Rei sighed and dropped Chika’s hand. “You need to stay for observation. I need to keep running tests on you. Watanabe, I trust you’ll be staying too? No kissing please but your touch seems to be the only thing she can feel.”   
  
“But if it helps Chika-chan…” You began to protest indignantly only to be cut off by Rei.    
  
“It’s a bad idea. I’m not going to tell you what to do with your relationship. I’m not Yume.” Rei felt a bit of guilt at saying that. She knew how much Yume was hurting and she understood her need to protect Kotori. “But doing anything...like that for the wrong reason is a bad idea. So just keep it platonic for now, okay?”   
  
“I guess.” You mumbled, sighing to herself.    
  
“I’ll be back.” Rei said before she turned on her heel and walked out of the room, muttering under her breath.    
  
“She’s right.” Chika said quietly as she watched Rei go. “As much as I don’t want to admit it, we’re not going to solve our problems by having sex. We’re not Muse.”

“Ah, clearly you can’t get embarrassed when you’re like this either.” You muttered, her cheeks warming at the thought of doing anything like that with Chika. “You’re right though. I don’t want to do that unless it’s for the right reason. Because we’re ready. I can still touch you though, can’t I? Hugging and...maybe even quick kisses sometimes?”  
  
“Yeah.” Chika reached out and felt her palm tingle when You quickly took her hand. “Of course we can.”  
  
\---  
  
Maki was sure she was going to end up making herself sick because she’d been crying so much but she couldn’t seem to stop. For the past week all she’d done was cry and try to find Kotori without luck. She was useless. She couldn’t even help her own girlfriend.   
  
Now, she found herself curled up on her bed, Kotori’s shirt clutched close to her face as she sobbed into the fabric. It didn’t even really smell like her anymore but Maki wanted to keep it close.   
  
Hearing her door open she looked up sharply, some deluded part of her mind letting her hope that she would see Kotori walk into the room. It wasn’t though, it was just Honoka.  
  
“H-Honoka…” Maki wiped her eyes, remembering what Eli had said about Honoka’s fragile state of mind. “W-What are you doing here?”  
  
Honoka wordlessly walked over to Maki and crawled into bed next to her. She reached out and tentatively put her arms around the redhead, drawing her close. It was only when she felt Maki clutch at the back of her shirt, pressing her face into her chest that she spoke. “I wanted to make sure Maki-chan is okay.”  
  
Honoka’s words were choked and Maki pulled back, noticing for the first time that Honoka was crying too. “How are you still doing this, Honoka? How are you still...here, still breathing? I feel like I can’t breathe without her! I don't know how you're doing this!”  
  
“I don’t know.” Honoka admitted tearfully, gripping Maki tighter. “Neither do Umi-chan and Eli-senpai. They’ll barely let me out of their sight, they think I might…” She trailed off, quieting. “I know how you feel. I love Kotori-chan too.”  
  
Maki choked back a sob and pressed her face into Honoka’s chest. “I love her so much. I don’t want her to die, I don’t know what I’ll do.”  
  
Despite the tears that steadily tracked down her cheeks, Honoka rubbed Maki’s back, doing her best to comfort her. “You know, Kotori-chan use to talk about you all of the time when we were younger. I didn’t realize she was talking about you but she used to talk about how cute you were. How you used to follow her around anywhere.”  
  
Maki sniffled softly. “She was my hero. She was so cool and I was just a dumb kid. I used to be such a-a crybaby. I guess I am now too...”  
  
Honoka shook her head but she couldn’t speak past her tears either so she didn’t argue verbally. Rubbing Maki’s back, she looked over at the bedside table, mostly to find something to distract herself with. She sighed when she found cigarette butts, stubbed out onto the table. “Maki-chan, you’re smoking again…?”  
  
Maki cringed at the disappointment in Honoka’s voice. “I can’t calm down. My mind i-is racing and that’s the only thing that helps. Don’t tell her this time. Please, Honoka. I don’t want...I don’t want her to be disappointed in me.”  
  
“Give me one.”  
  
“HUH?!” Maki couldn’t have been more surprised by Honoka’s unexpected request.   
  
“Give me one.” Honoka repeated slowly so that Maki understood her. “Or share one with me. You’re not the only person who needs to keep calm, remember?”  
  
“I-I’m not giving you a bad habit…” Maki stuttered, still stunned by Honoka’s request. Honoka had been angry when she’d seen Maki smoking the first time.   
  
“It’s fine. Just don’t tell Umi-chan.”  
  
“B-But…” Maki realized her protests were falling on deaf ears and sighed, pushing herself up. She brushed her tears away with one hand and reached down between her bed and her bedside table with the other.   
  
Honoka watched as Maki shifted, taking something from a small box before she emerged with a cigarette and a lighter. She watched intently as Maki lit the cigarette and placed it between her lips, taking a long draw from it before she offered it to Honoka.   
  
“Take a breath then put it between your lips and take a deep breath.” Maki instructed as she watched Honoka tentatively take the cigarette from her.   
  
Honoka nodded somberly and did as she was instructed, doing just what Maki had done. The moment she inhaled the thick, scratchy smoke she felt she’d been hit in the chest and started coughing immediately. She felt Maki take the cigarette from her then rub her back.   
  
“You get used to it after a while.” Maki said softly as Honoka slowly calmed down.   
  
“Once we get her back you’ll stop again.” Honoka said, her voice a bit hoarse from her coughing fit. “I don’t want you to lose your singing voice. It’s too pretty.”  
  
“What about yours?” Maki asked quietly as Honoka took the cigarette back from her, trying again. She didn’t cough much this time but she didn’t look comfortable either.   
  
“I don’t care.” Honoka rasped, leaning back against the pillows behind her. “I haven’t felt like singing in a long time.”  
  
Maki nodded silently and shifted close to Honoka, leaning into her side. “What about Umi and Eli? Are they not a reason?”  
  
“I think what I mean is...I have more reasons not to sing than I have reasons to sing.” Honoka answered thoughtfully, her brow furrowing slightly. There was a beat of silence before she continued. “I think about Yukiho all of the time. Even when I sleep, I dream about her. And if I’m not sleeping, I’m thinking about her. If I’m upset I think about her. And if I’m happy I think about everything she’s going to miss out on. She’s never going to get to love someone like I love Umi-chan and Eli-senpai. Why should I be allowed to?”  
  
“Because you’re alive…”  
  
“SHE SHOULD BE!” Honoka snapped loudly, causing Maki to flinch. “I-I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to…” She sighed and looked to the ceiling, feeling her eyes prickle with tears. “I shouldn’t be allowed to be with them.”  
  
Maki swallowed thickly. “But Umi doesn’t have any family. The family she does have want her dead. She only has you.”  
  
“Muse is her family.” Honoka whispered without looking at Maki. “She’d be fine without me.”  
  
“That’s not true. You know that. None of us would be fine without you, especially Umi and Eli. They love you.” Maki felt a slither of dread at not mentioning Kotori. It was like she was sure her girlfriend wouldn’t be around to care. “You love them, right?”  
  
Honoka gave a short laugh that was somehow bitter. “Yeah, I love them. Most of the time.”  
  
“Most of the time?” Maki asked softly, confused by the statement. “What do you mean?”  
  
“Sometimes…” Honoka paused, biting her lip. She didn’t know if she wanted to even say it outloud. “Sometimes I just...feel like I hate them. I-I know I don’t! But it feel like that, when I think of them dragging me out. Away from Yukiho.” She gripped Maki’s blankets, gritting her teeth as a familiar anger washed over her. “We could have saved her. If we’d done things differently. If we hadn’t been so  _stupid_.”  
  
“You don’t know…” Maki was going to try to reason with Honoka when someone knocked softly at the door. She looked up in time to see it open. Eli stepped into the room, smiling nervously at the two of them. “Hey, I was just looking for you, Hono...what the hell is that?! How long have you been…?”  
  
“About ten minutes.” Honoka answered while Maki looked away anxiously. “Come on, Eli-senpai. Don’t be angry.”  
  
“Give it to me.” Eli held out a hand and waited until Honoka gave her the cigarette. She closed her hand around it, crushing it in her palm. “You’re being an idiot. You HATE this. And you…” She turned to Maki, narrowing her eyes. “You’re meant to be a model student!”  
  
“We haven’t been to school in weeks.” Maki pointed out irritably. “And you’re not the boss of me, Eli. I’ve told you, you’re not my damn sister!”  
  
Eli gave a heavy sigh and squeezed onto the bed next to Honoka.   
  
“At least if I’m out of the way, Eli-senpai will still have you.” Honoka half joked.   
  
“Don’t say that!” Eli exclaimed quickly, grasping Honoka’s arm. She hated when Honoka came out with things like that. She hated even the idea of Honoka not being there. “You’re not going anywhere. We’re going to be together for a long time. You, me and Umi. Right?”  
  
“Yeah.” Honoka said softly, turning toward Eli. She lay her head on her shoulder, an arm going around her waist. “I’m sorry.”  
  
“I know.” Eli kissed Honoka’s forehead and gently rubbed her back. Looking up, she found Maki watching them but the redhead quickly looked away.   
\---  
  
“Wake up, prisoner!”  
  
Kotori was torn from the blissful reprieve of sleep by someone kicking her in the leg. She jolted awake, looking up at the person in front of her. Her vision was blurry for a moment but after she blinked a few times it was clear enough that she could make out a guard standing in front of her, a smirk on his face. “What…?”  
  
“Sonoda-san thinks you’ve outlived your usefulness.” The guard took a gun from his belt and pointed it at Kotori, a smug look on his face. “This is going to be satisfying…”  
  
“No, no, no…” Kotori scrambled back as the guard started to squeeze the trigger. In panic she tried to lift her arms to cover her head but of course she couldn’t. She shut her eyes tightly, her thoughts shifting to Maki right before she heard the gun go off. She felt something warm and wet hit her face but nothing else followed. She didn’t feel the shot but she didn’t feel any of her own pain stop either. She heard the thud of something hitting the floor and cautiously opened her eyes to see the guard slumped to the ground, a pool of blood forming around him. She scrambled back further, using her weakened legs to push herself as someone else walked into the cell. She didn’t look up to see who it was. She couldn’t tear her eyes from the guard’s lifeless body.   
  
Suddenly the person was in front of her, grasping her shoulders and giving her a light shake. “Kotori! Kotori, it’s me. Come on, snap out of it!”  
  
“R-Raven-san?” Kotori stuttered, forcing herself to focus on his face. “What’s happening?”  
  
“They’re going to kill you. And we’re getting out of here. Can you move your arms at all?” Raven asked with a hint of urgency as he glanced at the cell door.   
  
Kotori shook her head. “N-No…”  
  
Raven cursed under his breath. He had feared as much. “Look, I’m going to get you out of here but you have to trust me, okay? I can’t waste time asking your permission to do things. Do you trust me?”  
  
Kotori nodded shakily. “I trust you. Just do whatever you need to do. I have no choice, right?”  
  
Raven breathed a sigh of relief and took off the hoodie he was wearing. Without pausing he reached over and helped Kotori into it, pulling the hood up after. “Can you stand up for a minute if I help you?”  
  
Kotori nodded once more.   
  
“Good.” Raven helped Kotori stand up leaned her against the wall before he hurriedly took off his belt. He noticed Kotori flinch slightly but didn’t say anything. He didn’t have time. He moved so that he was crouched in front of her. “Put your arms around my neck. Hurry up.”  
  
Kotori quickly did as she was told, putting her arms around his neck.   
  
“Good.” Raven fastened the belt around her wrists, pulling it tight to hold her arms in place. He stood up, lifting her legs as he did so. “Can you hold onto me with your legs, at least a little? I need a hand free for my gun.”  
  
“Yeah.” Kotori said weakly, doing as she was told. She locked her legs around his waist, wincing at the ache in her calves.   
  
“Right, let’s go.” Raven muttered, more to himself than to Kotori. He quickly left the cell, taking a left outside. A guard rounded the corner ahead and he lifted the weapon in his hand, shooting him twice in the chest.   
  
Kotori cringed at the loud noise and clenched her eyes shut as it continued relentlessly for a couple of minutes as they made their way down the long corridor. She didn’t want to look so as they continued she focused on Maki. She was going to get to see her again. She hadn’t dared let herself imagine she would. She would see Honoka again too. And Umi and the others.   
  
“Almost there.” Raven muttered under his breath as he continued walking. He knew where the exit was though he hadn’t been out much during his years of being stuck there.    
  
“Why are you helping me?” Kotori finally asked, unable to stand the sudden silence. “You said you had some bad news, right? Is that why?”  
  
“My sister’s dead. The only reason I was acting as Sonoda’s lackey was to make sure that didn’t happen. Turns out she’d been dead a while.” Raven said gruffly. He cleared his throat and picked up his pace.   
  
Kotori was about to question him further when she noticed movement out of the corner of her eye. She looked over, catching a glimpse of a young girl. “Wait! Wait, wait, wait!” She couldn’t hit him with her hand to get him to stop so she mustered all of her energy, lightly headbutting him in the back of the head to get him to stop. “I just saw something. Another prisoner.”  
  
“What? That’s not our problem.” Raven was about to start walking again when Kotori began to squirm, almost causing him to drop her.   
  
“She’s just a little girl!” Kotori exclaimed, her voice hoarse from lack of use. “We need to go back and get her. It looks like her cell is open so it’s not going to cause you any trouble! If you don’t want to help just leave me here and I’ll get her out myself!”  
  
Raven huffed irritably. “Fine. You’re so freaking stubborn.” He turned back and went to the cell Kotori pointed out to him, kicking it open.   
  
The young girl in the cell scurried back against the wall, her silver eyes wide with fear as he entered. She was no older than six, with auburn hair that fell into her face.   
  
“ _Raven-san, take my hood down!”_  Kotori hissed into his ear, aware that the girl couldn’t see her all that well. She waited until he did as she asked before she pushed herself up on his back as best she could. “H-Hey there. My name’s Kotori. What’s yours?”  
  
“Y-Yuki…” The girl stuttered, still staring fearfully at them.   
  
“It’s nice to meet you, Yuki.” Kotori said with a forced smile. “This is Raven. I know he looks a bit scary but he’s helping us get out of here. You can trust him.”  
  
Raven took that as his cue to hold out his hand. The girl seemed to hesitate for a moment before she reached out and grasped it. He winced as his hand suddenly turned cold. “Cryokinesis…”  
  
“I-I’m sorry, they took my gloves.” Yuki said, quickly drawing her hand away. “I didn’t mean to…”  
  
“It’s okay. It’s fine.” Raven said quickly. “We’ll get you some new gloves, okay? Let’s just get out of here. Try to stay calm and control it.” He put the safety on his gun and shoved it into his back pocket, hoping he had shot enough guards to get a head start. “I’m gonna pick you up, okay? Remember, you have control of your ability, not the other way around.”  
  
Yuki nodded and let Raven pick her up with his right arm. She grasped his shirt and Kotori’s arm for support as he took off running out of the cell.   
  
\----  
  
Nico had to jog to catch up as Maki stormed down the hallway, a stony expression on her face. She didn’t know what was going on, only that Maki had passed her a minute ago, looking upset so she had decided to follow along to make sure everything is okay. “Are you going to tell me what’s going on?”  
  
“Eli said that girl has painted something else.” Maki said through gritted teeth. “And nobody bothered to tell me. AGAIN.”  
  
Nico winced as Maki threw open the door to Yume’s office and stepped inside. She glanced quickly around the room to pinpoint where everyone was. Hibiki was sitting with her head in her hands on the floor while Nozomi , Future Honoka, Riko and Yume stood in front of the painting.   
“Are you KIDDING me?!” Maki exclaimed as she walked across the room. She waved toward Riko. “Even SHE gets to know about this before I do?! She’s not even one of us. She’s…” She trailed off, not because Riko winced at the accusation but because she finally lay eyes on the wall. “What is this…?”  
  
“Hibiki-san went out of control.” Riko answered quietly, gesturing to the wall. Half of it was painted completely, showing a dark haired man carrying Kotori on his back and a child in one arm.   
  
Maki swallowed thickly as she looked the painting over, her gaze lingering on Kotori’s face. “I don’t mean that, I mean...who is the guy? What’s going on? The last time we saw her she was chained up so does this mean she’s out?”  
  
“That’s why I’m here.” Riko spoke up again. “Yume-san wanted to know if I knew him. I don’t though. Neither do the others, I’m sure. We run into some other ability users from time to time but never him.”  
  
Nozomi cleared her throat. “And I’m here because Yume-san wanted to see if I could figure anything out from the painting. About this man, the child or Kotori.”  
  
“Did you?” Maki finally took her eyes away from the painting and turned to anxiously toward Nozomi. “Nozomi, please. I need to know what’s happening. Please.”  
  
Nozomi glanced at Yume who shook her head in response. She ignored the answer and turned back to Maki. “Hibiki-chan says that this isn’t a future event. It’s happening right now. Or when she painted it at least. I’ve been looking at the painting and I can’t read a lot from him. But that’s a good sign. Maybe he doesn’t have ill intentions. The only thing I can see from the child is that she’s terrified. See the way she’s clinging to both of them?”  
  
Maki looked back at the painting, noticing that the child was clutching the man’s shirt and Kotori’s arm for dear life. “What about Kotori? Does she…” Her voice broke and she paused, steeling herself. “How does she seem?”  
  
“Scared. But not at the same time.” Nozomi smiled reassuringly at Maki as the redhead turned to her in confusion. “Her posture is relaxed, see? And if you look at the way her head is positioned, it’s resting against his. Whoever that is, she trusts him.”  
  
Maki was about to question Nozomi further when she heard shouting from downstairs. She froze for a split second before she bolted from the room.   
  
TBC


	41. Chapter 41

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for the kudos, messages and comments etc. Hope you guys like this chapter!
> 
> Warning(s): Angst, violence, swearing 
> 
> Also if you guys have any questions you want to ask anonymously or anything feel free to head over to my blog. My ask page is: faberrittanainthetardis.tumblr.com/ask

“What’s going on?!” Maki exclaimed as she hurried down the stairs. Eli, Honoka and Umi were hot on her heels, she knew, but she could hear other footsteps behind them too. She figured it must be Yume, Nico and the others.    
  
“Some guy is running toward the door with a kid and someone else on his back.” Kanan said hesitantly as Maki reached the bottom of the stairs. “Should we let him in?”   
  
Out of the corner of her eye, Maki noticed Eli go up in flames, stepping forward a bit more to situate herself in front of Honoka and Umi. She hurried forward herself and threw the door open just as the man reached it. Now that he was close enough, Maki noticed that he looked younger than she’d thought. Probably around Kotori’s age.   
  
As soon as he stepped foot into the house, she narrowed her eyes at him, focusing intently on forcing her way into his mind. With a yell of pain, he fell to his knees, Kotori still on his back. Forced to let go of Yuki’s hand, he braced himself with his hands on the floor.    
  
Maki felt her hair fly up as Rin ran past her, grabbing Kotori and running back to Honoka, Eli and Umi, all in the blink of an eye.    
  
Terrified, Yuki backed up into the corner, trying to get as far away from the new ability users as she could.    
  
“Kotori-chan!” Honoka pushed the hood back from Kotori’s face and flinched at the sight of blood and bruises. She quickly shook it off though and hugged Kotori gently, her eyes brimming with tears. “It’s okay, you’re safe now.”   
  
Feeling a hand gently stroke her hair, Kotori drew her eyes away from Honoka and locked eyes with Umi who looked equally emotional. She could see her mother standing nearby too, a relieved look on her face.    
  
“Who the hell are you?!” Maki’s voice caught her attention and she looked over, finding her girlfriend had stepped closer to Raven, her hand stretched out in front of her. “What did you do to her?”   
  
“Maki-chan, leave him...alone.” Kotori choked out. She wished she could move to Maki and hug her but she couldn’t. She couldn’t even stand on her own. She was still leaning heavily against Rin. “Please.”   
  
Maki was silent for a moment before her hand lowered to her side.    
  
“Don’t worry, I’ll take over from here.” Eli said, taking a step forward. She placed her flaming hand lightly on Maki’s shoulder. “Go to her, Maki.”   
  
Maki nodded but didn’t move.   
  
“Why is it suddenly cold?” Nozomi mumbled, rubbing her arms.   
  
Raven looked up, trying to think past the pain in his head. Looking behind him, he noticed ice creeping up the wall where Yuki was crouched down. “Shit, you’re scaring her. What the hell is…?” He trailed off as Eli grabbed the front of his shirt and dragged him to his feet. “Ah, hot, hot, hot…”    
  
“Shut up.” Eli snarled, ignoring the fact that his shirt was on fire.    
  
“Everyone, stop fighting!” Honoka exclaimed, earning herself a few looks of surprise. “Just look at her, she’s having a panic attack. Eli-senpai, put him down!”   
  
Eli silently let go of Raven and he stepped back, patting his shirt frantically to put the flames out.    
  
“Nozomi-chan.” Honoka reached out and grabbed Nozomi’s hand, pulling her away from Future Honoka. She guided her over to Yuki and crouched down in front of the young girl, ignoring the chill emanating from her. She smiled softly, meeting frightened silver eyes. “Hi. My name’s Honoka. You’re safe now, okay? Nothing’s going to happen to you.”   
  
Rei, who had joined them with Takashi, looked away and took a deep breath, trying to ignore the memories that crept up on her.    
  
“Where are your parents?” Nozomi asked kindly, crouching down next to Honoka.    
  
Yuki sniffled softly and slowly lowered her hands from her ears. “I-I don’t know. I was taken t-there when I was born.”   
  
Rei gritted her teeth and looked at Takashi who was frowning. “They’re still doing it. I’m going to kill him.” She stormed off without another word. Takashi was tempted to follow but he knew there needed to be an adult present. An impartial adult.    
  
He carefully made his way closer to the girl and crouched down, pulling his shirt sleeve up. “Do you have one of these marks too? The one where they put the needle when you were a baby?”   
  
Yuki looked at his arm, noticing the familiar scar. She nodded in response and held out her arm. “H-How did you…?”   
  
“I’m just like you.” Takashi said softly, trying to contain his emotion. He felt pained for the girl and furious with Sonoda. With everyone involved. “Nozomi, please take her to one of the spare rooms. She should stay with one of us.”   
  
“Hey, if you think I’m going to let you…” Raven made to take a step forward but Eli stepped in front of him again and he quickly stepped back, holding his hands up in surrender. “Got it.”   
  
“U-Umi-chan and I can look after her!” Honoka said quickly. “She can stay with us. Right, Umi-chan?” She glanced over at Umi who was untying the belt from Kotori’s wrists. She looked up though, giving a brief nod.    
  
“Her name is Yuki.” Kotori said weakly, her gaze lingering on Maki’s back. The redhead hadn’t even looked at her yet. “She told us earlier.”   
  
“Thank you, Kotori-chan. I’ll look after her.” Honoka stood up and held out her hand to Yuki who shook her head and got to her feet on her own.    
  
“I-I need gloves or I’ll hurt you.” Yuki said shakily. “Raven-san said he would get me some.” She looked to him hopefully and he forced a small smile to his lips.    
  
“I’m sure she’ll find some for you.”    
  
Yuki looked a little displeased at that but she nodded her head and allowed Honoka to guide her out of the room and up the stairs.    
  
“Go with her please, Umi-chan.” Kotori said hoarsely. “Just to make sure they’re okay. I’ll be fine. Please. You can visit me later.”   
  
“Okay.” Umi hugged Kotori gently before she hurried after Honoka.    
  
“Can you stand?” Rin asked in concern. She felt Kotori shake her head and held onto her tighter, accidentally pressing on one of Kotori’s wounds and causing Kotori to cry out in pain.   
  
“HEY!” Raven exclaimed, his hand automatically going to his gun in his back pocket. He was surprised when he found it wasn’t there. “What the…?” He turned and found a girl with light lavender eyes standing behind him, a smirk playing at her lips as she twirled the gun around her finger. “You know, the safety isn’t on. You’re gonna end up shooting yourself.”   
  
“Doesn’t matter. It’ll go right through me.” Hanayo said, somewhat smugly.    
  
“What?”   
  
Hanayo reached out, passing her hand right through his chest. He stumbled back in surprise.   
  
Nico, who had gone to the kitchen to get a glass of water, frowned at Hanayo. She guided the straw in the glass to Kotori’s lips to help her drink.    
  
Kotori did so desperately. It had been days since she’d drank anything. She was sure she was dehydrated. “Thank you, Nico-chan….”   
  
Nico managed a small smile before she glanced at Maki in concern. It hadn’t escaped her notice that Maki hadn’t said anything to Kotori yet. She wasn’t even looking at her. She cleared her throat. “What are we going to do with him?”   
  
“Get him a room. He helped me escape even though he could have been killed.” Kotori said weakly. She looked to her mother. “Please, mom. He’s not one of them. Just give him a chance to explain. Please.”   
  
Yume couldn’t say no. She nodded in response and signalled for the young man to follow her. “I’ll show you to a room. But I am locking you in. Eli, if you wouldn’t mind coming with me...”   
  
“Nothing I’m not used to.” Raven mumbled, shoving his hands into his pockets.    
  
“Rin, go with Yume-san. You too, Hanayo.” Nico ordered as she moved to take Kotori away from Rin. She was surprised at how much of her weight Kotori had to lean on her. She helped Kotori over to the couch as Yume, Eli, Raven, Hanayo and Rin left.    
  
“I’ll leave you two alone for a minute.” She said softly, placing her hand on Kotori’s shoulder when the girl was finally seated. “I’m going to get Rei-san to heal you.”   
  
Kotori nodded and watched as Nico left the room. She turned back to Maki, her heart in her throat. Her girlfriend was facing her now, but she had her head down so Kotori couldn’t see her face. “Maki-chan? Can you look at me, please?”   
  
There was a moment of stillness before Maki lifted her head, revealing tears streaking their way down her cheeks. Kotori’s heart ached at the sight. “Maki-chan...come here.”   
  
Maki hurried forward and threw her arms around Kotori’s neck, ignorant of her injuries. Kotori gritted her teeth. She’d expected it that time so she didn’t cry out. Unable to move much, she couldn’t do anything as Maki sobbed into her neck though.    
  
“I was so s-scared.” Maki sobbed, clutching at the hoodie Kotori was wearing. “I thought I lost you and I felt...I felt like I was going to fucking  _ die _ , Koto-nee. I didn’t know what to do a-and I couldn’t help you...”   
  
“I’m here.” Kotori whispered, wishing she could do something else. “I’m right here, Maki-chan. I’m not going anywhere. Hey, look into my eyes, okay?”   
  
Maki drew back slightly, meeting Kotori’s eyes.    
  
“You were the only thing that got me through being there. I thought about you all of the time. I love you so much, Maki-chan. I…” Kotori’s brow furrowed slightly as her head seemed to spin. “I-I think I’m gonna…”   
  
The last thing she heard was Maki calling her name before everything turned black.    
  
\----   
  
“It’s okay. Go ahead.” Honoka said with a reassuring smile as she pushed the bowl of chicken katsu curry toward Yuki. They were sitting on the floor in her bedroom with Umi next to them while Eli hovered near the doorway.    
  
Yuki didn’t need any further permission and without a second thought she began to eat the food enthusiastically. Honoka watched in amusement as it seemed to disappear within seconds.    
  
“Good?” Umi asked with a small smile. “I can get you some more if you want some. I’m sure Nico won’t mind making more.”   
  
“N-No, thank you.” Yuki said shakily. Her gaze drifted over to Eli and she scooted closer to Honoka, whispering something to her.    
  
“Yeah, Eli-senpai is cool.” Honoka said as she looked briefly over at Eli. “Though her power is the opposite.”   
  
“I wish I had fire power.” Yuki mumbled, looking down at her now gloved hands. “I hate my ability. It just hurts people.”   
  
“We can help you with that.” Umi said quietly, hoping to soothe the young girl. “You’re with us now. We’re not like the people at the facility. We’ll help you as much as we can. I promise.”   
  
“Even E-Eli-senpai?” Yuki asked uncertainly, her gaze flitting to the blonde. “I think she’s scared of me.”   
  
Eli’s eyes widened as the girl looked at her. “I-It’s not that.” She made her way closer and crouched down next to Yuki, making a tiny flame in the palm of her hand. “I know how you feel. We’re the same, see? But different.”   
  
Yuki took her glove off and reached out toward the flame, slowly getting closer until her ability started to turn the flame to ice and her palm started to feel like it was burning. Both she and Eli pulled away at once, in pain. Yuki scurried back to Honoka’s side while Eli drew her hand to her chest.    
  
“I-I’m sorry!” Yuki exclaimed as Honoka’s arms went around her. “I always scare people. None of the other kids would go near me a-at the facility!”   
  
“No, it’s fine. I’m just weak to the cold.” Eli said softly, her hand still stinging with pain. “Seems like you might be weak to fire, hmm?”   
  
Yuki nodded hesitantly. “They u-used to make me try to get close to it...at the facility.”   
  
Eli forced a smile to her lips though she felt sick at hearing that. “Honoka, can I talk to you outside? Please?”   
  
Honoka nodded and carefully extracted herself from Yuki. Promising she would be back, she left the room with Eli and followed her down the hallway until they came to Yume’s office. They let themselves in and Eli breathed a sigh of relief when she didn’t find Kotori’s mother or Hibiki there. She quickly closed the door behind them.    
  
“It seems like the kid is attached to you.” Eli said softly as she turned to Honoka who gave a slight shrug. “That’s a good thing. I guess she’ll be staying with you in your room because there are no spare rooms and...she doesn’t seem like she wants to leave your side. You were the first person here to reach out to her so it makes sense.”   
  
“I-I guess…” Honoka said uncertainly. “I want to help her. She reminds me of...Yukiho, in a way. I need to help her.”   
  
Eli forced another smile. “She’ll be safe with you and Umi. But um...I can’t stay there anymore. In your room. At least for now. I don’t want to hurt her and getting too close to her is hurting me. I want to find a way to get past that but for now, I can’t be there. So it’ll just be you and Umi for a while, okay?”   
  
Honoka’s heart felt like it plummeted in her chest. “You’re leaving?”   
  
Eli stepped close to Honoka and gently brushed her hair back from her face. “It’s not forever, hopefully. Just until we find a solution to this. I know looking after Yuki is something you need to do. I’m happy that you have something you want to do. You don’t know how happy it makes me to see you like this again. Your happiness is all that matters to me, Honoka.”   
  
“Are...Are we still together?” Honoka asked, her voice cracking slightly. “We’re still together, right? Eli-senpai?”   
  
“Yes, we are.” Eli said softly. She gently drew Honoka into her arms and hugged her tightly. “I’ll be down the hall, with Arisa. You can visit whenever you want.”   
  
“I’ll miss you.” Honoka said, her voice hitching slightly with emotion. “I liked sleeping with you. I don’t know how I’m going to sleep without your warmth. You always made me feel safe. I always knew you were there with me and nothing would happen to you and...”   
  
Eli gently shushed Honoka and drew back, meeting her teary eyes. “Hey, don’t cry. I know it’s not the same but I won’t be far. “   
  
Honoka blinked rapidly. “I might end up sleeping with you and Arisa-chan…”    
  
“Honoka…” Eli said disapprovingly though she couldn’t deny that the idea of Honoka missing her felt good. “Kiss me.”   
  
Honoka did as she was asked, leaning up and pressing her lips to Eli’s as she wrapped her arms around the blonde’s neck. She felt Eli draw her closer by gripping her hips and hummed in satisfaction as her girlfriend kissed her back. It wasn’t more than a few seconds before Eli was deepening the kiss, her hands sliding under Honoka’s shirt to map out soft skin she’d already spent a countless amount of time exploring.   
  
Honoka whimpered softly as Eli pressed her tongue past her lips. She guided the blonde back to Yume’s desk and reached down, grasping her thighs to lift her up onto it.    
  
“It’s so hot when you do that…” Eli mumbled, drawing away for just a split second before she kissed Honoka again.    
  
“Shut up.” Honoka growled, crawling up onto the desk so that she was straddling Eli’s thighs. She kissed her back, her fingers threading into soft blonde hair to hold her close. She felt Honoka’s hands go to her back, the light touch only enticing her further. She didn’t want Eli to think she was in the way or that she was a second priority to Honoka.    
  
Honoka sank her fingers into Eli’s hair and clutched it lightly, drawing her head back. She kissed her way down the girl’s neck, pausing to lightly suck at the soft skin there and smirked in satisfaction when Eli softly gasped.    
  
“Honoka, s-should we really…” Eli’s protests trailed off as Honoka leaned back and tugged off her shirt. Eli gaped at Honoka as her smooth abdomen and curvaceous breasts were revealed. Any second thoughts she’d had promptly disappeared. 

  
\-----   
  
When Kotori woke up she was overjoyed to find herself finally back in her own bed. She’d craved it over the past week, thinking she would never see it again. “Maki-chan…” She mumbled, remembering the moments before she’d fallen asleep.    
  
“She was in here until she passed out. Literally. Rei put her to be in the infirmary so she can keep an eye on her.”   
  
“Honoka-chan…” Kotori looked to her right where she found Future Honoka perched on the edge of her bed. She smiled softly at her and tried to push herself up, finding that her arms were finally back to normal. She blushed in embarrassment as Honoka reached out and lifted the pillows behind her so she had something to lean again. “Thank you.”   
  
She leaned back with a content sigh, briefly closing her eyes for a moment. “How long was I out?”   
  
“A few hours.” Honoka answered quietly, reaching for Kotori’s hands. She squeezed it gently. “You really scared us, you know.”   
  
“Sorry.” Kotori whispered, thinking about how Maki had reacted. And how relieved Honoka and Umi had been when they’d seen her. “You were there when I got back, weren’t you? And then you left again?”   
  
“Yeah, I um...sorry about that. Seeing you so hurt just...brought up some bad memories. I’m sorry.” Honoka said apologetically. “I’m sorry for not being the one to save you too. I should have been. But I didn’t know where they had you. If I’d known, I would have come. I’d have killed them all to get to you.”   
  
“I know.” Kotori whispered with a small smile. “I know how you feel, Honoka-chan. You don’t have to tell me.”   
  
“I wish you knew.” Honoka moved further onto the bed and carefully drew Kotori into her arms, kissing the top of her head.    
  
Kotori melted into Honoka’s side, basking in the warmth emanating from the future version of her best friend. In the cell it had always been cold and lonely. She didn’t feel like that at all with Honoka. “Tell me something. About...the future? Your future. Please?”   
  
Honoka was silent for a moment, biting her lip. The future wasn’t something she really liked to talk about.    
  
“You don’t have to if you don’t want to.” Kotori hastened to say, noticing the hesitation on Honoka’s face. “I just want to think about something else for a few minutes.”   
  
“It’s fine.” Honoka said softly, giving Kotori a gentle squeeze. She had a thousand questions she wanted to ask about what had happened while Kotori was away but she understood the need to think about something else.    
  
“You threatened to punch Eli-senpai in the face once, did I tell you about that?” Honoka chuckled softly when Kotori looked up at her in surprise. “In my future, Eli-senpai was very...reckless at times. And I was always tagging along with her, trying to make sure she stayed safe. You used to hate that. I almost always ended up hurt by the time I got back. Anyway, it was especially bad one night and you grabbed her and shoved her against the wall. Threatened to punch her if she didn’t stop putting me in danger. It was actually kind of…” Honoka paused for a moment, reconsidering her comment. It was probably inappropriate. “Sweet.”   
  
“I don’t think I would ever want to fight Eli-senpai.” Kotori mumbled, resting her head on Honoka’s chest as her eyes slid shut once more. “She’s pretty scary when she’s angry.”   
  
“I know.” Honoka said softly, thinking back to her own Eli, in the future. “Eli was furious too and she lost it. Control of her ability, I mean. You ended up with a pretty bad burn on your hand. That really pissed Maki-chan off for some reason…”   
  
“What was she like?” Kotori asked quietly, her lips turning up slightly at the mention of Maki.    
  
“She was a workaholic and she smoked like a chimney.” Honoka answered simply.    
  
“Hmm? What else?” Kotori looked up at Honoka hopefully.    
  
“Maki-chan was very secretive. She didn’t tell us anything really.” Honoka replied, frowning to herself. “I know she cared about us but she didn’t really like to talk about herself. Now that I think back to it, I think she might have been a little bit jealous of me for having you. She never really had anyone she was in a relationship with, even if she did...well sleep with people. Everyone knew Maki was…” Honoka trailed off, shaking her head. They didn’t need to talk about that. “The two of you were distant though, in the future. You were mostly focused on me if I’m honest…”   
  
“Oh…” Kotori muttered, taking a moment to consider that. “I see. Was she angry with me for...abandoning her? Is that why we were distant.”   
  
“I don’t know.” Honoka admitted wistfully. She really didn’t know a lot about Maki. “I think she just...didn’t know how to approach you. She was even worse with people in the future than she is now. Plus, you weren’t in her sector and as I said, you weren’t close with many people…”   
  
Kotori bit her lip, feeling jealousy bubble up. “Who was Maki-chan close to?”   
  
“Um…Nico.” Honoka said thoughtfully, lightly trailing her fingers through Kotori’s hair. It seemed, back then, that Maki was the only person who wasn’t aware of how hopelessly in love with her Nico was. “And Hanayo.”   
  
“Hanayo?” Kotori echoed in surprise.    
  
“Yeah, Hanayo was in her sector. And she was her top deputy in the infirmary so they were together a lot. She was her second in command, like Eli is mine and Rin was Nico’s. You were Nozomi’s.”   
  
“They were just co-workers though, right?” Kotori asked nervously. She knew that Maki had been working with Rin and Hanayo on something recently. It was probably just the same in the future, she told herself.    
  
“Um...I don’t think I should say.” Honoka said warily. She remembered seeing how the two acted together in the future.    
  
“Honoka-chan…”   
  
“Okay, okay.” Honoka sighed, looking away to avoid the pleading look Kotori was giving her. “They flirted a lot when they were working. And when they weren’t. And Hanayo-chan had a habit of drinking a lot in the future. She used to get pretty flirty too. I’m pretty sure they slept together at least once. It doesn’t mean anything though, Maki used to sleep with a few people. Nico-chan being one of them.”   
  
“Eeh?!” Kotori exclaimed, struggling to process that. “How is that meant to make me feel better?”   
  
“Sorry.” Honoka said sheepishly. “I told you we shouldn’t talk about it. It’s different now though, than it is the future.”   
  
Kotori exhaled slowly, trying not to think about Maki with anyone else. “Your past self is with Umi-chan and Eli-senpai now. You loved Eli-senpai, right? Maybe even...in that way?”   
  
Honoka was silent for a moment, her eyes unfocusing briefly as she got lost in her thoughts. Finally, she took a deep breath and answered. “Yes.”   
  
“Did you ever cheat on me with her?”   
  
“What?!” Both the bluntness of the question and the question itself had Honoka flinching in shock. “No! Are you...are you serious? I was committed to you, I was…” She shook her head in disbelief. “I didn’t do anything with Eli-senpai.”   
  
“Did I cheat on you?”   
  
“No!” Honoka exclaimed loudly. “Kotori-chan, stop it. I loved you. And you loved me, we were going to spend the rest of our lives together, we…”   
  
Kotori froze as Honoka’s voice cracked. Slowly, she looked up finding the future version of her past self hurriedly blinking away tears. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have asked that.”   
  
Honoka silently shook her head. Swallowing thickly against the lump in her throat she finally answered. “You don’t understand our relationship in the future, I know that. It’s fine.”   
  
Kotori winced when Honoka looked away from her. “I’m sorry I can’t be what you need me to be in this time.”   
  
“That’s sweet of you to say.” Honoka said quietly. She took a deep breath, steeling herself against the ache in her chest. “This isn’t my time. And you’re not my Kotori, I have to understand that. And honestly, I think you’re...better off with Maki-chan than you are with me or my past self. She loves you. Maybe my Maki-chan did too, I don’t know...”   
  
Kotori hummed softly in response. “What about you? I don’t want you to be alone.”   
  
“I have Nozomi.” Honoka said softly, her thoughts flitting to the girl.    
  
“Have you slept with her?” Kotori asked curiously, glancing up at Honoka once more.    
  
“Yes.”   
  
“Have you told her you love her?”   
  
“Yes.” Honoka couldn’t help but roll her eyes at Kotori’s questions. “Even though it might only hurt her in the end. She knows how I feel, I think. I hope she does.”   
  
“How do you feel about her?” Kotori asked softly. She smiled as Honoka reached down, lightly brushing her hair back.    
  
“It’s weird telling you…” Honoka grumbled only to be met with the exact look she’d been trying to avoid earlier. She couldn’t say no to Kotori looking at her like that. “She’s my rock. She listens to me and I trust her. I-I don’t know, I just love her. She gives me hope but that’s...terrifying.”   
  
Kotori smiled at that and rested her head back on Honoka’s chest. “It’s meant to be.”   
  
\----   
  
Maki hurried toward Nico who was talking to Hanayo outside of her bedroom door. It seemed the two had just come from the kitchen as Hanayo held a tray of tea in her hands.    
  
“Have you seen Kotori?!” Maki exclaimed frantically as she came to a stop in front of them.    
  
“No, we just…” Nico began as Hanayo shook her head in response.    
  
Maki didn’t give them a chance to answer, taking off down the corridor again instead. She’d woken up a short while ago, finding herself in the infirmary and she’d rushed out to find Kotori. She’d found Future Honoka asleep on the bed in Kotori’s room but no sign of Kotori.    
  
“Stop trying to drink it, it’s a solid food!” Maki paused in her tracks at the sound of Kotori’s voice, relief washing over. “Jeez, you weren’t kidding about never having ramen before, huh?”   
  
“That’s crazy, nya!”    
  
Maki hurried toward the source of the voices, throwing one of the bedroom doors open. She found Kotori, Rin and Raven sitting on the floor, cross-legged in a small circle, a tray of food positioned between the three of them. Kotori seemed to be pushing a pair of chopsticks into Raven’s hand.“What…? What the hell is going on?”   
  
Kotori glanced over at Maki with a sheepish look on her face. “He was hungry. I’m just returning a favor. He used to bring me food when I was locked up so it’s only fair.”   
  
Maki looked at Rin in confusion.    
  
“Kotori-chan sent me to get ramen and burgers, nya!” Rin answered brightly. “It’s only fair that I get to eat it too.”   
  
“Right…” Maki mumbled, glancing back toward Raven. “You just...trust him? He could be a spy. He could want to kill us.”   
  
“He won’t.” Kotori answered confidently. She looked to Raven who was busy slurping up noodles. “Will you?” He shook his head and Kotori looked toward Maki. “See? I trust him.”   
  
“Seriously?” Maki asked in surprise. “Kotori, we need to be careful about this. We don’t know him, he’s…”   
  
“Do you trust me, Maki-chan?” Kotori interrupted before Maki could say anything else.    
  
“Of course.”   
  
“Then please trust that I know what I’m doing.” Kotori requested quietly. “If I had a reason to think he’ll turn against us I wouldn’t be saying I trust him. He helped me get out of there. He helped me survive when I was in there.”   
  
“Fine.” Maki said, her shoulders slumping in defeat. “Can I just talk to you for a few minutes though? Outside?”   
  
Kotori got to her feet and followed Maki out of the room, leaving Rin to discuss the finer points of eating ramen. She closed the door behind her and turned to face Maki who abruptly threw her arms around her in a tight embrace. “M-Maki-chan?”   
  
“I was worried when I couldn’t find you.” Maki admitted, refusing to let go. “I thought…”   
  
“It’s okay, I’m right here.” Kotori soothed as Maki’s voice hitched. “I’m not going anywhere, I promise.”   
  
“Can we just...go and spend the night together?” Maki asked hopefully, her voice a bit muffled as she buried her face into Kotori’s shoulder. “I’ve been sleeping without you for a week.”   
  
“Alright.” Kotori drew back slightly and grasped Maki’s arms to hold her slightly away from her. “No more smoking, okay?”   
  
Maki’s eyes widened in surprise. “How…?”   
  
“I can smell it. But no more, okay?” Kotori waited for a nod before she hugged Maki tightly once more. “I love you. So much. You’re never going to have that lonely future Honoka talks about. I won’t let you be alone.”   
  
Maki nodded against Kotori’s shoulder, her eyes prickling with tears. “I love you too.”   
  
Kotori lingered in the embrace for a moment, basking in how good it felt to finally be back in Maki’s arms. Finally, she drew away. “Let’s go to bed, Maki-chan.” She leaned in, kissing the tearful redhead softly. “I’ll lock the door tonight.”   
  
Maki blushed at the insinuation. “But your mom…”   
  
“I don’t care.” Kotori tangled her fingers with Maki’s and grinned softly. “Let’s go.”   
  
Maki wasn’t about to argue with that and allowed Kotori to tug her down the hallway toward her bedroom.    
  
\-----   
  
“Nico-chan, why are you angry with me?” Hanayo nudged herself against Nico’s side, trying to snuggle up to her like she usually did. Nico kept her arms crossed though, clearly not in the mood. “Nico-chaaaan!”   
  
“Hanayo, quit it!” Nico snapped, moving away from the girl. “I’m not in the mood to deal with you when you’re drunk! I hate it when you get like this, just go and sleep it off.”   
  
Hanayo pouted at the comment. “It helps me unwind.” She mumbled. “Maybe if I had something else…”   
  
“Like what? That guy?” Nico asked irritably, still refusing to look at Hanayo.    
  
“Huh?”   
  
“That guy who brought Kotori back. You were flirting with him.” Nico accused through gritted teeth. “When you took his gun away from him.”   
  
Hanayo was about to vehemently declare her innocence but paused, noticing the look on Nico’s face. “Is Nico-chan jealous?”   
  
“Idiot. I can’t feel jealousy.” Nico said with a roll of her eyes. “You can do whatever you want with whoever you want. I don’t care.”   
  
“You can at least feel physical things though, can’t you?” Hanayo asked, peering intently at Nico. “I mean not pain but...other things?”   
  
“I-I don’t know…” Nico said hesitantly. “I’ve never tried it…” She had only ever thought about doing something like that with Maki really and that had never gone anywhere. And never would. She flinched as Hanayo crawled into her lap. For the first time she met light lavender eyes. “You’re not wearing your glasses.”   
  
“Rin-chan got me my contacts.” Hanayo said, steadying herself with her hands on Nico’s shoulders. “I need them to fight properly.”   
  
Nico felt Hanayo’s fingers brush against her neck. “What do you want from me, Hanayo? You always do this when you’re drunk.”   
  
“Nico…” Hanayo bit her lip, staring contemplatively at Nico for a moment. “Let me...take your first.”   
  
“Huh? F-First?”   
  
“Kiss.” Hanayo elaborated, lightly rubbing Nico’s shoulders. “You want to feel something, don’t you? I think I have an idea.”   
  
Nico swallowed thickly. “Why do you want to?”   
  
“Because you’re cute.” Hanayo said softly. She leaned in, resting her forehead against Nico’s. “And I like you. I think I have for a while but I only realized it when we were trapped in that place together. I think you like me too, Nico-chan. That’s why I can help you feel things. Why I can hurt you.” She lightly touched the centre of Nico’s chest over her shirt.    
  
“Maybe I do.” Nico whispered, closing her eyes. “But you know I-I love Maki. I don’t know if I can feel that way about anyone else.”   
  
“I’m not asking for anything.” Hanayo leaned in a bit more, brushing her lips against Nico’s. “Just let me help you feel something.”   
  
Nico felt her heart hammering against her chest. “Okay.” She breathed out.    
  
Hanayo closed the small space between them and finally kissed Nico, gripping tightly to her shoulders. She would be lying if she said that she hadn’t wanted this for a long time. She had and she couldn’t help but want more. Feeling Nico kiss her back, she brushed her tongue against the girl’s lips. Nico whimpered slightly and parted them to grant Hanayo access to her mouth.   
  
Hanayo felt arms go around her back, drawing her closer. Had she not been kissing Nico she would have been grinning victoriously at the development. It seemed like she was right in her suspicions about Nico’s feelings. The girl was kissing her back with just as much feeling as Hanayo was kissing her.    
  
When Hanayo pulled back, Nico kept her eyes shut, her lips slightly parted.    
  
“Was that okay?” Hanayo asked softly, a little breathless from the kiss.    
  
Nico reached out and grabbed the front of Hanayo’s shirt, pulling her into another kiss.    
  
Hanayo squeaked, surprised by the ferocity with which Nico was kissing her. She wasn’t about to argue though and kissed the girl back just as enthusiastically.    
  
Nico ran her hands down Hanayo’s back and under her shirt. She couldn’t remember ever feeling something so intensely before and she wanted to feel more of it, despite knowing that continuing was a bad idea.    
  
Hanayo gasped softly as Nico’s cool hands came into contact with her warmer skin. She hadn’t expected Nico to respond like she was but she didn’t mind. She welcomed the reaction, in fact. She pulled back, just long enough to tug off her tank top before she kissed Nico again, her hands cupping the third years face.    
  
Nico moved her hands around from Hanayo’s back to her abdomen, intoxicated by the warmth and softness beneath her hands.    
  
Hanayo felt Nico pushing her away and briefly thought that she was regretting it but then Nico was following her, not breaking the kiss and Hanayo found herself on her back, Nico crawling on top of her.    
  
“You feel so warm.” Nico whispered, pressing her body flush against Hanayo’s. “I can feel you. I feel like...my heart is bursting.”   
  
“You’re not used to feeling things.” Hanayo whispered as way of explanation. She looked to the left then the right, feeling Nico’s fingers entwine with her own, pinning her hands to the bed. Her heart skipped a beat in anticipation. “What now?”   
  
“Nothing.” Nico said softly, giving Hanayo’s hands a light squeeze. “Now you go to sleep.”   
  
“But I don’t want to sleep, I want to taste Nico-chan’s lips.” Hanayo complained. “Please Nico-chan? We don’t have to go too far, let’s just...keep feeling good together, okay?”   
  
“Do you have to say it like that?”   
  
“Yes.” Hanayo smirked and moved suddenly, phasing her hands through Nico’s to get free. She flipped them over and chuckled at Nico’s astonished look.    
  
“How drunk are you?”   
  
“Wanna know a secret?” Hanayo leaned down, close to Nico’s ear. “I only had one glass of wine. I’m not drunk at all.”   
  
“But you’re still kissing me.” Nico said blankly.    
  
Hanayo scoffed in response. “Is it so hard for you to believe I can like you and not be drunk?”   
  
“Yes.” Nico said softly.    
  
Hanayo chuckled darkly to herself.    
  
Nico sighed. “You’ve been spending too much time around Maki. Her weird sense of humor is rubbing off on you.”   
  
“So what?” Hanayo grinned. “The point is I’ve wanted to kiss you for a while.”   
  
“Why?”   
  
“Because your lips look kissable and I like you.” Hanayo answered simply. “I don’t need any more reason than that, do I?” She watched as Nico’s brow furrowed. “You really don’t understand how I could like you, do you? For someone who acts so confident, almost full of yourself, you really don’t like yourself.”   
  
Nico scoffed in response. “Why would I? You know how I am, I’m...a freak. You should be with someone normal.”   
  
“I don’t want someone normal.  _ I’m _ not normal.” Hanayo said softly. “And I don’t think you’re a freak. If anyone is, I am. I mean I can go  _ inside  _ your body.”   
  
“I can’t feel.” Nico pointed out.    
  
“I think we both know that isn’t true after what you just told me.” Hanayo said, raising an eyebrow. She phase her hand through Nico’s shirt, coming into contact with soft skin.    
  
Nico gasped softly at the warm touch, her eyes closing. As far as she knew she could only feel the touch of two people and Maki certainly hadn’t touched her like that before. “Stop tempting me, Hanayo. I don’t want to be like them. I need to focus on keeping us alive not...this.”   
  
“We can have both.” Hanayo whispered, her lips brushing Nico’s as she leaned in. “I won’t interfere with your work, I promise. I have my own to do, remember?”   
  
“Screw it.” Nico muttered, closing the small distance between them to kiss Hanayo once more.    
  
\----   
  
“You shouldn’t be sitting out here after what happened.”   
  
Eli looked up at the sound of Nozomi’s voice and flashed a warm smile. “Hey.”   
  
“Hey.” Nozomi echoed, sitting down on the porch next to Eli. She lightly bumped her with her shoulder. “What are you doing out here?”   
  
“The kid has cryokinesis.” Eli answered. She continued when Nozomi looked up in confusion. “I’m weak against the cold. And she’s weak against fire. Not just fire. Heat. I think she might even be weak against the sun if she stays out in it for too long…”   
  
“Oh…” Nozomi said softly.    
  
“Honoka’s attached to her already. She wants to help her, she said. Because the kid looks like Yukiho.” Eli sighed and leaned back on her hands, tilting her head back to look at the sky. “Obviously Yuki is going to need to stay with Honoka. She’s attached to her too, you should see her...Honoka seems to make her feel safe. So guess who’s out on their ass?”   
  
“Honoka kicked you out?” Nozomi asked in surprise. She couldn’t imagine that happening.    
  
“No, I told her I would leave. I don’t want to hurt the kid. Plus she kind of scares me.” Eli gave a soft laugh. “I should stop complaining. The only thing that’s changing is that I’m sleeping without her now. I’m worried though. That distance is going to be the last straw for us.”   
  
Nozomi let out a heavy sigh. “Elichi, you’d better not leave her or I’ll seriously slap you. With extra pain.”   
  
“N-Nozomi…”   
  
“You know damn well that Honoka-chan needs you. If you leave her, if you distance yourself, it’s just going to hurt her. She’s been through ENOUGH! Well  _ all _ have!”   
  
Eli refused to look at Nozomi, staring off into the flowerbed at the opposite end of the garden instead.    
  
“Elichi.”   
  
“I didn’t say I was going to leave her.” Eli mumbled. She growled in frustration and leaned forward again. “And I’m not distancing myself unnecessarily, it’s just what I need to do. For my safety and the kid’s. I can’t be close to her.”   
  
“You should be close to her.” Nozomi said pointedly, though the smirk that was tugging at her lips let Eli know she was about to tease her. “I mean you said Honoka-chan is attached to her. If she adopts her you’ll be one of her mom’s, right?”   
  
“N-Nozomi!” Eli blushed furiously at the comment and ducked her head. “We’re fire and ice. It can’t work…” She trailed off, thinking about what Nozomi had said. About being with Honoka and Umi and looking after Yuki too. Of Arisa being an aunt. They would be like a family. A real family. She figured the idea would appeal to Umi too, who had never really had that. “S-She is pretty cute. The kid. Honoka says she likes me. She thinks I’m cool.”   
  
“Oh so she does like you.” Nozomi said with a small smile “There’s no problem there then. How does she feel about this?”   
  
“She doesn’t like her power, she says.” Eli answered softly.    
  
“Didn’t you have a habit of setting things on fire when you were her age?” Nozomi asked thoughtfully. You told me you had to be kept in a fireproof room.”   
  
“Y-Yeah but…”   
  
“So you can teach her to control her elemental powers.” Nozomi pointed out. “You two are really similar if you think about it. You can help her and maybe she can even help you.”   
  
“You’re right. I want to help her. I should.” Eli said quietly, glancing over at Nozomi. She smiled warmly at her. “I almost forgot how smart you can be.”   
  
“Hey!” Nozomi exclaimed in mock anger. She grinned and slung her arm around Eli’s shoulders, pulling her in close. “I’m just glad I can help. That you can talk to me like this again. Maybe...now that we are, I could ask you something too?”   
  
“Go for it.” Eli said, tilting her head to lightly rest it on Nozomi’s shoulder.    
  
“You’ve...seen me an Honoka together, right? Future Honoka?” Nozomi asked nervously. She felt Eli nod against her shoulder. “Do you think she loves me?”   
  
Eli thought about that for a moment. “I don’t know. Has she told you she loves you?”   
  
“Yeah. She acts like she’s in love with me. I don’t know thought, I just...I guess I know she loves me but I was asking you...if you think it’ll be enough to keep her with me. You wouldn’t know. I’m sorry I asked, I guess I just wanted...someone to tell me it’ll be okay. It’s stupid.”   
  
“It’ll be okay.” Eli wrapped her arms around Nozomi, hugging her tightly from the side. “She’d be stupid not to love you. She’s lucky to have you. Which isn’t to say you’re not lucky to have her. Have you seen her ass? It’s so perky and well-shaped and...I mean wow.”   
  
“You look at her ass?” Nozomi frowned down at Eli but did nothing to pull away from her. “Keep your eyes on Honoka-chan’s ass, not my Honoka’s. Our Honoka will get that ass soon. But seriously, eyes off. That ass is mine.”   
  
Eli laughed softly at Nozomi’s response. “It’s cute that you call Honoka our Honoka and still call Honoka from the future  _ your _ Honoka. Possessive much?”   
  
Nozomi shrugged. “She calls me her Nozomi so...I don’t think so.”   
  
“So cute.” Eli smirked. “But really, tell me more. I topped her when we had sex so it’s not like I got to you know...grab her ass or anything.”   
  
Nozomi’s eye twitched. “Don’t get any ideas. And I top...most of the time. Sometimes she switches though and it’s pretty nice to…” She trailed off, shaking her head. “Anyway, what about you? With those two?”   
  
“Uh…” Eli hesitated for a moment. She knew Nozomi was going to tease her endlessly. “Umi is surprisingly dominant.”   
  
Nozomi burst out laughing. “You get topped by BOTH OF THEM?!”   
  
“SHUT UP!” Eli lightly elbowed Nozomi in the side thought it took her best friend a moment to calm down. When she did, they settled into silence for a minute or so until Eli spoke up. “Hey Nozomi? I...missed this. Us.”   
  
“I did too.” Nozomi whispered back, giving Eli a light squeeze.    
  
\---   
  
Riko was sitting on her bed, books spread out around her as she tried to figure out how to help Chika when the door flew open suddenly and Hibiki stepped inside.    
  
Hibiki’s face fell when she saw Riko. “Oh. You’re not Rin.”   
  
“Uh...no.” RIko said awkwardly, closing the book she had been thumbing through. Rei had given her permission to borrow whatever she wanted from her. She looked the girl up and down, noticing something had changed. “Did you change your hair?”   
  
“Oh, I just bleached it. I wanted to thank Rin for getting the stuff for me.” Hibiki answered with a shrug of her shoulders.    
  
“I see. It looks nice.” Riko said, a bit awkwardly. She wasn’t really sure what to make of Hibiki or how to speak to her. She cleared her throat, her gaze focusing on Hibiki’s piercing. “Did that hurt?”   
  
“The piercing?” Hibiki touched the piercing in her ear. “No. I’ve been thinking about getting a nose piercing for a while too. When I can afford it. Do you like it?”   
  
Riko nodded. “I wouldn’t get one myself but it looks good on you. It suits you.”   
  
Hibiki smiled at that and stepped further into the room. “Thanks. Your name’s...Riko, right? I think I heard someone call you that earlier but I was kind of out of it so…”   
  
“Yeah. That’s right. Oh, sorry.” Riko swept some books aside and motioned for Hibiki to sit down. “Usually I’m not this messy.”   
  
Hibiki sat down on the edge of the bed, looking at one of the books. “Brain tumors?”   
  
“Well...just the brain in general. I’m researching.” Riko explained sheepishly. “My best friend is sick. There’s something...wrong with her brain, Rei-san said.”   
  
“There’s something wrong with my brain too, honestly.” Hibiki muttered.    
  
“You and Mari-san have weird brain functions because of the nature of your abilities.” Riko said quietly.    
  
“Who?”   
  
“The other blonde in the house.”   
  
“That doesn’t help.” Hibiki frowned. “There are like three blondes in this house.”   
  
“The English one. She hangs around with Kanan a lot. Um...my other friend. She has blue hair.”    
  
Hibiki sighed and rubbed her forehead. “That describes two of the pairs I’ve seen around here.”   
  
“Sorry I can’t be more specific. I guess it doesn’t matter that much.” Riko said helplessly.    
  
“It’s fine. It’s fine.” Hibiki reached out, brushing her fingers against Riko’s hair. “Your hair is beautiful. That color is so rare.”   
  
“So are your eyes.” Riko said softly. It hadn’t escaped her notice that Hibiki’s eyes were a mesmerizing blue. Suddenly realizing what she had said, her cheeks flushed with embarrassment.    
  
Hibiki chuckled and let go of Riko’s hair. “Sorry. Beauty catches my attention. I can’t help it. Also quiet girls are interesting. You seem to always be isolated from your group.”   
  
“W-Well I’m not really like that with any of them. They all have someone.” Riko said, suddenly looking a little downtrodden. “I guess it can get a little bit…”   
  
“Lonely?” Hibiki finished knowingly.    
  
Riko nodded. “I know Chika-chan is my best friend and I’m close to You-chan too but they’re closer to each other. I just want a friend who...I-I don’t really know.”   
  
“Sounds like you wanna girlfriend.” Hibiki quipped, raising an eyebrow.    
  
“No, no! Nothing like that, it’s just...I don’t want to be alone so much is all.” RIko said, biting her lip after. She didn’t know why she was telling the other girl all of this. She usually didn’t share so much about herself. “Sorry. I don’t know why I’m telling you this.”   
  
“Do you stay here on your own?” Hibiki asked curiously, glancing around the room. “Most people share with someone.”   
  
“Y-Yeah, why?” Riko pressed her palms against her cheeks, willing them to cool down.    
  
“Maybe I could stay in here with you?” Hibiki asked hopefully. “Yume-san says I have to stay here so I’m not captured and because I’m useful or something so...why don’t we take advantage of it and try to make each other not so lonely?”   
  
“Uh…s-sure. If you want.” Riko stuttered, surprised by the offer. “I might not be a very good roommate though. I play music late at night. And I hog all of the covers…”   
  
“Assuming we’re going to sleep in the same bed?” Hibiki smirked.    
  
“Well there’s only one bed in here so unless you’re going to sleep on the floor...” Riko watched Hibiki’s smirk quickly slip away and giggled into her hand. “I’m kidding.”   
  
Hibiki faux glared at Riko but it didn’t last long. She clambered fully into the bed, folding her legs beneath her. “Just a warning, if I start moving my hand in the air and my eyes get glazed over you might want to get me some paper unless you don’t mind me painting on your wall. Or your back. I get pretty aggressive when I can’t find anything to paint on..”   
  
“I’ll...keep that in mind.” Riko said, making a mental note to make sure they were always stocked up.    



	42. Chapter 42

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next chapter of LIB, hope you guys enjoy!

“Are you sure about this?” Eli asked apprehensively as she stepped into Honoka’s bedroom behind her. As much as she wanted to be able to spend time with Honoka and Umi she was worried that if she got too close to Yuki she might somehow hurt her.    
  
“Eli-senpai!” Yuki exclaimed brightly as she looked up from the book Honoka had given her to read. She was never really allowed any when she was with Sonoda. Certainly not any new ones. She scrambled to her feet and rushed toward Eli, her arms going around the blonde’s midsection in a strong embrace.    
  
Eli winced, expecting to feel cold but she didn’t. She realized in surprise that Yuki must have put her gloves on. Having made no such effort herself, she hugged the girl back as best she could without touching her with her hands. She wondered vaguely how the heat from her body wasn’t hurting Yuki.    
  
She looked to Honoka who nodded with a small smile.    
  
“She’s been asking for you all morning.” Honoka pointed out quietly. “I think she’s taken a liking to you.”   
  
Eli glanced down at Yuki in surprise and watched as the girl pulled back to look up at her, her silver eyes shimmering. Eli couldn’t help but smile at how adorable the girl was.    
  
Honoka ran her hand over Yuki’s auburn hair and smiled softly when the girl leaned into her. It was clear that she hadn’t had much human contact. Positive human contact at least. “Just don’t steal her away from me, okay? Eli-senpai is mine too. She has all the girls falling for her...”   
  
Eli rolled her eyes, a blush coloring her cheeks as she felt Honoka’s arm slide around her shoulders. “Can I see your gloves, Yuki?”   
  
Yuki nodded in response and Eli crouched down as the small girl held up her hands. She looked closely at the gloves on Yuki’s hands, recalling how it hadn’t hurt when the girl had touched her.    
  
“Rei-san gave them to me!” Yuki exclaimed excitedly. “She said they would help me keep control of my ability better than the other ones.”   
  
“I think they have the same material as mine.” Eli said observantly.    
  
“Hmm?” Yuki innocently tilted her head. “Why don’t you wear yours?”   
  
“Because usually I can control my heat.” Eli explained simply as Yuki lowered her hands. She didn’t stand up just yet though, preferring to be eye level with the girl when she spoke to her. “When I was younger I used to...burn people without meaning to but I managed to control that. It’s just that with you, you’re sensitive to my ability. Just like I am with yours.”   
  
Yuki nodded, a serious expression on her face. “Maybe you could wear your gloves when you touch me? So you don’t have to stay away anymore.”   
  
“That’s a good idea.” Eli said with a soft laugh. She got to her feet, her heart skipping a beat when she noticed Honoka beaming at the two of them. “What?”   
  
“I just love you.” Honoka said with a slight shake of her head. “So what do you think? Can we keep her? Please?”   
  
Eli felt a hand grasp at her sleeve and looked down at Yuki who stared up at her with a puppy dog expression “Please?”   
  
“Fine, we can keep her.” Eli grunted as the two simultaneously hugged her, one from the front and one around her shoulders from the side. She couldn’t help but smile to herself though. She was relieved that Honoka was happier. She had worried she would never see her like that again. “I’m going to have to ask Rei to help me with those gloves before I can come back for real though. You know that, right?”   
  
Honoka sighed and Yuki looked up at Eli.    
  
“I heard Honoka-san and Umi-san saying they missed you last night.” She said innocently. “They said they couldn’t get warm without you.”   
  
“Yuki!” Honoka chided gently, her face turning red.    
  
“I think it’s cute.” Eli said with a soft smile. “I’m surprised Umi said it too though.”   
  
“What? Umi loves you!” Honoka said with a roll of her eyes. “And she’s gotten used to you being there when we sleep. You’re like a furnace, you warm the whole bed up.”   
  
Eli frowned suddenly in concern and looked down at the girl hanging onto her. “Does that not hurt you? The rest of my body being so warm?”   
  
Yuki shook her head in response. “No.”   
  
Eli gave a sigh of relief. She wasn’t sure how that worked but she supposed it was a good thing that she wasn’t doing anything to hurt Yuki inadvertently. “That’s good. When I get my gloves we can practice control together, okay?”   
  
Yuki beamed at that. “Eli-senpai is going to teach me?”   
  
“And you’re going to teach me.” Eli said with a nod of her head. “We can teach each other.”   
  
Honoka reached out and ran her hand over the top of Yuki’s head, mouthing a silent ‘thank you’ to Eli.     
  
\-----   
Rin grabbed the towel she had left in the entranceway as the door slammed shut behind her. She had taken a few laps around the city as way of training. She needed to get faster and soon, otherwise they were all screwed. Even more so than they already were.    
  
Hearing a jingle she turned to see Hibiki picking up her backpack from the floor. The girl was wearing a grey hoodie and black shorts but as Rin watched, Hibiki removed the hoodie, exposing her black sports bra.    
  
Rin’s gaze shifted to Hibiki’s shoulder blade. There was a tattoo there. A thorn rose. It was beautifully drawn, Rin noticed as she stepped closer.   
  
“I can feel you staring at me.” Hibiki said without turning around as she stuffed her hoodie into her bag. “If it’s the tattoo I got it in England last year.”   
  
Rin blushed. “I wasn’t staring…”   
  
“Oh really, speedster?” Hibiki turned around with a smirk.    
  
Rin’s eyes were drawn to Hibiki’s full chest. She had been sure the girl was flat chested like her.  "Did it hurt?"   
  
"Like a bitch...but I'm used to pain. And before you ask a friend of mine did it. Though she did teach me.”   
  
“She did?” Rin asked curiously. “What would you think suits me?"   
  
Hibiki seemed to think about that for a moment. “A crow with a chain of lightning around it.”   
  
Rin frowned "Crows are bad luck."   
  
"You're a crow” Hibiki shrugged in response.”Bound to the ground. But you want to break free.”   
  
Rin shook her head. “Nah, I like cats.” She crossed her arms in front of her chest. “I like your tattoo though. It’s pretty.”   
  
“Thanks.” Hibiki smiled softly. “But I guess it’s kind of meant in a tragic way too. It reminds me that no one can ever understand me...or get close to me. Do you ever feel that way, Rin?”   
  
Rin thought about that for a moment before nodding. “More now than before, I guess.”   
  
“It’s tough being an outsider.” Hibiki remarked, dropping her bag back to the floor.    
  
“Who said I’m an outsider?” Rin frowned, a bit defensive. That hardly seemed like a nice thing to call someone.    
  
“Aren’t you? It’s just the impression I get.” Hibiki said with a shrug of her shoulders. “Your friends all seem to have groups. But you’re not really in them. Like Riko. It’s…” She paused, noticing Rin looked a little crushed by the comment. “Oh hey, I’m sorry. Look, what do I even know? I’m new here.”   
  
Rin shrugged her shoulders. “You seem smart though. Like Umi-chan, Maki-chan and Hanayo-chan.”   
  
“You are too. You just keep it to yourself.” Hibiki remarked thoughtfully. “That’s the impression I get anyway.”   
  
Rin gave a sheepish laugh and rubbed the back of her neck. “I just run fast.”   
  
“Just run fast?” Hibiki echoed skeptically. “You saved my sorry ass.”   
  
“By running fast. It’s easy when you’re a lot faster than the other person.” Rin said casually. “Besides, it seemed like you had a plan.”   
  
“My plan was you coming and whisking me off.” Hibiki smirked, shrugging her shoulders. “I told you, I knew you would come.”   
  
“You’re really pretty, nya.” Rin’s eyes widened as the words left her mouth. “NYA. I…” She clapped her hand over her mouth in case anything else she didn’t mean to say escaped. She didn’t know where that had come from.    
  
Hibiki smirked at the embarrassed look on Rin’s face. “Must be my delinquent charm. So you like the bad girls, huh?”   
  
“N-No, I just…” Rin stuttered nervously. “I don’t know why I said that, nya.”   
  
“Relax, it’s fine.” Hibiki said, shaking her head in amusement. “Life’s too short to not tell girls you think they’re pretty. It’s funny though, considering all of the hot girls you’re surrounded by.”   
  
“Huh?” Rin tilted her head in confusion. “How is it fine that I want to push you against the wa-” She cut herself off again. “NYA, I did it again! Maybe I’m dreami...ow!” Rin flinched as Hibiki reached behind her and pinched her. “You pinched my butt!”   
  
“You were asking if you were dreaming.” Hibiki grinned, shrugging her shoulders. “Guess not.”   
  
Rin lightly pushed Hibiki and taking it as a challenge, Hibiki pushed her back.    
  
“Getting physical, huh speeds-” Hibiki grunted as Rin tackled her to the floor, using her ability. She locked her legs around the girl’s waist and flipped them, easily pinning her hands to the floor. “Well that wasn’t very nice.”   
  
Rin growled and using all of the strength she had, she flipped them again. “You’re annoying me. Why do you have to be so...pretty and so cool?!”   
  
Hibiki smirked up at Rin, letting the girl hold her in place. “Why don’t you let your instincts tell you? Let that inner cheetah out.”   
  
Rin gritted her teeth. “I’m so frustrated and you...you…”   
  
“What?” Hibiki asked, raising an eyebrow.    
  
Rin closed her eyes and leaned down, letting her instincts take over as she pressed her lips to Hibiki’s. 

  
\----   
  
Future Honoka was halfway down the stairs when she heard voices coming from the kitchen. She faltered slightly, having been on her way there to get some tea for Nozomi. The empath was still working with Chika while also trying to get Kotori to open up to her more about what had happened to her. She didn’t usually get headaches but so much use of her ability had been enough to bring one on.    
  
Honoka faltered for a moment, not especially wanting to run into anyone. As immature as it was she much prefered spending her time solely with Nozomi. Taking a deep breath, she braced herself before she walked into the kitchen.    
  
Honoka and Eli were there, standing near Yuki who was sitting on the counter, swinging her legs back and forth.    
  
“Don’t you think this is a bit much?” Eli asked as Honoka squeezed ketchup onto the omurice she’d just finished cooking. It didn’t look too bad, considering Honoka had made it.    
  
“No, she deserves to be spoiled after...you know.” Honoka said as she drew a smiley face with the ketchup.    
  
“Mmm!” Yuki chimed in, her mouth full of rice. “Honoka-san said I can have whatever I want!”   
  
“Honoka.” Eli said disapprovingly.    
  
Honoka gave a nervous laugh as she turned to Eli. “I can’t help it, I just…” She trailed off as she caught movement out of the corner of her eye. She glanced in that direction, her expression souring when she saw her future self. “Come on, Yuki. Let’s go and eat upstairs with Umi-chan.”   
  
Yuki nodded and let Eli help her down from the counter.    
  
Honoka picked up Yuki’s plate and guided her to the door with a hand on her back.   
  
Yuki faltered at the sight of future Honoka, her brow furrowing slightly in confusion. She glanced between Honoka and the older girl but she didn’t have time to question it before she was being ushered from the room.    
  
“That’s brave.” Future Honoka murmured as she watched her past self leave. “I wouldn’t trust  _ myself _ with a kid, nevermind her.”   
  
“Honoka knows what she’s doing.” Eli, who hadn’t moved to follow Honoka, said.    
  
Future Honoka snorted in disbelief. “No, she doesn’t. I know how she is, remember? How I was.”   
  
Eli heaved a sigh. “Do you have to be such an ass all of the time? She’s trying. What is she supposed to do, tell the kid to go back to where she came from?”   
  
Honoka raised an eyebrow as she hopped up onto one of the stools in the kitchen. It still caught her by surprise how nice the Minami household was. It made her think of a time when things were so much simpler. “You seem annoyed.”   
  
“I’m not annoyed, I just don’t like that you constantly have something to say about  _ my _ girlfriend.” Eli said as she turned to take Honoka’s dishes to the sink. “She’s been through hell the past few weeks but she’s trying. She’s trying to drag herself out of it. If I had lost Arisa I don’t think I could do that.”   
  
“Yes you could.” Honoka disagreed quietly, recalling how Eli had acted after Arisa had died. “In my future Nozomi-chan dragged you out of your darkness kicking and screaming. I helped after but Nozomi-chan did all of the work.”   
  
Eli paused, confused by the strangeness of the comment. “Why would you tell me that?”   
  
“You mentioned it.” Honoka said with a shrug. She watched as Eli turned to frown at her. “Before you get any ideas, I’m not telling you you should get back with Nozomi. She’s not available.”   
  
Eli managed a small smile at that. It was rare to hear Honoka admit her relationship with Nozomi. “I’m glad. You make her happy.”   
  
Future Honoka scoffed and looked down at her lap. “For now.” She bit her lip for a moment, gathering her thoughts. “She’s too good for me, you know.”   
  
“What?”   
  
“Nozomi.” Honoka clarified, looking up. “She’s always been the best of all of us.”   
  
“You don’t have to tell me that.” Eli muttered, crossing the room to lean against the counter near Honoka. “You obviously love her. Did you not feel that way about her in your own time?”   
  
Honoka shook her head. “Nozomi-chan was one of my closest friends but I was in love with Kotori-chan. And...Eli-senpai. Though I never admitted it…”   
  
Eli watched Honoka closely, noticing the flash of pain across her face. “Is that why you’re so angry with Honoka? You’re annoyed that she did?”   
  
“Jealous, you mean?” Honoka tipped her head back and sighed. “Yeah, I guess. And angry with myself for putting Eli-senpai through what I did. She really loved me. Probably a lot more than you love your version of me. But I ignored how she felt. I pretended I didn’t notice.”   
  
Eli tried not to take offence to the comment about her future self loving Honoka more than she did. From what Future Honoka said, it could be true. Eli consoled herself with the thought that it was because that version of herself had had more time with Honoka. She was sure she would only love Honoka more with time.    
  
“You were with Kotori.” She said hesitantly after a moment of silence. “You can’t blame yourself for not being able to answer my...her feelings.”   
  
“I should have. She died without knowing how I felt. I would give anything to…” Honoka paused as if realizing how much she was telling Eli. “Anyway, yeah. I envy her in a way. My past self. So that’s why I don’t like her, besides the fact that she’s useless.”   
  
Eli rolled her eyes. “So you’re calling yourself useless?”   
  
“I let all of my friends die. What else would I call myself?” Honoka retorted pointedly. “Besides it’s not like she has any love lost for me either. She blames me for her sister dying. Not that she’s exactly wrong about that. I did change the timeline.”   
  
Eli couldn’t argue with that. She had known almost from the start that it was meant to be Arisa who died. That Yukiho has been alive in Future Honoka’s time. “You must understand her on some level though. She’s you. You’ve lived through this.”   
  
“No, I haven’t.” Honoka frowned at the suggestion. “Her life is completely different to mine.”   
  
Eli watched contemplatively as Honoka hopped down from the stool she was sitting on and crossed to the cupboard, taking out a cup. “What are you doing?”   
  
“Nozomi has a headache so I’m making her some tea.” Honoka answered with a shrug of her shoulders. “She’s been using her ability a lot today, with Chika. Not that she’s getting anywhere. It seems like a waste of her time.”   
  
Eli stared at Honoka as the girl heaved an annoyed sigh. “You really confuse me sometimes.” She mumbled, shaking her head. It was confusing, yet sweet at the same time, that Honoka could be so cold toward everyone else and yet so warm toward Nozomi. “You know what the best cure for a headache is though, don’t you?”   
  
Honoka turned to gape at Eli in surprise but the blonde was already leaving the room.    
  
\----   
  
Rei looked up from the chart she was reading over and cast a glance over at You and Chika. It was times like this when she was at a loss for answers but knew what she would need to do to get them that she wished she had access to actual hospital equipment. An MRI machine would have been more than helpful so she could figure out if there was anything going on physically with Chika’s brain. It was frustrating, not being able to do anything to help.    
  
She watched as You ran her fingers gently over the top of Chika’s forehead, idly brushing her hair aside. Their closeness reminded her of Maki and Kotori and she frowned at the thought. She wasn’t sure what was going on with her daughter and Yume’s. She knew they had been spending less time together since Kotori had gotten back. She couldn’t help but worry that Kotori was pushing Maki away. She knew that losing Kotori would be devastating to her daughter. It had been the first time they had been separated too. She could only imagine that now that Maki was so attached to Kotori it would be a lot worse.   
  
She was torn from her thoughts by the door flying open. She looked up in time to see Rin and Kotori drag the young man who’d brought Kotori back, into the room. Her brow furrowed in confusion as she lowered the clipboard in her hands.    
  
“What’s going on?”   
  
“We know how to fix Chika-chan, nya!” Rin exclaimed excitedly, letting go of Raven’s arm. “Kotori-chan figured it out.”   
  
“You did?” You’s excited exclamation sounded at the same time as Rei’s more skeptical response.    
  
“Yes. Well I think so.” Kotori answered. She glanced over at Chika, flashing her a small smile. “Hey, Chika-chan. I’m sorry I haven’t been to see you, I’ve been...preoccupied.”   
  
“No, it’s fine.” Chika said quickly. Even emotionless she knew that she shouldn’t be insensitive toward Kotori so she kept in mind the way she would usually act had she been able to feel anything. It felt fake but she supposed it was better than doing anything to upset her. “H-How are you?”   
  
Kotori gave a meek shrug in response. “I’m fine. More importantly I think I have...or rather Raven-kun has a way of helping you.”   
  
Rei looked at the young man who seemed to be avoiding looking specifically at her. “What do you mean? How could he help her?”   
  
“With his ability.” Kotori planted her hand on Raven’s back and gave him a gentle nudge toward Rei. “Tell her.  You don’t have to worry, I told you she’s not going to try to…”   
  
“Melt my brain.” Raven provided when Kotori trailed off uncertainly. “Like the other redhead.”   
  
“He means Maki-chan.” Kotori explained, glancing toward Rei.    
  
“Right.” Rei said slowly, still struggling to figure out what the three of them were trying to say. “So how do you think you can help Chika?”   
  
“I think I can give her senses a kickstart.” Raven answered, glancing over at Chika before he turned his attention back to Rei. “If we find a way to make her feel some kind of pain, I can intensify it and make her feel it a hundred times stronger. I think that might help. Or Kotori does at least.”   
  
“Wait, wait…” Rei held up a hand, struggling to keep up. “Are you saying you have an ability? Kotori told us you were a guard.”   
  
Raven looked to Kotori in confusion. “You told them I worked for Sonoda?”   
  
“Ah, yeah. But in my defence they wouldn’t have taken the news that you helped torture me well. Especially my mother.” Kotori said, stepping forward.   
  
“He  _ tortured  _ you?”   
  
Kotori froze at the sound of Maki’s voice. She sounded hurt. But mostly, she sounded furious. She slowly turned in time to see Maki walk into the room, her fists clenched as she headed for Raven.    
  
“Oh crap…” Raven muttered, quickly backing up.    
  
“Whoa, Maki wait…” Kotori quickly put herself between Raven and her fuming girlfriend, holding her hands up. “It’s not as simple as that, okay? It’s complicated.”   
  
“You told me he was just a guard.” Maki growled, her gaze flitting to Kotori. “You told me he didn’t do anything to you.”   
  
“Look, let’s just...go and talk about this okay?” Kotori glanced at Rei who was staring at them with a troubled look on her face. “I’m sorry, Rei-san.”   
  
“It’s fine, I can take it from here.”   
  
“No, I want to know what he did to you first.” Maki refused to budge, staring intently at Raven instead. “I want to hear it from  _ him _ .”   
  
Raven winced. He wasn’t sure hearing it from him would make it any easier. He glanced at Kotori and though she looked worried, she nodded. “Right, um...my ability is to amplify senses. Pain, mainly. Sonoda usually used me to…”   
  
“I want to know what you did to  _ Kotori _ !” Maki cut him off sharply.    
  
“Well the guards and Sonoda were torturing her. Cutting her and beating her, you know?” Raven shifted uncomfortably under the weight of Maki’s furious stare. “I just made it hurt more the first couple of times. It’s not like I wanted to! I didn’t have a choice, Sonoda...”   
  
“There’s always a choice.” Maki growled angrily. She glared at him once more but recognizing that she wouldn’t be able to do what she wanted, she turned and stormed out of the room.    
  
“Sorry.” Kotori apologized before she hastened after Maki.    
  
Raven watched them go before he turned back to Rei. He winced as he noticed the furious expression on her face. “I guess you’re gonna yell at me too?”   
  
“People here are very fond of Kotori. Including myself, given that she’s my daughter’s girlfriend. “You’d do well to understand that this won’t help anyone like you. But we’ll talk more about that later. For now, let’s focus on Chika.”   
  
“Right.” Raven agreed quietly. He glanced at Rin and she gave him an encouraging nod. He sighed in relief. Kotori had explained the situation to her so she didn’t seem to be angry with him. “So can you feel anything at all?”   
  
Chika shrugged her shoulders and squeezed You’s hand. “I can feel You-chan touching me but I can’t feel anyone else.”   
  
“We think it has to do with how close they are.” Rei said, crossing her arms in front of her chest.    
  
“Right.” Raven glanced between the two thoughtfully. “If you don’t mind me asking, what are you to each other?”   
  
“She’s my girlfriend.” You answered strongly.    
  
“Ah, got it.” Raven winced, reminded of when Kotori had told him about Maki in the facility. He awkwardly rubbed the back of his neck. “Is there anyone else at all? Anything you can feel without...your girlfriend being involved?”   
  
Chika shook her head. “No. Why?”   
  
Raven glanced hesitantly at Rei before he turned his attention back to Chika. “She needs to hit you as hard as she can and then I’ll amplify the pain to give your senses a kickstart. Hopefully that’ll work.”   
  
“That’s never going to happen. My ability is super strength, I might kill her.” You said quickly, a panicked look on her face. “I can’t hit her.” She looked to Chika who seemed to be considering her options. “Chika-chan, I can’t hit you.”   
  
“Can’t you just hold back a little?” Raven cut in earning himself an angry look from You. “Sorry. I’m just saying. It seems like this is the only way.”   
  
“As much as I hate to admit it, I think he’s right.” Rei said reluctantly as she glanced between the three of them. “It’s worth a try. It seems like we’ve exhausted all other options besides surgery. And I’m not exactly equipped for that. I can heal her right after though.”   
  
“You-chan.” Chika spoke softly, looking up to meet You’s syes. “It’s okay, you can do it. I trust you not to hurt me too much. Just try not to tap into your ability too much, okay? It’ll be fine.”   
  
You anxiously bit her lip. “I don’t know...what if I can’t hold back? What if I hurt you too badly and Rei-san can’t heal you.”   
  
“I trust you.” Chika said again. “Please, You-chan. I don’t want to be stuck like this forever. I want to feel again. I know you won’t hurt me more than you have to.”   
  
“O-Okay.” You said nervously. She couldn’t stand seeing Chika the way she was and she knew that Chika hated it. “I’ll do it. If you’re sure you want me to.”   
  
“Thank you.” Chika said softly. She slipped off the bed and took a step back, waiting for You to get up too. She looked over at Raven. “So what does she have to do? Just hit me?”   
  
“Sure, I guess.” Raven answered hesitantly. “Just make it hurt.”   
  
“It’s definitely gonna hurt…” You muttered. She clenched her fist at her side. “How should I hit you? I mean where? I don’t want to hit you in the face.”   
  
Chika frowned. “Well you can’t just punch me in the arm.”   
  
“Well I don’t want to punch you in the face!” You exclaimed, her voice a little higher than usual.   
  
“W-What if I just hit you in the side or something? Wait no, that could mean internal bleeding. Damn it.”   
  
“What about breaking her arm, nya?” Rin suggested brightly. “That won’t kill her but it’ll hurt a lot.”   
  
“No! Are you crazy?! I-I’m not breaking my girlfriend’s ARM!”   
  
“You-chan, calm down. Just hit me in the face and get it over with.” Chika said, taking a step closer to You. “Rei-san will heal me afterwards and it’ll be fine.”   
  
“I-I don’t think I can…”   
  
Rei sighed and ran a hand over her face in frustration. She understood You’d misgivings but hesitating wouldn’t help.    
  
Chika echoed Rei’s sigh. “Just do it, You-chan. Please. I need this so just…”   
  
You raised her fist and hit Chika hard across the face, sending her not stumbling to the side like a punch from an ordinary person would, but flying across the room. Chika hit the side of a bed and slid to the floor.   
  
“Chika-chan!” You made to rush toward Chika but Rei grasped her arm.    
  
“It’s best you don’t see it until I’ve healed her.” Rei pushed You toward Raven. “Keep her here.”   
  
“Sure, I’ll try.” Raven said as You stumbled into him. He grasped her arm though he was sure he wouldn’t be able to do anything if she decided that she really wanted to move. “If it makes you feel any better I’m pretty sure that would have worked.”   
  
“It doesn’t.” You muttered as she watched Rei kneel down next to her girlfriend. “Is she okay?”   
  
“She’s fine, you just knocked her out.” Rei called back. “Give me a second to heal her.”   
  
You waited anxiously for a moment as Rei lapsed into silence. Just as she was about to ask what was going on, she heard Chika groan. She pulled away from Raven’s grip and hurried across the room, crouching down next to Chika. “Chika-chan, are you okay?”   
  
“Yeah, my head hurts though…” Chika muttered, pushing herself into a sitting position. Her eyes sprung open in realization. “Wait, my head hurts!”   
  
“So it worked, nya!” Rin turned to Raven with an excited smile. “You did it!”   
  
“Guess I did.” Raven said, smiling sheepishly at her. He hadn’t been sure it would but Kotori had seemed convinced when she’d brought the idea up. “   
  
Chika pinched herself to be sure, wincing at the pain. “I can feel!” She looked at You and emotion washed over her. Like she was feeling everything she’d missed out on. “Thank you, You-chan.”   
  
You threw her arms around Chika in relief and embraced her as tightly as she could.    
  
\----   
  
“I didn’t think Umi would be the type to spoil her kids.” Eli commented as she stepped over to Honoka, laying a hand on her shoulder. Honoka flinched, having not noticed Eli approaching. She herself had been leaning against the doorway to the living room, watching Umi with Yuki.    
  
“And I didn’t think you’d be so strict.” Honoka teased, relaxing under Eli’s touch as she watched Umi press a glass of chocolate milk into Yuki’s hands.    
  
Eli smiled softly at that. She understood Honoka and Umi’s desire to make Yuki happy, especially after they’d learned the kind of conditions she’d had to live in. “Is she okay?”   
  
“Better now.”   
  
There had been a bit of an incident with Yuki earlier when the young girl had taken a bath. There’d been a loud bang somewhere in the house and Yuki started freaking out, turning the water icy cold, almost freezing it.    
  
Eli and Honoka, who had been waiting outside had burst into the room and Eli had tried to get close but without any gloves to act as protection from the cold, she hadn’t been able to and she’d had to fall back in pain.    
  
Honoka was ashamed to admit that she hadn’t been much use either, freaking out herself at the fact that Eli was in so much pain and that Yuki’s bath had been slowly turning to ice with the girl in it.    
  
Umi had heard them yelling though and had rushed into the bathroom, breaking the ice forming around Yuki with her fist and scooping the upset girl up. She’d consoled her after and Yuki had refused to let go for a long while. She was still sticking close to Umi now, seemingly comforted by her presence.    
  
Eli kissed Honoka’s cheek before she stepped into the room and made her way to Umi and Yuki who were both sitting on the couch.    
  
Honoka watched as Eli placed a gloved hand on Yuki’s head and the young girl leaned into it with a content sigh.    
  
Eli sat next to Yuki on the couch and the girl shuffled closer to her, pursuing the gentle warmth that emanated from Eli’s body. It was puzzling to the blonde, that Yuki seemed to have no problem at all with her warmth, just the heat that tended to radiate from her hands. She supposed it was because she had control over her body temperature, she just had to be careful not to let her temperature get too high.    
  
As Yuki’s eyes fluttered shut, her grip on the glass in her hand loosening, Honoka walked over and took it from her. She set it down on the table and knelt down in front of her. Gently, she took Yuki’s smaller hand in her own. “We’re here.”   
  
“We’re not going to let anyone touch you.” Umi chimed in, gently brushing Yuki’s hair from her face. “Or hurt you.”   
  
“Or make you cry.” Eli said in a whisper, feeling Yuki’s grip on the front of her shirt tighten in response to Umi’s words. “You’re safe with us, we promise.”   
  
Honoka reached out with her free hand, taking Umi’s and lightly tangling their fingers together. The three of them watched in silence as Yuki dozed off in Eli’s arms.    
  
“It’s only been a week since she got here and I love her so much already.” Honoka said softly as she watched Yuki sleeping. “I don’t know what I would do if we let anything happen to her. If Umi-chan hadn’t…”   
  
“Don’t beat yourself up over that.” Umi said quietly, giving Honoka’s hand a light squeeze. “You panicked, it’s not your fault.”   
  
“And I was just as bad.” Eli added reassuringly. “I probably distracted you. Besides, Umi  _ was _ there. She’s always going to be there. That’s what the three of us do. We’re there for each other.”   
  
Honoka managed a small smile at that. “She’s ours, right? We’re not going to let anyone take her away from us.”   
  
“Never.” Umi and Eli vowed in unison.    
  
“Good.” Honoka said in relief. She let go of Umi’s hand and moved into a more comfortable position on the floor, leaning against Umi’s legs instead. “I love you.”   
  
“I love you too.” Umi and Eli once more spoke at the same time, neither asking which of them she meant. To them it was obvious she was addressing both of them. They shared a small smile of understanding.    
  
\-----

 

Rin bit her lip as she focused on the wall in front of her. Holding out her hand, she narrowed her eyes and focused on what Hanayo had told her to do.    
  
“You can do it, Rin-chan.” Hanayo encouraged from Rin’s side, her eyes glued to Rin’s hand. “Remember all you have to do is vibrate at the natural frequency of the air around you and your cells will be in an electrified state, letting you pass through the object. Just connect with the air around you…”   
  
Rin sighed and lowered her hand. “I don’t get it. I’m much better at running fast, nya.”   
  
“You should be able to do this.” Hanayo frowned, at a loss. They had been trying for weeks to get this right and Rin still wasn’t anywhere near succeeding. “I don’t understand how you can phase through things when you run but not when you’re still. This should be easier. Right, Maki-chan?”   
  
“Huh?” Maki, who was sitting at the desk she’d set up in the spacious room, looked up. She had been staring at a record of Rin’s phasing attempts as well as her recent speed for the past twenty minutes without taking anything. “Yeah, sure.”   
  
Hanayo threw her hands up in disbelief. “Well at least your speed is improving, I guess.”   
  
“I don’t need to phase like this, nya!” Rin protested as she wandered over to Maki’s desk. She hopped up onto it and sat cross legged, earning herself a disgruntled look from the redhead. “I can just run really fast if I need to go through anything.”   
  
Hanayo opened her mouth to protest but she knew there was no point. Rin wasn’t one to be dissuaded from doing things the way she wanted to do them.    
  
“Have you noticed anything off about Kotori lately?” Maki spoke up bluntly before the issue of Rin’s phasing could be continued. “You’ve spent more time with her than me since she got back.”   
  
“Eh?” Rin’s eyes widened when she noticed Maki was looking at her. “Uh...I don’t think so. Kotori-chan seems okay!”   
  
“Okay?” Hanayo frowned, tilting her head. “Is that all? Not...scared?”   
  
Rin shrugged her shoulders. “She seems fine. Maybe she just doesn’t want to talk about it, nya.”   
  
“Even with me.” Maki muttered. She sighed and leaned back in her seat, rubbing at her temples. “She’s keeping secrets from me, I can tell. She lied to me about the Raven thing, about what happened to her in there. I didn’t think she’d ever lie to me.”   
  
Hanayo bit her lip for a moment, wondering whether she should really input her opinion. It wouldn’t be a popular one, she knew that. “Maybe it’s a secret that needs to be kept. Nico-chan has been upset with me lately for keeping secrets from her, especially about what the three of us are doing.”   
  
“It’s different, Kotori is my girlfriend.” Maki pointed out with a frown. “Keeping secrets about work is different to keeping secrets about being tortured in Sonoda’s facility! She should be able to trust me with this kind of thing but it seems like she’d prefer to be around that guy than me.”   
  
“Raven-kun is nice.” Rin pointed out with a shrug of her shoulders. “He was stuck in Sonoda’s facility just like Kotori-chan was, nya.”   
  
Maki growled in frustration and leaned forward, burying her head in her hands. “I just want her to trust me. I know she’s not telling me everything about what happened. She’s acting like everything is fine and I know it’s not but I don’t know what to do to help her. Damn it.”   
  
Hanayo made her way around the desk and gently patted Maki’s shoulder in an attempt to soothe her. She disagreed with what Maki was saying but she could feel her friend’s frustration. “Maybe she just needs some time. It’s only been a day, Maki-chan. Just give her some space, may-”   
  
“I’m not doing that.” Maki interrupted sharply. Giving Kotori space meant leaving her to deal with the situation herself and that was something Maki refused to do.    
  
A tense silence settled between them and Rin cleared her throat. “So uh...I was out running yesterday and as I passed one of the big buildings in the city, I saw my reflection in the glass. But not my reflection.”   
  
Maki and Hanayo turned to Rin in confusion. “Huh?”   
  
“I mean it was me but I was wearing different clothes to what I am now.” Rin explained, relieved to have been able to change the subject at least. “And I looked kind of dirty for some reason. It was really weird.”   
  
“And you didn’t think that was important enough to tell us until now?!” Maki exclaimed in disbelief.    
  
Rin shrugged sheepishly. “I told Hibiki-chan and she said it might be nothing. Just an effect of my speed.”   
  
“Wha…?” Maki trailed off in disbelief. “I’m really getting tired of these new people coming in and taking everything over. Rin, if something like this happens you need to tell us right away, okay? It could be nothing but it could be serious. You have to tell  _ us _ . We’re meant to be a team, remember?”   
  
“Right. Team Lightning, nya.”   
  
“We’re not calling our team that. We’re not calling our team anything.” Maki said with a heavy sigh.    
  
“Come on, Maki-chan. We need a team name. Like in the comics.” Rin pouted. She stretched out her leg, almost knocking Maki’s files off her desk. “Ah, sorry. We need code names too! I want to be Quick. Oh, or Raven-kun calls me Speedy. Maybe that can be my ni…” She paused at the annoyed look on Maki’s face. “What about…”   
  
“Light Stream!” Hanayo contributed, earning herself a betrayed look from Maki. She shrugged sheepishly.    
  
“Yeah!” Rin exclaimed brightly, happy that Hanayo was on her side at least. “Kayo-chin, you can be...Phaser. And Maki-chan, you can be Professor X!”   
  
“Eh?!” Maki crossed her arms in front of her chest. “That’s a villain name and those names are  _ terrible _ anyway.”   
  
“A villain?!” Rin laughed at that and shook her head. “That’s not true at all, Maki-chan. Besides it sounds cool...but I guess it’s already taken, nya. Why don’t you think of something then?”   
  
“Fine.” Maki huffed in response. “Your code name should be Bolt. And Hanayo’s should be Phase. Phaser sounds dumb. My nickname can be um...Oracle.”   
  
“I knew it!” Rin exclaimed excitedly. “You read Batman!”   
  
“Ugh, shut up…” Maki muttered, feeling her headache getting worse.    
  
“So we’re Team Bolt, right?” Rin asked, glancing between Hanayo and Maki. They both nodded, Maki more reluctantly than Hanayo. “Do you think Kotori-chan would make me a suit if I asked her to?”   
  
“I want to say no but she probably would.” Maki sighed, reaching up to play with a strand of her hair. “Just don’t ask her yet. Why do you need a suit anyway?”   
  
“One time I went so fast I set my clothes on fire. Besides, secret identity.”   
  
“RIN!” Maki groaned. She wasn’t surprised Rin had chosen to keep that to herself though. “Fine, I’ll ask her.”   
  
“Oh, maybe I should ask her instead. Kotori-chan needs a superhero name too.” Rin said enthusiastically. “Maybe she could be Invisible Lady or um...Blend. Or Camo.”   
  
Maki winced. “Let’s just keep it in...Team Bolt for now, alright?” She stood slowly from her seat, feeling a little bit sick. She realized she hadn’t eaten yet and it was already evening.    
  
“I got it, it’s a secret.” Rin smiled warmly. “Oh, my symbol is a lightning bolt with a cat shadow. Because I’m fast and sneaky sometimes.”   
  
Hanayo nodded hurriedly. “Mine is a hand phasing through a wall.”   
  
Maki rolled her eyes as she skirted around her desk.    
  
“Maki-chan’s could be the oracle symbol since she’s obviously a huge Barbara Gordon fan girl.” Rin continued as Maki walked away.    
  
“I already regret agreeing to this.” Maki sighed as she left the room, leaving the two to talk about their secret identities.    
  
\----   
  
Honoka winced as she gripped her shoulder and rotated her arm. She had managed to goad Nico into sparring with her but she almost regretted it now. Nico was a lot weaker than she was in the future but even now she was quick, resilient and packed a hard punch so she’d managed to get in a few good hits.    
  
Honoka stepped into her bedroom, towel drying her still slightly damp hair from her shower and paused when she noticed Nozomi and Maki sitting on the bed.    
  
“What’s going on?” She frowned, noticing their joined hands. Nozomi had been talking softly while Maki stared at her anxiously. It was fairly obvious what was going on. “You.” She pointed at Maki. “Out. This can wait until tomorrow, she’s not an emotional sponge!”   
  
Maki grumbled as she stood from the bed. “She said she didn’t mind.”   
  
“I really don’t.” Nozomi said though Honoka immediately picked up on how faint her voice was.    
  
“Out.” Honoka said again, pointing to the doorway. “It can wait until tomorrow at the earliest. Or better yet maybe you should work out your own problems with your girlfriend. Like normal people.”   
  
“Yeah, yeah.” Maki mumbled as she made her way toward the door. “Maybe you should put some clothes on.”   
  
“I’m wearing clothes!” Honoka exclaimed loudly as Maki left the room, closing the door behind her.    
  
“Sweats with a sports bra ain’t clothes, Honoka! Put a fucking shirt on!” Maki hollered through the door before she seemingly walked away.    
  
Nozomi chuckled softly to herself as she looked down at Honoka’s attire. She noticed her joggers slipping slightly over her waist, the scars that covered her skin. “Are you like this with all of the people you like?”   
  
“Like what?” Honoka asked, making her way over to Nozomi. She climbed onto the bed behind her, kneeling down. “You’ve had enough for today.”   
  
Nozomi let out a sigh as Honoka’s hands moved to her shoulders, lightly kneading. She leaned back, closing her eyes. “I just want to help. That feels really nice though.”   
  
Honoka smiled and leaned down, pressing her lips briefly to Nozomi’s neck. She continued what she was doing, working out the knots of tension as her fingers slid down Nozomi’s back.    
  
“You okay?” Nozomi mumbled.    
  
“Yeah, don’t worry. I sparred with Nico. Worked out all of my anger with her. So I’m fine.” Honoka answered softly. “I’m more worried about you right now. You’re overworking yourself.”   
  
Nozomi gave a soft laugh in response. “I’m fine.”   
  
“Oh really?” Honoka paused what she was doing, earning a groan of disappointment from Nozomi. “You had another session with Chika today. And one with Kotori. And you were just talking to Maki.”   
  
Nozomi shrugged. “It’s just talking. No feelings with Maki-chan. She just wanted someone to hold her hand while she talked out her frustrations. It’s a bit awkward considering Kotori talks to me too though...but I understand what she needs.”    
  
“And I know that Eli asked you to speak to the kid today.” Honoka continued knowingly.    
  
“Yuki-chan. Yeah.” Nozomi frowned, remembering she needed to talk to Rei about what she’d noticed. “It wasn’t anything really. Just a preliminary kind of talk before we get into anything. How did you know that anyway? Are you keeping tabs on me?”   
  
“Maybe.”   
  
Nozomi laughed under her breath. “I guess you really are into me, huh? If you’re this worried about me.”   
  
Honoka scoffed slightly. “Into you?”   
  
“Into me. Like you like me.” Nozomi leaned back against Honoka’s front and tilted her head back against her shoulder to look up at her. “Love me?”   
  
Honoka smirked and nodded her head. “You know I do.”   
  
“Do what?” Nozomi grinned teasingly.    
  
Honoka rolled her eyes. “You just want to hear me say it, don’t you?”   
  
“Yes.”   
  
“Fine.” Honoka leaned down, pressing her lips to Nozomi’s cheek. Her arms went around the girl’s chest in a light embrace. “I love you. Is that better?”   
  
“I love you too. A lot. I love that you care so much about me. But I need to keep doing my work. It’s nice to feel needed.” Nozomi said softly. She pulled away from Honoka and turned slightly to face her.    
  
“I need you.” Honoka pouted.    
  
“So do my friends.” Nozomi leaned in and kissed Honoka softly.    
  
“Okay, okay.” Honoka mumbled, a slight smile tugging at her lips. “But you have to promise not to overdo it like you are. I  _ know _ that your head is hurting right now.”   
  
Nozomi raised an eyebrow. “How do you know that…?”   
  
“Because my head has been pounding on and off for the past hour.” Honoka lifted her hand, brushing her fingers against the right side of Nozomi’s forehead.    
  
Nozomi’s eyes widened in realization. “Wait, am I…?” She hadn’t meant to share anything she was feeling with Honoka. “I’m sorry, I didn’t know you could feel that. I’m not trying to.”   
  
“It’s okay.” Honoka kissed Nozomi again, lightly threading her fingers into Nozomi’s hair. Running them through, she gently tugged Nozomi’s hair ties out.    
  
Nozomi pulled back, remembering something. “Will you do something for me?”   
  
“Anything.” Honoka said solemnly. “If I can. Unless it involves speaking to my past self.”   
  
“Cut my hair.” Nozomi requested softly. She felt Honoka flinch in surprise and gave a gentle giggle. She supposed it would be shocking. “This hairstyle is more...the old me. The highschool girl who’s in love with her best friend and believes she’ll graduate. That’s not me anymore. I want to change, I want to be reborn.”   
  
“You really are an adult stuck in a teenagers body, huh?” Honoka mused, lightly brushing her fingers through Nozomi’s hair again.    
  
“I’m almost eighteen.” Nozomi pointed out. “I am an adult. Come on, please? I know you’re thinking about how to say no. I can see it in your eyes.”   
  
“Guilty.” Honoka admitted with a small smile. “I’m not saying no, it’s mostly...a suggestion. You should have Kotori-chan cut it. She’s really good at that type of stuff. I don’t want to mess it up.”   
  
“You won’t.” Nozomi said confidently. “I don’t want to bother Kotori-chan right now and she’s...I don’t think she’d be able to do it. Um…” She hesitated, not sure how much she should say about Kotori’s lingering weakness in her arms. “Please? I want you to do it. It’s symbolic. It symbolises...I don’t know, our future together. I know you’ve been thinking about it, even if you don’t want to admit it.”   
  
Honoka blushed as Nozomi prodded her in the arm. “I guess. In an ideal world, provided we don’t all end up being killed by A-Rise…” She couldn’t help but smirk as Nozomi huffed and rolled her eyes. “We’ll travel but once we settle you can go to college and I’ll get a job. Not that that’ll be easy, considering I didn’t graduate. We’ll share an apartment, maybe get engaged. Who knows. Maybe we could get a dog.”   
  
Nozomi felt her heart skip a beat but she didn’t say anything, not wanting to scare Honoka off. “What do you want to work as? In an ideal world.”   
  
“Maybe a cop. I’m used to punching the bad guys. I’d be good at it.” Honoka said with a hint of amusement. “I don’t care as long as I’m living with you.”   
  
“You’re such a sap.” Nozomi whispered, reaching up to brush her fingers against Honoka’s cheek. Her chest ached with longing for the future Honoka had described. She wished they could have it now. “I want that too. All of it.”   
  
\-----

 

Maki leaned against the doorway to Kotori’s bedroom. The door had been ajar when she got there and Kotori was focused on the journal she was writing in so she hadn’t noticed her yet. She smiled softly as Kotori bit her lip in thought. Somehow Kotori managed to look even prettier when she was focused on something, when she wasn’t paying attention to what was happening around her.   
  
Finally, Maki cleared her throat and Kotori looked up sharply, her journal slipping from her hands as she automatically flinched back.   
  
“It’s just me!” Maki exclaimed quickly as she stepped into the room. She felt guilty for having accidentally startled Kotori. “Is...Is it okay if I come in? I feel like we should talk.”  
  
“Yeah.” Kotori slowly relaxed, reassured by Maki’s presence. She wasn’t sure she was particularly ready for the conversation but she knew they needed to have it. Their last attempt had failed because of how frustrated they had both felt at not being able to communicate properly. “Yeah, of course.”  
  
Maki entered the room and closed the door behind her. It was dimly lit but as she stepped forward, closer to the bed, she noticed the scars spread over Kotori’s arms, no doubt leading up to her shoulder.   
  
Kotori noticed her looking and blushed, crossing her arms in front of her and trying in vain to use her hands to cover the scars.   
  
Maki’s stomach sank in response. She didn’t want Kotori to feel exposed in front of her, or like she was being judged. She climbed onto the bed, sitting on her knees in front of Kotori. As gently as she could, she grasped Kotori’s wrist and pulled her arms apart. Her eyes slowly travelled back down and she felt Kotori take a short, shuddering breath. She didn’t protest though.   
  
Kotori closed her eyes for a moment as Maki leaned in. She felt the redhead press her cheek to her bicep and fingers run down her forearm, over the scars Maki could doubtlessly feel there. Soft fingers wandered over the skin that had once been torn. Rei had healed her as best she could but scars still remained from the deeper wounds, the ones that were too old to heal too.   
  
Her eyes snapped open suddenly in realization. _“You opened a channel between us.”_ _  
_ _  
_Maki stilled for a second as Kotori’s thoughts reached her. Continuing to run her fingers over the slightly rougher lines of skin on Kotori’s arm, she thought back. _“It’s better to talk this way so we have our own space. So that nobody else can hear us at our weakest.”_  
  
Kotori wondered how Maki had known that was what she needed.   
  
“ _I want to be completely open to you, Kotori.”_ Maki thought, closing her eyes. She didn’t pull back to look at Kotori, comfortable with sitting as close to her as she could. “ _I was a wreck when you were gone, I was searching everywhere for you, doing everything I could to break Sonoda’s barrier but it was no good. I was weak and she’s stronger than anything I’ve ever come across. Her defenses wouldn’t let me find you and it killed me. I even smoked a few times because I was so scared. I’m sorry. I’m sorry I’m so weak. I want to get stronger. So me and Rin and Hanayo have been training. Each of us with a goal. Mine is to protect you, to be useful. So we’re Team Bolt now.”_ _  
_ _  
_Kotori giggled at that. _“Bolt? That’s a dog’s name, right? From a movie?”_  
  
“ _Well I guess it suits_ _Rin even though she likes cats.”_ Maki thought back, relieved to hear Kotori laugh again. She finally drew back, meeting Kotori’s eyes. _“She’s the leader. Hence the team name.”_ _  
_ _  
_ _“What about you then?”_ Kotori asked, happy with the topic being briefly changed. It felt like a conversation she would have with Maki before she was taken.   
  
“ _Ops. And side medic, I guess. But I can still fight. Rin wants us to have code names too. Mine’s...Oracle.”_  
  
Kotori smiled as Maki blushed and ducked her head. “ _So lame.”_ _  
_ _  
_ _“Hey!”_ _  
_ _  
_ _“Maki-chan should be...The Doctor or um...Thinker! Thinker would suit you better.”_ Kotori thought back in amusement. “ _It suits you. You think too much.”_ _  
_ _  
_ _“I like it.”_ Maki smiled warmly.   
  
_“What’s Hanayo?”_ _  
_ _  
_ _“Phase. Rin wanted to call you Invisible Lady. Or Blend.”_ Maki rolled her eyes at the thought of the names Rin had somehow thought up.   
  
“ _Pffft. What about Concealer? That’s better than Blend. We could be like a power couple. Thinker and Concealer.”_ _  
_ _  
_ _“Sounds a bit silly_.” Maki giggled out loud but she couldn’t deny that she liked the idea. “ _Want to be part of Team Bolt then?”_  
  
 _“It did feel good helping Yuki-chan escape.”_ Kotori thought with a shrug of her shoulders. “ _I want to save more of the children they have. But I think I need to find my own team. You, Rin-chan and Hanayo-chan work well together. Maybe I could work with you on a few odd things if you need me?”_ _  
_ _  
_Maki hugged Kotori and kissed the scar that inched out from under her shirt at her shoulder. “I’ll always need you.” She responded in a whisper. “And if you ever need me I’ll drop everything to help you. I’ll even drag our idiot leader to help.”  
  
Kotori hugged Maki back as tightly as she could. “I love you.” She whispered, her eyes prickling with tears.   
  
“I love you too.” Maki replied earnestly. She gave Kotori a light squeeze before she drew back, remembering why she’d sought Kotori out in the first place. Their argument from earlier had been short but bad enough that Maki wanted to address it. “I’m sorry I got mad at... _Raven_. I’ll try to be nicer to him, it’s just knowing that he…”  
  
“He did it because they had his sister captured. Or that’s what they told him anyway. He was trying to protect her.” Kotori said quietly. She wished she had told Maki earlier instead of just arguing back. “Most of the people there are prisoners, even some of the agents. You heard what Honoka-chan said about Umi-chan in the future. It was just like that for Raven-kun. He told me that CORPS doesn’t give a shit about their agents, especially the ability users. They just use the person for their abilities. The children they have are trained as child soldiers, it’s horrible.”  
  
“Kotori, I…” Maki hesitated for a moment. “You know that’s how it was for me too, right? And Eli and Umi. We trained our whole lives. Especially Umi if I recall correctly. It wasn’t just middle school. My childhood after you left was nothing but training my mind, isolated in my room. Never having friends or kids over to play with me.”  
  
“That doesn’t make it right though. Just because it happens sometimes outside of the facility doesn’t mean it’s any less horrible that it’s happening constantly inside...right?” Kotori frowned. Her arms fell back to her sides and she winced slightly.   
  
“What’s wrong?” Maki asked in concern, forgetting about their conversation for a moment.   
  
“Nothing.” Kotori answered quickly. “I know you had it really bad, Maki-chan. And I feel terrible for...any part my mother and I had to play in you being isolated. If I’d been older, I would have...I would have done something. I don’t know what but I would have helped. But we can help those kids. If we can make a difference it’ll...help, won’t it?”  
  
“What happened to me wasn’t your fault.” Maki bowed her head slightly, biting her lip before she looked back to Kotori. “But you’re right. We can stop them from hurting anyone else. Even our future kids.”  
  
Kotori’s eyes widened. “Huh?”  
  
“Uh…” Maki coughed, her face turning red. “Well my mom has been teasing me to uh...you know, put a ring on it. At least I’m pretty sure she’s just teasing. She really likes you.”  
  
Kotori laughed at Maki’s explanation, her own face a bit flushed with embarrassment too. A moment later Maki started laughing too and soon enough the two were in fits of giggles.   
  
“Yes.” Kotori managed to say when she finally stopped laughing.   
  
“Huh?”  
  
“I’ll marry you.” Kotori said simply, dashing tears of laughter from her eyes. “And our children will be free.”  
  
“W-Wha…?” Maki wasn’t sure what to say to that. “Wait, you need to let me ask you for real before you give me an answer.”  
  
“You already knew the answer.” Kotori reached up and gently cupped Maki’s face in her hand. “I love you, Nishikino Maki. And I want to be with you for the rest of my life, however long that is.”  
  
Maki winced. “Hanayo has been rubbing off on you.” She didn’t give Kotori time to formulate a response before she kissed her softly. “You’re gonna live for a long time. I’ll make sure of that.”  
  
Kotori smiled and leaned in, kissing Maki once more. Alone with the redhead, she felt more normal than she had since she’d been taken by Sonoda’s men. “Maki-chan?” She whispered against Maki’s lips. She pulled back slightly to look at her. “Will you spend the night with me?”  
  
“Yes.” Maki said without hesitation. “Do you mean um…?”  
  
Kotori giggled and kissed Maki once more. She was comfortable in the idea that her mother wouldn’t be walking into the room at least. Yume seemed to accept her daughter’s need for space. She pushed Maki to the bed and crawled atop her, straddling her waist. “Let me be on top?”  
  
“Yeah.” Maki whispered, staring up at Kotori. Gently, she placed her hands on Kotori’s knees and gently stroked upwards. “I’m all yours to take.”  
  
Kotori smiled bashfully and moved her hands to the hem of her shirt. She hesitated, her smile slipping. “Um...I don’t really look the same. I mean, I’m...it’s not too different but with the scars and...I don’t want you to be surprised.”  
  
“You’re beautiful no matter what.” Maki said quietly, her eyes locked to Kotori’s. “And I’ll tell you that until I’m no longer breathing. But if you want to wai-” She was cut off my Kotori tugging off her shirt and tossing it to the side. Inadvertently, her gaze shifted downwards. Kotori wasn’t wearing a bra, given that it was getting late. That was the first thing Maki noticed, along with the tempting curve of Kotori’s breasts. The second thing she noticed were the scars. There were three that streaked over her abdomen, like she’d been cut with some kind of blade. Maki wasn’t sure what it was. She was certain Umi would know though.   
  
She reached out, slowly, giving Kotori plenty of time to pull away and brushed her fingers over the scars. They were fairly faint and didn’t feel much different to the rest of Kotori’s skin. She felt Kotori’s hands close around the lapels of the lab coat she’d stolen from her mom’s stash and let her drag her upwards into a deep, passionate kiss.   
  
“You looking like a real doctor is turning me on.” Kotor mumbled against Maki’s lips. She felt her grip slid on Maki’s lab coat and gently guided her back down to the bed, moving with her.   
  
“So it was a good idea.” Maki mumbled back between kisses.   
  
“Such a nerd.” Kotori giggled before she effectively shut Maki up by turning the light kisses they’d shifted to sharing into another long kiss that left both of them breathless.   
  
Maki loosely wrapped an arm around Kotori’s waist but left the rest to her girlfriend, more than willing to give her control.   
  
\----  
  
Nozomi took a deep breath and knocked on the door to the infirmary. She heard a call to come in and opened the door, tentatively stepping inside. Glancing around, she expected to see Chika but to her surprise she didn’t see her anywhere. “Chika-chan’s not here anymore?”  
  
“No, we had a bit of a breakthrough this afternoon.” Rei said, seeming happy about that at least. “So she’s not going to have to stay here anymore. She’ll just come for checkups.”  
  
“Oh, that’s good.” Nozomi said, relieved to hear that at least. “I’ll visit her tomorrow to check up on her.”  
  
“That would be nice. I’ve heard that you’re offering...sessions to anyone who needs it. That’s proactive of you.” Rei crossed to a bed closer to Nozomi and hopped up onto it. She didn’t have a desk in the infirmary so usually she just used one of the beds. She gestured to the chair in front of her. “Take a seat.”  
  
“Thanks.” Nozomi crossed to the chair and sat down, her hands in her lap. She wondered if Rei needed to speak to her too. She hadn’t mentioned that she would be stopping by to talk but the redhead seemed keen to continue the conversation. “Um...I’m just helping my friends. Kotori-chan is adjusting to being back and she has some anxiety problems we’re going to look into. Chika-chan too, from what she went through with Tsubasa.”  
  
“Of course. It’s understandable.” Rei stared at Nozomi for a long moment. “And Honoka? Are you having sessions with her? She seemed lost after the death of her sister.”  
  
“Ah, Honoka-chan isn’t ready for that. She’ll come to me when she needs it.” Nozomi answered with a hesitant shrug. “As for my Honoka, I’m not...helping her like that. We’re in a relationship so I support her like that.”  
  
“And my daughter?”  
  
“Um...does doctor and patient confidentiality count here?” Nozomi asked hopefully.   
  
Rei laughed at that. “That’s fair enough. I’m sure you helping the others will be invaluable after everything that’s happened.”  
  
“Thank you.” Nozomi said softly, relieved that Rei wasn’t going to try to pressure her into talking. “I actually wanted to talk to you about Yuki-chan.”  
  
“Oh?” Rei asked curiously.   
  
As nonchalant as the response had been, Nozomi noticed the hitch in Rei’s voice and the way her hands curled slightly into fists. “What’s the mark on her arm? Why did Takashi-san know what it was? And why did it make you so angry?”  
  
Rei looked away and took a deep breath. “I suppose I could give you a brief history.”  
  
“Please.” Nozomi said softly, leaning forward, her hands on her knees. “I want to understand. I need to before I can work with her. If she needs that.”  
  
Rei sighed. She didn’t want to talk about it but Nozomi made a good point. There was no going back now. “That mark means she wasn’t born an ability user. Rather, she was artificially injected, like me and Taka-kun. Natural ability users are fairly rare.”  
  
“Really?” Nozomi asked in surprise.   
  
“Yes. Natural ability users, remember? It may not seem like it to you, given that you’re surrounded by other ability users but it’s true. And there’s a reason you’re all together, that wasn’t by coincidence.” Rei answered, trying her utmost to keep her voice steady. “Takai-kun, me and Yusuke-kun were all injected so we could...well…” She winced, pausing for a moment. “I’m sorry.”  
  
“No, it’s fine.” Nozomi said softly. She waited patiently while Rei took a few breaths to collect herself.   
  
“We were injected so we could mate with the founders bloodline.” Rei said, grateful that the person she had to explain to was so patient at least. “Yusuke-kun escaped but he went on to have two children. Two natural ability users. Honoka and Yukiho.”  
  
“So that’s what’s happened to Yuki?” Nozomi asked for clarification. “She was injected to give her an ability even though she was born without one? And so she could continue the bloodline eventually, right?”  
  
“So to speak.” Rei said with a nod of her head. “It’s a little more complicated than that but if you wanted to know why Yuki-chan was injected, that’s the reason. In simple terms. Eventually, when Yuki turned eighteen years of age she would be assigned to a male natural ability user within CORPS. Yusuke-kun was originally assigned to Yume-chan but Yume-chan fell for someone from another natural bloodline. Which is forbidden. That’s why Kotori is special, along with Rin and Hanayo. They’re new bloodlines. New bloodlines are usually killed, Nozomi.”  
  
“W-Why?”  
  
“Because only people within CORPS can be ability users.” Rei said darkly. She stared at Nozomi in silence for a moment. “Do you know why you were found in a burning building?”  
  
Nozomi inhaled sharply in surprise. “How did you…?”  
  
“Your profile.” Rei answered simply. “You survived the fire but you weren’t meant to. You were supposed to be killed along with your parents, who were both natural bloodlines from different families. You were a new bloodline too.”  
  
Nozomi fell silent for a moment, taking everything in. It was a lot, especially the stuff about her parents.   
  
“You seem to have a vested interest in Chika.” Rei continued as she watched Nozomi mull over what she was saying. “Given that you’re working with her, I think it would make sense for me to tell you as much as I know.”  
  
Nozomi nodded silently.   
  
“Chika is a new bloodline too.” Rei started quietly. “But she’s not the start of a bloodline that CORPS wants to get rid of, like you. With her ability, she is the strongest ability user in the world, without question. She just doesn’t fully know how to control her emotions and use that ability to it’s full extent. CORPS want to capture her to groom her, to become a founder. Or head of a section. The goal is that she starts her own natural ability family. A family that would consist of the strongest ability users we’ve ever seen.”  
  
“I see.” Nozomi said softly, looking down at her lap. “So...I’m sorry to go back to what you were saying before but my parents were targeted because together, they had me and created a new bloodline. So if they hadn’t had me…”  
  
Rei hopped down off of the bed and crouched down in front of Nozomi, meeting her downcast eyes. “They would have still been targeted regardless. Their relationship itself was forbidden, Nozomi. I know what you’re thinking and if you want some advice, you shouldn’t think like that. They chose their own path.”  
  
“Right.” Nozomi murmured. She looked up, forcing a smile. “Thank you, Rei-san. I appreciate the information. If you need any help with the infirmary just let me know.”  
  
“Okay.” Rei rose to her feet as did Nozomi. “Likewise, if there’s anything you feel I should know, I’m here. Or if you need to talk.”  
  
“Thanks. I have Honoka and Elichi though, I’ll be fine.” Nozomi flashed Rei a small smile before she turned and left the infirmary, leaving Rei staring after her.   
  
TBC  



	43. Chapter 43

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next chapter! Thanks for the comments/reblogs etc. :)

Hanayo glanced around to make sure nobody was watching as she approached the basement door. All three of them, but Maki especially were serious about keeping what they were doing a secret from everyone else. The adults in particular.    
  
Seeing nobody in sight, she opened the door and slipped inside, closing it behind her. She heard a shuffling sound down in the basement and assumed that Maki was down there. She walked down the stairs quietly anyway, wary as always.    
  
“Don’t touch the computer, nya.” Hanayo paused at the sound of Rin’s voice. “Kayo-chin finally got it working.”   
  
“Hmm, interesting. So she’s the technician of the team.”   
  
Hanayo’s brow furrowed slightly in confusion. She recognized that voice but only vaguely. She didn’t know it well enough to place it.    
  
“Kinda. Maki-chan is also smart like that but she’s more operations. Kayo-chin does the hacking and mechanics. That kind of thing.”   
  
Hanayo winced at that. So Rin really was telling someone about what the group was doing. Not even someone she was especially close to. She could only imagine Maki would be furious if she found out.    
  
“So this is what you wanted to show me?” The voice Hanayo couldn’t place spoke again.    
  
“Well yeah, isn’t it cool?!”   
  
“Mmhm, but seriously why did you bring me here?”   
  
Rin seemed to pause for a moment before she spoke. “I wanted you alone.”   
  
“Oh?”   
  
“You’re annoying me.”   
  
“Well that usually goes somewhere...”   
  
Hanayo crept down the stairs as quietly as she could, her curiosity getting the better of her. She stopped, crouching down so that she could see what was happening without going too far down.    
  
She was surprised to see Rin pin Hibiki up against the desk, a frown on her face while the other girl seemed nothing short of amused.    
  
“These feelings are driving me crazy.” Rin complained. “What are you doing to me?”   
  
Hibiki didn’t answer verbally but grabbed Rin’s shirt and pulled her down, crashing their lips together.    
  
Hanayo’s jaw dropped as she watched. She was sure Rin would pull away but her best friend did the opposite, opting to kiss Hibiki back instead.    
  
Deciding to take her leave before things went too far, she  straightened up and hastened up the stairs as quickly as she could. She stepped on a loose stair a few steps from the top though and before she could think to run ahead, she felt a gust of wind and then Rin was standing in front of her.    
  
“Kayo-chin!”   
  
“Uh… I have to go.” Hanayo quickly brushed past Rin, planning to leave the way she had come in. It seemed Rin had other plans as she grasped her wrist and tugged her gently back around.    
  
“Please don’t tell Maki-chan. She’ll kill me.”   
  
Hanayo frowned. “I won’t but...Rin-chan, what…?”   
  
“It’s a long story.” Rin said, hoping Hanayo would believe her. “I’ll explain later, I promise.”   
  
Hanayo was about to respond when she noticed movement over Rin’s shoulder. She looked past her to see Hibiki standing behind them, smoothing out her white skirt as a blush crept up her cheeks, reaching to the tips of her ears.   
  
“I’m going to uh...go back to Y-Yume-san’s office.” Hibiki said as she walked further up the steps. “Um...I’ll um...talk to you later, Rin.”   
  
Hanayo glared at Hibiki as the girl awkwardly slid past her and opened the door. When it closed, she turned back to Rin. “Rin-chan.”   
  
Rin cringed at the disappointed tone of Hanayo’s voice. “I know what you’re going to say and I’m sorry. I just wanted her to see what we’re working on.”   
  
“She’s an outsider.” Hanayo reminded Rin, a serious look on her face. “She’s not part of our team. She’s not even part of Muse, what were you thinking?”   
  
Rin shrugged meekly. She couldn’t help but feel a bit annoyed at the same time though, remembering her earlier discussion with Hibiki when the girl had mentioned feeling like an outsider. Like she didn’t fit in. She remembered the hurt look on Hibiki’s face quite well. “She could be part of our team. She’s pretty useful. And smart.”   
  
“What? No!” Hanayo raised a hand to her head, sighing heavily. “We don’t even know her that well. She could be  _ anyone!” _   
  
“She’s not, I know her.” Rin frowned, taking a step back, down the stairs. “I think she could really help us. And Maki-chan knows everything about her anyway, she read her mind.”   
  
“Wait, WHAT?!” Hanayo exclaimed loudly. She stared at Rin who suddenly look a lot more nervous. “Why didn’t I know that? Why  _ did  _  you know that?! I’m...look, it doesn’t make a difference what Maki-chan thinks she knows. We agreed that this team would be between the three of us. You and Maki-chan were  _ pissed _ when I told you Nico-chan knew so much.”   
  
“Well yeah but that’s different…” Rin said apprehensively.

  
“How? Because it’s Nico-chan? Who we know and trust rather than a random girl who happens to live with us?!” Hanayo asked incredulously.    
  
“I just wanted someone I know to know…” Rin answered sheepishly, looking away. She wasn’t sure she’d ever heard Hanayo so angry, especially with her.    
  
“You know Nico-chan!”   
  
“Nico-chan is YOUR person!” Rin countered loudly, seeing no other option to put her point forward. “You have Nico-chan and Maki-chan has Kotori-chan. Eli-chan, Umi-chan and Honoka-chan have each other and Nozomi-chan has Honoka-chan’s future self, who do I have?!”   
  
Hanayo softened at that but only slightly. “You’re lonely.”   
  
“I’m not always stupid. I’m not always oblivious nya.” Rin crossed her arms defensively in front of her chest. “I’m finally starting to feel something like that for someone and I don’t want to let it go. I can talk to her. All of you are so busy with each other but she really sees me and she wants to talk to me!”   
  
“I’m always here for you, Rin-chan. Nico-chan is my...something. I’m not sure yet. But you’re Rin-chan and I’ll always be here for you.” Hanayo said softly, a bit deflated. “I understand feeling lonely but you put us... _ all _ of us in danger. There’s a reason we keep this to ourselves. We all agreed to trust  _ nobody  _ else with this.”   
  
Rin swallowed thickly. “Kayo-chin.”   
  
“I have to go.” Hanayo turned without another word.    
  
“Wait, we have to test the fabric for my suit!” Rin called after her.    
  
Hanayo paused with her hand on the door handle. “It can wait.”   
  
“Wha…? But…” Rin trailed off as Hanayo left the basement, closing the door behind her. With a growl of anger, she threw her fist out, hitting the wall next to her.    
  
\-----   
  
Nico gritted her teeth together as she punched the bag in front of her, once with a left hook and then with a right. Hanayo had stopped by earlier but she’d only hung around for a while. She had seemed frustrated about something but she hadn’t said what and Nico hadn’t pressed her for information.    
  
She punched the bag again and hearing someone clear their throat behind her, she grabbed it as it swung back to her. She looked over her shoulder, finding Maki standing a few feet behind her. “Hey.” She said, a bit puzzled.    
  
“Hey.” Maki said, stepping further into the room. “I need a favor.”   
  
“You’re asking  _ me _ for a favor?” Nico asked skeptically. She wiped sweat from her forehead with the back of her hand. “What’s up? Must be serious.”   
  
“It’s more...personal than serious.” Maki admitted quietly.    
  
Nico raised an eyebrow. She noticed that Maki was wringing her hands nervously. “Well that’s out of character for you.”   
  
“Shut up. It’s serious for me but...not for the team.” Maki took a deep breath. “I’m...well I asked Kotori to marry me.”   
  
“EH?!” Nico exclaimed loudly, shock overwhelming her.    
  
“Shhh!” Maki exclaimed, urgently stepping closer to Nico. “Well I kind of asked her. And she already said yes but it wasn’t really...real, you know? So I’m gonna ask her again with a ring.”   
  
“Whoa...you’re serious?” Nico watched Maki nod. Her chest ached but at the same time she was happy for Maki. “Wow. Congratulations, I guess. So what does any of this have to do with me? Wait, do you want me to stand in the way when Kotori’s mother tries to punch you for leading her daughter astray?”   
  
“No! Though maybe...a-anyway I need you to come shopping with me. You’re my best friend a-and I want you to be my best...woman. Or maid of honor o-or...I don’t know.”   
  
“Your best what?” Nico frowned in confusion.    
  
“It’s a western thing. You know Kotori would be into that kind of thing so...we’re not going for a traditional Japanese ceremony, just...look will you do it or not?” Maki asked, a little flustered. She was blushing as she awkwardly rubbed the back of her neck.    
  
“You’ll have to move to England or somewhere for this anyway.” Nico pointed out. “You know, because of…” She trailed off, shrugging.    
  
“Oh, we will.” Maki said, visibly brightening. “It’s going to be real and perfect. First I need to freaking propose correctly. It needs to be perfect.”   
  
“Right, of course.” Nico smirked. “You seriously are a perfectionist, huh? I don’t know how she deals with you.”   
  
Maki frowned. “Shut up…”   
  
“Don’t start smoking on me, let’s go.” Nico said, walking toward Maki.   
  
“N-Now?” Maki asked in surprise as Nico took hold of her arm and began to lead her to the door.    
  
“Of course, you idiot. Just give me fifteen minutes, I need to shower.”   
  
“I want to get the ring engraved.” Maki said thoughtfully as they left the room together.    
  
“Geez, flaunt your money some more why don’t you?” Nico said with a roll of her eyes. “Let’s just get to the place before we discuss it, okay?”   
  
“Right, sorry.” Maki said, her face turning red again. Her stomach fluttered with excitement as Nico left to shower.   
  
\-----   
  
“You need to leave Rin-chan alone.”   
  
Hibiki glanced over her shoulder and found Hanayo hovering in her doorway. She rolled her eyes. “Why should I?”   
  
“Because she’s my best friend.” Hanayo answered, stepping further into the room. “And I’m not going to stand by and watch someone like you use her.”   
  
Hibiki scoffed. “Someone like me?”   
  
“Uh…” Riko, who had been studying on her bed, stood up. “I’m just gonna give you two some privacy.”   
  
“Sorry.” Hibiki called after Riko as the redhead hurried from the room. She turned back to Hanayo, raising an eyebrow. “So you were saying?”   
  
“I said you’re going to leave Rin-chan alone.” Hanayo said as threateningly as she could muster. She tried to channel Nico and what she would do. “Or you’ll have me to deal with.”   
  
“Oh?” Hibiki smirked, crossing her arms. “And what do you think you’re going to do to me?”   
  
“Whatever it takes to protect my friend.”   
  
Hibiki couldn’t help but frown. She had to give it to the girl for being protective of her friend, but she hated the fact that she needs to be. “Alright, alright. But what if she comes to me? I can’t really help that, can I? Totally out of my control. And she does come to me, a lot. Unlike you, she doesn’t think I’m trouble.”   
  
“I know that you’re trouble.” Hanayo corrected sharply. “Rin-chan is innocent but I’m not. I know exactly what you want from her. The way you act around her makes it pretty obvious.”   
  
Hibiki sighed. “You don’t even know me. For your information, I’m a virgin. She was my first kiss.”   
  
“Sure.” Hanayo scoffed.    
  
“Seriously, I didn’t even know she was gonna kiss me the first ti-”   
  
“Stop! Just stop talking!” Hanayo held up her hands in exasperation, effectively silencing Hibiki. “I didn’t come here to have a conversation with you, I came here to warn you to stay away from my friend.”   
  
Hibiki slipped her hands into her pockets as she thoughtfully regarded Hanayo. “The way Rin describes you is really different to how you seem.”   
  
“People change.” Hanayo pointed out defensively. “Rin-chan is the closest thing to family I have. I would do anything to keep her safe.”   
  
“Funny, she said the same thing about you.” Hibiki remarked, recalling one of their earlier conversations. “Look, I’m not going to stay away from Rin. She’s my friend.”   
  
“No, she’s  _ my _ friend. She’s Nico-chan’s friend and Honoka-chan’s friend.” Hanayo stepped forward several times until she was standing right in front of Hibiki. She could feel her stomach twisted with anticipation. She’d never liked confrontation but sometimes it was needed. “The last thing you’re using her for is her friendship.”   
  
Hibiki swallowed thickly. “Could you leave? Please? I already told you my answer. I’m not afraid of you, Hanayo.”   
  
“You should be.” Hanayo lowered her voice slightly and lifted her hand, lightly pressing her fingers against Hibiki’s collarbone. She felt the girl’s breath hitch. “If you hurt Rin-chan, if you so much as think about it, I’ll kill you. You know my ability, you know I can. And my friends won’t be far behind me.”   
  
Hibiki held her breath, doing her utmost to keep her trembling to a minimum. She tightened her grip on the sketchbook in her arms.    
  
“I’ll let you get back to your painting.” Hanayo said in whisper before she stepped back. She turned on her heel and walked out of the room, slamming the door shut behind her.    
  
As soon as Hanayo left the room, Hibiki collapsed to her knees, tears welling up in her eyes as the sketchbook slipped from her grasp to the floor in front of her. It opened at a sketch of Rin, when she was about eleven, clambering up a tree with an intense look of concentration on her face. Her hand was outstretched to a cat in one of the highest branches.    
  
Hibiki knew the next pages would be filled with other heroics performed by the girl, both using her ability and without using her ability.    
  
Hibiki leaned over, pressing her forehead to the paper as a choked sob escaped her. She heard the door open after a moment but she didn’t look up, not even when she felt arms go around her. She felt the telltale feeling of Rin carrying her while running with her super speed and then a few seconds later it disappeared.    
  
She felt something soft beneath her but she couldn’t tell what it was. It was certainly softer than her bedroom floor though. She felt someone sit next to her and looked up, quickly wiping her eyes.    
  
It was Rin of course, and she was in the girl’s hideout, where Rin had taken her after she’d rescued her.    
  
“So are you going to tell me why you were crying?” Rin asked quietly. She noticed Hibiki looking around. “I figured you would want somewhere private, nya.”   
  
Hibiki was grateful for that at least. “I uh...stubbed my toe.”   
  
“Uh-huh.”   
  
“Fine, I-I had a nightmare.” Hibiki lied, looking down at the futon she was sitting on. “About my dad.”   
  
“Been there.” Rin replied sympathetically. “Want to talk about it?”   
  
Hibiki shook her head. She would usually oblige. She had before, when she’d woken up from nightmares about her dad. She’d talked with Rin long into the night about their experiences. “Can you just...hug me, please? I’m lonely when you’re not around. I don’t have many friends. Even Riko-chan looks at me like she expects me to go crazy at any second and I just... I mean...ugh, I’m such a mess.”   
  
Hibiki felt warm, slightly muscular arms wrap around her shoulders and she felt herself being pulled forward, her cheek pressing against a toned but warm shoulder.   
  
“Of course I’ll hug you.”   
  
Hibiki whimpered at the soft, gentle tone and gripped Rin’s shirt tightly. “Thank you…”   
  
“Anytime.” Rin whispered, Hibiki’s head tucked under her chin. “I like hugging you. You’re warm.”   
  
Despite Hibiki’s claims she couldn’t help but think that Hanayo had said something. She had seen her walk out of Hibiki’s bedroom after all. It seemed like Hibiki was just covering for her.    
  
Rin felt Hibiki’s breathing even out after a few minutes and looked down to see her eyes were closed. She smiled slightly to herself. She supposed she would be staying there that night. She didn’t mind. It would hardly be the first time.    
  
As carefully as she could, she shifted so that she could lie Hibiki down in the futon. She lay down next to her, hesitating with her arm lifted. She wasn’t sure what to do. The situation felt oddly intimate, certainly not the type of situation she’d been in before.    
  
As Hibiki turned onto her back, Rin swallowed hard. She slowly lowered her arm, curling it around Hibiki’s waist. She rested her head next to Hibiki’s, her gaze shifting over the other girl’s features. She noticed a tear leak from the corner of her eye and reached down to brush it away, only for Hibiki to lean into her hand.    
  
“Cute.” Rin mumbled to herself, her chest warming at the gesture. She looked Hibiki over, from the golden locks cut into a choppy style to the hoop earrings in the top of her ear that had initially caught her attention. It was disappointing that Hibiki’s eyes were closed. Rin considered them to be her best feature.    
  
Her thoughts inevitably turned to her friends. To Hanayo, Maki, Honoka and the others. If she was going to save them like she wanted to she was going to have to grow up. She couldn’t keep ignoring what was right in front of her. She sighed softly and closed her eyes.    
  
“I have to save them.” She mumbled to herself. “I have to.”   
  
\----   
  
Maki sighed as she adjusted her sunglasses on her nose. “I don’t see why we have to wear these.” She huffed. She looked down at the small gift bag in her hand, smiling as she thought of the small box instead it, containing the ring she would give to Kotori.    
  
Nico sighed. “I can’t believe this took over four hours.”   
  
“Well they had to engrave it.” Maki pointed out as they wandered away from the shop, walking side by side down the street. She uncomfortably adjusted the beanie Nico had forced her to wear.    
  
“For four hours.” Nico said again. “If anyone else had asked me to do this I’d have told them to go screw themselves.”   
  
“Yeah.” Maki smiled at that. “Thank you, Nico-chan. I really am grateful.”   
  
“Yeah, yeah.” Nico mumbled in response. “So...Kotori. You really love her, huh?”   
  
“Yes.” Maki answered, unable to keep from beaming at the mention of Kotori’s name. “I’ve never felt like this about anyone else. I don’t think I even could, I just...know the two of us are meant to be together.”   
  
Nico smiled softly before she noticed something. She briefly looked over her shoulder. “Did you hear that?”   
  
Maki looked up, her eyes narrowing. “CORPS agents.” She said quietly. “Of course they would be here.”   
  
“I  thought they would stay in Akihabara or go to Shinjuku.” Nico gently gripped Maki’s arm, encouraging her to walk a bit faster. “Keep your glasses on. They must have our files.”   
  
Maki hummed in response, the excitement that had previously caused her stomach to flutter replaced with a niggling sickness. She had known it would be dangerous to go out but she’d done it anyway. “What’s the plan?”   
  
“The plan right now is to keep walking.” Nico said in a hushed tone of voice. “You know CORPS, there’ll be a lot of them. If we can avoid a fight, that would be better. Just keep your head dow-” She was cut off as someone walking toward them bumped into Maki. She gritted her teeth but didn’t say anything, choosing to tug Maki forward instead.    
  
“Wait, wait…” Maki resisted, pulling back. “My bag. I have to get it.”   
  
“What?” Nico looked at Maki and briefly realized that she had dropped her bag before Maki wrenched herself out of her grip and turned back. She only took a few steps back to where they had come before she leaned down to pick the bag up. Her glasses slipped from her face though.    
  
“Hey you’re…” A man nearby spoke when Maki’s violet eyes became visible to him.    
  
Maki narrowed her eyes and focused on her ability, causing the man to cry out and grasp his head as his knees buckled.    
  
“It’s the telepath!” Someone called out a few steps away.    
  
Nico groaned in exasperation and pulled off her mask and glasses, letting them fall from her hand. “Come on, you fucking idiot.” Hearing someone quickly approaching from behind, she took out her knife and spun around, stabbing the man in the gut. She shoved him off and turned back to Maki in time to see the redhead kick the guy she’d attacked with her power. She’d lost her beanie too, Nico noticed.    
  
Maki used her ability to open channels into the minds of the agents around them. There were about ten in total, she thought. She let the voices and thoughts of nearby civilians slip into the agents’ minds.    
  
“FUCK!” She heard one of them curse loudly and smirked to herself. She didn’t see the man coming up behind her, a special helmet adorning his head. She didn’t see him until he was grabbing her shoulder and spinning her around to face him, delivering a punch to her jaw. She fell to the floor, blood dripping from her lip and her face aching.    
  
“MAKI!” Nico yelled frantically. “Fuck, don’t get yourself hurt! GET UP!”   
  
Maki kicked the guy in the face as he crouched down but he seemed unfazed as he grabbed the bag she was holding and tried to take it from her.    
  
“Get the hell off that!” Maki exclaimed, struggling to keep hold of it. Her eyes widened as the ring box fell from the bag and the agent accidentally kicked it a few feet away. “NO!”   
  
“FUCKING A, MAKI!” Nico cried out as Maki dove toward the box. She barely managed to close her fist around it before Nico was grabbing her, hauling her up. “Wha…?!” She gasped as Nico threw her over her shoulder. The girl may have been shorter but she was definitely stronger than Maki.    
  
Nico took off running, leaving the agent behind them. “This is the last time I save your ass cause you want to get a fucking ring!”   
  
“You’ll have to hold the rings you know. For the wedding…”   
  
“SHUT UP!” Nico barked out, in no mood to do anything but focus on getting Maki out of there before she got herself hurt again.   
\-----   
  
Honoka smiled to herself as she watched Kotori and Yuki, both sitting cross legged on the floor, playing with Kotori’s old dolls. Though the two hadn’t spent much time together it seemed like they had formed a natural bond when Kotori had saved her from the facility.    
  
She sighed blissfully to herself. She could almost forget that her life wasn’t normal. She could almost pretend that the only thing that mattered was that she had Yuki and Eli and Umi. And her friends too. She focused on Kotori, brimming with excitement at the fact that Kotori had asked her to be her maid of honor. It made her want to ask her own girlfriends though she supposed that wasn’t exactly possible.    
  
“You’re going to be her aunt, you know.” Honoka commented, shifting position on the floor so that her legs were folded beneath her.    
  
“I know.” Kotori said brightly, glancing at Honoka. “Maybe someday she’ll be a big sister figure for my kids.”   
  
Honoka couldn’t help but laugh. “You sound like an adult. With all of the stuff you went through...well I guess we’ve all grown up faster than we wanted t-” She was cut off suddenly by the sound of banging at the door. She shot to her feet as it continued. Hearing someone running down the stairs she looked over her shoulder to see Eli and Umi there.    
  
Yuki got up and ran to Umi, pressing close to her side.    
  
“What the hell is that?!” Eli asked, stepping away from Yuki and Umi. She positioned herself in front of them, ready to get in the way if anyone rushed for them.    
  
“It’s coming from outside.” Kotori said, moving closer to Honoka. “Where is Rin?!”   
  
“Never mind that.” Honoka said sharply. “Everyone be ready. Umi-chan.”   
  
“I know, I know.” Umi said, reaching down to hold Yuki close to her side.    
  
Future Honoka and Nozomi teleported into the room just as Hanayo came sprinting down the stairs.    
  
“What’s going on?!”   
  
“Just be ready.” Eli growled, raising her flaming fists.    
  
Nozomi moved away from Future Honoka, to Umi’s side while Future Honoka went to stand next to Eli.    
  
The door finally burst open and Nico burst into the room with Maki still slung over her shoulder. “HOLY SHIT, ELI. PUT THE FIRE OUT!”   
  
“Nico?!” Eli exclaimed loudly as Nico set Maki on her feet. She put out the flames licking at her hands.    
  
“S-Sorry, I think I kicked the door when Nico-chan was opening it.” Maki said sheepishly.    
  
“Maki-chan!” Kotori gasped at the sight of blood trickling down Maki’s chin. She rushed over, cupping her face in her hands. “What happened?! Oh my god, you’re hurt!”   
  
“She’s fine. Besides having a couple of screws loose.” Nico said with a roll of her eyes.    
  
Hanayo looked around, frowning when she didn’t see Rin anywhere.    
  
“Are you going to tell us what happened or not?!” Eli asked impatiently. Out of the corner of her eye she noticed Umi consoling Yuki and went over to join her.    
  
Kotori blinked innocently at Maki. “Where did you go?”   
  
Nozomi smirked to herself, noticing something in Maki’s hand. “Ooh, I see a box. A velvet box.”   
  
“Shut up, Nozomi.” Maki blushed, taking a step back from Kotori. Thankfully the ring was still safely in her hand. She had refused to let it go even though Nico carrying her back to the house at a run had been nothing short of bumpy. “I suppose now would be the best time.”   
  
“Huh?” Kotori tilted her head in confusion.    
  
Maki took a deep breath before she knelt down, kneeling on her right knee which she’d scraped when she’d fallen. “Kotori…” She popped open the box as Kotori’s eyes went wide with surprise. “W-Will you…”   
  
“Oh my god, just say it already!” Nico exclaimed as Maki hesitated.    
  
Maki blushed but continued nonetheless. “Will you marry me?”   
  
“Yes. Yes. YES!” Kotori dropped to her knees next to Maki and threw her arms around her, hugging her as tightly as she could.    
  
Grinning to herself, Eli chanced a glance at Umi to find her smiling, her eyes brimming with tears. She rolled her eyes and wrapped an arm around the girl’s shoulders. “You’re such a softy.”   
  
A glanced at Honoka let her know that Kotori’s other best friend wasn’t fairing much better. She was brushing at her eyes too as she made her way over. Eli held out her arm and Honoka walked into her embrace.    
  
“Can I be in the wedding?” Yuki asked suddenly.    
  
Maki smiled as she pulled away from Kotori. “Of course you can, Yuki. You can be our flower girl.”   
  
“Flower girl?” Yuki’s eyes went wide with excitement. “Really?”   
  
Kotori smiled and nodded. “We’ll make you a pretty dress to wear.” She glanced at Future Honoka who wasn’t looking at her. She was staring at the floor instead. “Um…” She was about to ask her if everything was okay when she was engulfed in a tight embrace, along with Maki.    
  
“I’m happy for you both.” Nozomi said, giving them both a brief squeeze before she pulled back to look at them. “I’m so proud. It’s like you’re both grown up.”   
  
“Nozomi, you’re not our mother.” Maki said with a roll of her eyes though Nozomi’s approval meant a lot to her. Not that she would admit it. “Even if it feels like it at times.”   
  
Nozomi grinned and nodded to Future Honoka. “She’s proud of you too, even if she won’t admit it.”   
  
“Hey!” Future Honoka exclaimed.    
  
Nozomi looked nothing but smug. “Go ahead and stop time, Senpai. I know you want to.”   
  
Future Honoka rolled her eyes but she strode forward and grasped Maki’s shoulder. She focused on her ability and a second later time stopped around them.    
  
“Huh?!” Maki exclaimed, looking between Kotori and Nozomi who were both frozen. Everyone else was too. “W-What did you do that for? Shit, are you planning to kill me? Kotori will be  _ so _ pissed at you if you…”   
  
“God, I wish I could just freeze your moth.” Honoka sighed, rolling her eyes. “Look, I just wanted to say...well you know I didn’t like this for a lot of reasons. Because Kotori is...important to me.”   
  
“Yeah…” Maki said warily, taking a step back.    
  
“Just be good to her, alright?” Honoka requested bluntly. “Don’t go making the same mistakes I did. You need to realize how much she’s worth, how much you should value her.”   
  
“I do. And I’m never going to hurt her.” Maki replied solemnly.    
  
“I think I believe you.” Honoka said with a slight smile. She stepped close to Maki and reached up, using the sleeve of her shirt to wipe the blood from Maki’s chin. “You don’t know how happy it makes me to see you like this.”   
  
“Beaten up?”   
  
“No, you idiot. Happy. Stable.” Future Honoka explained. “Not isolated and smoking like a chimney. You’re so different from her and I’m so glad. A lot of things are worse because I came back but this...you’re the one thing that’s better.”   
  
Maki’s lips trembled and Honoka’s eyes widened as she watched the redhead’s eyes fill with tears. She was about to apologize for whatever she had said wrong when Maki surged forward and hugged her tightly, pressing her face into her shoulder as she cried.    
  
“Thank you.” Maki choked out. “I’m so happy. She makes me so happy.”   
  
Honoka hugged Maki back, trembling slightly. Maki was so different, so open. “I’m so glad you’re nothing like her.”   
  
“I never will be, I promise.” Maki said tearfully, making no effort to pull away.    
  
“Come on, stop. You’re gonna make me cry.” Honoka slowly drew away from Maki, leaving a hand on her shoulder. “Ready?”   
  
Maki quickly wiped her eyes. “Yeah.” She felt time start moving a moment later and then Honoka was stepping back. Kotori took her place, looking a little confused. “Come on, Maki-chan. Let me help you clean up.”   
  
As Kotori led Maki away, Nozomi stepped close to Honoka and took her hand. “You okay?”   
  
“Thanks to you.” Future Honoka said softly, giving Nozomi’s hand a squeeze.    
\----   
  
Rin walked down the stairs to the basement, or the lab, as Maki and Hanayo liked to call it now. Not that it looked like much of a lab.    
  
“What’s up?” She asked, finding Nico, Hanayo, Maki and Kotori standing in the middle of the room. She shoved her hands into her pockets and walked over to them. Hanayo still refused to look at her, she noticed, her chest twinging.    
  
She looked to Kotori, noticing a ring on her left hand before she crossed her arms, hiding it from view. Her brow furrowed but she didn’t put much thought into it, even when she noticed Kotori blushing.    
  
Nico frowned and looked up at Rin. “You ready to be a hero?”   
  
Rin glanced between them. “What’s going on?”   
  
“Rin-chan...Maki-chan and Hanayo-chan unlocked the document on my mom’s computer. The one with her  Precognitive dreams . Something’s going to happen tonight and you need to stop it.”   
  
“I’ll be in communication with you the entire time.” Maki added.    
  
Nico nodded in response. “Hanayo asked me to be your backup. You okay with that?”   
  
“My backup.” Rin echoed slowly, looking to Hanayo. Her best friend was busy looking at Nico. “You’re not coming?”   
  
Hanayo shook her head.    
  
“Right.” Rin said softly. She looked to Nico and forced a smile to her lips. “You need a codename.”   
  
“What?”   
  
“I’ll think of one for you on the mission.” Rin told her brightly. “So what am I doing?”   
  
Maki took a deep breath when the others looked to her. “You’re going to save Sonoda Kasumi’s life.”   
  
TBC   



	44. Chapter 44

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next chapter of Let It Burn, thanks a lot for reading and of course for all of your comments. Hope you guys enjoy the chapter. 
> 
> Warning(s): Sexual scenes, Blood play maybe, Biting, drinking blood. And violence of course.

Riko wasn’t all that surprised when she woke to the scent of fresh paint. She supposed she was getting used to it after rooming with Hibiki for the past 2 weeks. Even when the girl wasn’t having visions, she was constantly painting or sketching something. She sat up, yawning and rubbing her eyes.   
  
She thought briefly of getting up and making the trek downstairs to make herself some coffee. It still felt a little strange to be in the house of someone who was virtually a stranger. She hadn’t even really spoken much to the members of the other group. She’d only had fleeting conversations with them.   
  
She had just slung her legs over the side of the bed when she finally looked around. Any thought she’d had of getting coffee slipped away when she noticed Hibiki painting on the walls around them. Almost every part of the walls were painted but it was what was on them that concerned her.   
  
Rin, wearing a yellow suit with a lightning bolt on the chest, facing a manic looking girl Riko didn’t recognize. She certainly recognized the woman who lay dead in the background though. Sonoda Kasumi.   
  
“Shit…” Riko breathed as she inched away from the bed, noticing Hibiki was still in a trance like state. She bolted for the door, not bothering to pause to change from her nightwear. She headed down the hallway, in her haste not bothering to pause to knock on Future Honoka’s door before she burst into the room.   
  
Honoka and Nozomi were still in bed, the former kissing the latter’s neck as she pressed against her from behind. Riko noticed that while both were fully dressed, Nozomi had buried her face into her pillow and was gasping softly as Honoka’s hand moved under the blankets.   
  
“Oh my god, I’m so sorry!” She clamped her hand over her eyes and turned away for good measure.   
  
“What the hell?!”   
  
Riko winced at the anger in Future Honoka’s voice. “S-Sorry, it’s Hibiki-chan. She’s painting again. I think you need to see this. It’s about Rin.”  
  
Future Honoka groaned in response. So much for her idea of spending the early hours of the morning in bed with Nozomi. “Sorry.” She whispered to the blushing girl in her arms. She slipped out of bed and headed for the door. “Nozomi, let the others know we need them in Riko’s room. Make sure you find Rei and Yume. We’ll need them too.”  
  
“Right.” Nozomi answered as she too got out of bed.   
  
Future Honoka followed Riko to her bedroom. She wasn’t sure what she expected to see when she got there but nothing could have prepared her for the painting on the wall. Her chest seized with panic as it always did when she saw Tsubasa but the look on the A-Rise members’ face made it all the more terrifying.   
  
“Sonoda.” Future Honoka stepped closer to the wall Hibiki was painting on, noticing vaguely that the artist was still going. “Are you kidding me?”  
  
“I figured you might say something like that.” Riko mumbled, glancing at Hibiki in concern. She hoped she would stop soon.   
  
Behind her, Future Honoka heard the others rush into the room. Looking back at them, she noticed Kotori, Maki, Rin, Nico and Hanayo were all missing.   
  
Yume’s eyes widened and she quickly took out her cell phone. “Someone hacked into my doc...MAKI!”  
  
Rei cringed as her daughter’s name was mentioned. Of course her daughter would be up to something. “We don’t know that.”  
  
Nozomi nervously cleared her throat. “Maki isn’t in her room.”  
  
“REI!” Yume exclaimed, her face turning red with outrage.   
  
Rei winced. There was only so much she could say to defend her daughter in a situation like this. “I’m sure she had a reason.”  
  
“A REASON?!” Yume exclaimed angrily, her hands clenching into fists at her sides. “Kasumi cannot be killed! That dream is one of the worst I’ve had and you know that!”  
  
“Then Rin-san is supposed to stop her…”  
  
The group’s attention turned to Chika who had spoken up softly. She was staring at the wall with wide eyes, her hand grasping her head.   
  
“Chika-chan…” Riko gasped, hurrying to Chika’s side. Honoka and Kanan moved at the same time, making their way to Chika.   
  
“What the hell is she wearing?” Eli asked skeptically as she eyed the painting.   
  
“It’s a costume.” Umi sighed in exasperation. “Have you met Rin? She loves comics. Kotori probably made it for her.”  
  
“And now your daughter is dragging mine into her rebellion!” Yume pointed out in annoyance. “As soon as I find out where they are, I’m putting a stop to this.”  
  
Rei groaned at the comment. She was doing her utmost to keep Yume from interfering with Maki and Kotori’s relationship but Maki wasn’t exactly making it easy for her. “Even I know Kotori well enough to know she won’t be roped into anything she doesn’t want to do.”  
  
“I mean it this time, Rei. I’m done being patient with this.” Yume growled before she turned back to the painting. “We need to find out where they are before they get themselves killed.”  
  
“Well I don’t see Maki and the others in the painting.” Rei pointed out, noticing that Yume seemed to be backing away from the topic of Kotori’s relationship with Maki. “So…” She trailed off at the sound of Hibiki’s paintbrush clattering to the floor.   
  
“Whoa!” Future Honoka exclaimed as Hibiki swayed on the spot. She caught her quickly as she fell. “Guess she’s done.”  
  
Nozomi watched as Honoka picked Hibiki up and walked across the room to the bed, gently setting her down on it. Despite the situation she felt the corners of her lips twitch slightly. Even after everything she had been through, Honoka could still be sweet and gentle at times.   
  
“As I was saying, we need to find the others.” Yume said impatiently. She glanced at Rei. “Do you think Arisa could…”  
  
“No.” Rei interrupted sharply. “No she can’t.”  
  
Yume sighed in response. “Well we need her to so we can stop this. I’m not asking, Rei. You need to do what you usually do and set your personal feelings aside. You had no problem doing it when you wanted to use Nico for her blood.”  
  
Eli frowned at the discussion. “Don’t you think you should ask me or my dad instead if you want to use my sister’s ability?”  
  
“My apologies. You’re right, of course.” Yume said politely as she turned to Eli. “I only asked Rei because she’s practically your mom at this point. We need to find Rin, Eli. Arisa is the only person who can do that.”  
  
“I suppose...as long as it’s only Rin she’s looking for and not Sonoda. I don’t want her trying to find her after last time.” Eli shuddered to think what could have happened.   
  
“Of course.” Yume said while Rei gave a heavy sigh in response. “I’ll ask your father too, of course.”  
  
“Thank you.” Eli said quietly. She wasn’t entirely sure her decision was the right one but she knew they couldn’t leave Rin out there alone. She felt a hand slip into her own and looked down, following the arm up to Umi who looked equally as anxious.   
  
“We need to move fast.” Future Honoka ordered as she walked away from the bed.   
  
“Right, everyone get dressed. If you have orders, you’ll hear from us.” Rei declared, casting an irritated look at Yume before she headed for the door.  
  
\----  
  
“I don’t want you to go.” Honoka blurted out suddenly as she watched Eli tug on her jacket. She noticed the blonde falter slightly in her movements before she turned around to face her. “Eli-senpai…”  
  
“You know I have to.” Eli said gently, noticing that Honoka was wringing her hands in front of her. She stepped forward, taking them in her own. “I have to go and save Rin.”  
  
“So I’ll go instead.” Honoka said quickly, gripping Eli’s warm hands back. “You should be here, protecting Yuki and Umi-chan and the others.”   
  
“They need someone with an offensive ability.” Eli pointed out softly. “I’m sorry, Honoka. I have to go, I don’t have a choice. If I could stay here with you, Umi and Yuki I would. You know I would.”  
  
Honoka nodded and threw her arms around Eli’s neck, hugging her tightly. “Promise me you won’t do anything stupid. Don’t throw yourself into danger, I can’t...I can’t lose you too. You almost died the last time you went on a mission.”  
  
“For you.” Eli said softly, hugging Honoka back with one arm while she used her other hand to gently brush over Honoka’s hair. “I’ll be more careful this time. So I can come back home to you, Umi and Yuki.”  
  
“Promise me.” Honoka said firmly, hugging Eli tighter. “Promise me you’ll come back.”  
  
Eli caught the breathy tone of Honoka’s voice, letting her know her girlfriend was panicking. “Shhh.” She hushed gently, drawing back slightly. As much as she could anyway, with Honoka holding onto her so tightly. She was used to it. Honoka still had nightmares about Yukiho’s death. She would wake up, distraught and trembling, seeking out the comfort of either Eli or Umi. Looking for reassurances that they were still there and they wouldn’t leave her. The nightmares were less frequent with Yuki there but they still happened. “Listen to me, Honoka. I swear I’m gonna come back. I have to.”  
  
“But what if you don’t?” Honoka insisted frantically. “I don’t know what I would do if I lost you, Eli-senpai. Sonoda is crazy. She almost killed you last time.”  
  
“My mom almost killed me last time.” Eli said softly, brushing Honoka’s hair back from her face. “I know it’s dangerous. But it’s something I have to do. Nothing’s going to keep me from coming home to you. And Nico’s going to be there. She’s not going to let anything happen to me.”  
  
Honoka wanted to argue but she knew there was nothing she could say to change Eli’s mind about going. She gripped the lapels of Eli’s black jacket and pulled her in, kissing her deeply.   
  
Eli’s arms went around Honoka in turn, holding her close as she kissed her back. Slowly, she drew away and pressed her forehead to Honoka’s. “I love you.”  
  
Honoka blushed at Eli’s expression of love. “I love you too.” She reached up to cup Eli’s cheek in her hand and kissed her again, slower this time. “You have to come back. So the four of us can get out of here after this is over. I want to live with you, Umi-chan and Yuki. By ourselves, not...like this. I want to go somewhere where we can be ourselves and be together and...what I’m saying is I want a life with you and Umi. I want it all. A house and maybe more kids.”  
  
Eli stayed silent, waiting with baited breath.   
  
“I’m so happy with you and Umi-chan. I’m so in love with both of you.” Honoka confessed, her voice hitching slightly. “I know Kotori-chan and Maki-chan are getting married and it might seem like I’m saying this because of them but I would marry you right now if it didn’t mean I’d have to choose between you and Umi-chan.”  
  
Eli felt her face flush crimson. “Honoka…”  
  
“I just wanted you to know that. Before you leave.” Honoka said with a slight shrug of her shoulders.   
  
“I’m coming back.” Eli said firmly. She wrapped Honoka in another strong embrace before she reluctantly drew away. “Go and find Umi, okay? I’ll be back before you know it.”  
  
“Right.” Honoka closed her eyes as Eli kissed her once more. When she opened them, the blonde was gone.   
  
\----  
  
 _“Eternal, can you hear me?”_  
  
Nico winced as she heard Maki’s voice in her head. She slid down from Rin’s back. “ _Fuck you, why couldn’t you give me the codename Invincible or Unbreakable? Anything but Eternal.”_ _  
_ _  
_“I come up with the best codenames, nya!” Rin announced out loud.  
  
“Shhh!” Nico hissed in annoyance. “In your head, Rin! We’re going to get caught if you’re not quiet!”  
  
“ _Yeah, yeah._ ” Rin thought back, a frown on her face. She didn’t see how they would get caught, given that they had just run up the side of a skyscraper. They had only just gotten to the roof when Maki had spoken. “ _Eternal suits you, nya. I make the best superhero names.”_ _  
_ _  
_ _“No you don’t.”_ Maki argued.   
  
_“Whatever you say Thinker!” Rin retorted._ _  
_ _  
_Nico snorted out loud in amusement. “ _She has a point there. Isn’t that a villain name?”_ _  
_ _  
_ _“Nico, shut up.”_ Maki responded.   
  
“I’m just saying…”  
  
“ _Kotori thought of it so shut it!”_ _  
_ _  
_Nico rolled her eyes at the explanation. Of course that was the reason Maki was getting so defensive. “ _You’re so whipped.”_ _  
_ _  
_Maki scoffed. _“Look who’s talking. Phase tells me she tops.”_ _  
_ _  
_Rin smirked. “ _Ha, even I top!”_ _  
_ _  
_Maki’s eyes widened in surprise. She wasn’t entirely sure she had even heard Rin right for a moment but noticing Kotori looked just as astonished, she assumed she had. “ _Do you even know what you’re talking about?”_ _  
_ _  
_ _“Making out. Duh.”_ _  
_ _  
_Hanayo growled under her breath. “ _Bolt, you need to focus on the mission at hand. You too, Nico-chan.”_ _  
_ _  
_ _“What? Don’t blame me for this!”_ Nico thought back defensively. “ _They’re the ones who started talking about sex. Blame Thinker for bringing it up!”_ _  
_ _  
_ _“We ALL need to focus.”_ Kotori, who had been silent up until that point finally voiced her opinion. “ _Are you two on the roof yet?”_  
  
“ _Yeah.”_ Rin answered, glancing at Nico. “ _Do we know where in the building Sonoda is?”_ _  
_ _  
_ _“The taller building next door.”_ Maki answered seriously. _“Second floor from the top, there’s an office. I told Nico where it is so she’ll point it out.”_ _  
_ _  
_“That one.” Nico said quietly as she pointed out one of the middle windows of the CORPS building. “Seventh from the left.”  
  
Rin hummed in thought. “How are you going to get through, nya? I can just phase.”  
  
Nico shook her head. “You don’t need to phase, just throw me at the window.”  
  
“Eeeh?!” Rin exclaimed loudly, earning herself a glare from Nico. “That’ll set off the alarms.”  
  
“So? Just throw me and then get over there, okay? Throw me hard. We don’t know what kind of glass it’s going to be.”   
  
“How am I gonna throw you though?! I don’t have super strength. I know you’re small but...nya!” Rin jumped back slightly as Nico let out an angry growl.   
  
“Do I have to spell everything out for you?” Nico rubbed her temples. By the time they got into the building it would be too late. “Don’t you…’heroes’ have some kind of extra strength? Just throw me and hurry up about it. Build up speed and throw me. It’s simple.”  
  
“Okay, okay.” Rin took a deep breath. “Stay here.”  
  
She took off running and Nico watched Rin’s orange streak lap around the roof five times within as many seconds. She almost gasped when Rin ran into her, picking her up. She supposed it was fortunate that the wind didn’t bother her eyes because she couldn’t afford to close them. Rin looped several more times before she reached the edge of the roof and threw Nico off.   
  
Rin repeated her lap once more and then jumped off after Nico, speeding up her molecules to phase through the glass as it shattered, flying toward her. She sped through the window, catching Nico before the girl hit the ground.   
  
Nico couldn’t deny that she was impressed. Her face and hands had still been cut by the glass but at least she hadn’t broken anything by hitting the floor at such a high speed. Within a few seconds her cuts were gone, leaving only blood in their wake.   
  
“FREEZE! INTRUDERS!”  
  
Nico drew her knives from her belt and threw them at the guards, hitting them square in their hearts.   
  
“Well well…”  
  
“A-Anju-taichou.” An agent stuttered as Anju stepped away from the desk where Sonoda Kasumi was sitting.   
  
“A speedster and the indestructible one.” Anju remarked as she paced forward. She stood in front of Kasumi’s desk, her arms crossed in front of her face and an amused smirk on her face.   
  
“I’m the Bolt!” Rin exclaimed defensively.   
  
“Fuck.” Nico breathed out. “Eternal. And we’re here to save Sonoda Kasumi so step out of the way.”  
  
Anju looked briefly taken aback. Not for long though. “Bullshit. And the Bolt, really? Silly girl, superheroes aren’t real.” She paced forward, taking a sword from one of the agents. “This should do just fine.”  
  
\----  
  
Hanayo growled as she typed at her keyboard, her eyes on her computer screen. “Why can’t I hear them?”  
  
“Because I’ve closed the channel between you and them.” Maki answered, looking up. “I need to focus and you seem really angry at the moment. I don’t need that in my mind right now.”  
  
Hanayo sighed loudly. “I need to go to the gym. I can’t be any use here.”  
  
“Don’t get caught, Hanayo.” Maki warned as Hanayo started walking away.   
  
Hanayo waved Maki off and jogged up the stairs. She phased through the door only to come face to face with Future Honoka and Eli who were approaching it.   
  
In surprise, she stopped using her ability and Honoka took the chance to grab her arm. “Where is she?” When Hanayo didn’t answer she gave the girl a light shake. “Answer me, Hanayo!”  
  
Hanayo stuttered out the coordinates as well as the floor number and office and Honoka grabbed Eli’s arm before she teleported all three of them to the room.   
  
The room was in chaos when they got there. Rin was running around, taking down agents as they entered the room and Nico was repeatedly slamming what seemed to be herself against the wall.   
  
“CHANGE BACK TO THE ORIGINAL, I’M NOT IN THE MOOD FOR YOUR FUCKING MIND GAMES!”  
  
Rin suddenly appeared in front of them, a bit flushed. “What’s going on? Why are you here? Kayo-chin?”  
  
Hanayo shrugged sheepishly and looked around for Sonoda. She was standing behind her desk, a puzzled look on her face. She didn’t look especially concerned though.   
  
Future Honoka strode over to Sonoda’s desk, punching a remaining guard in the face when he tried to intercept her. “If you don’t get the hell out of here you’re going to die. Do you understand?”  
  
Kasumi raised an eyebrow in response. “Tell me, is this because of some kind of precognitive vision from Yume, you know they aren’t always accurate?”  
  
Future Honoka shook her head. “It’s from someone else, with a stronger precognitive ability.”  
  
Kasumi didn’t look surprised. “You mean Ryo’s kid. The painter?”  
  
“Enough of this!” Honoka growled angrily. “You either come with us or…”  
  
She was cut off by the sound of a scream from the doorway. She turned quickly in time to see a red streak go past her. A second later, Rin was unconscious on the ground.   
  
“I was going to do this earlier but it was fun watching Bolt and...Eternal, was it?” Tsubasa said in amusement as she came to a stop over Rin’s body. She kicked her, rolling her onto her back. “Super speed...this should be useful.”  
  
Eli clenched her hands into fists, going up in flames.   
  
Tsubasa turned on the spot and paced over to Kasumi’s desk. “So are we going to do this the easy way or the hard way?” She threateningly raised her hand. “Where is she?”  
  
“I’m not telling you, Tsubasa so please put your hand down.” Kasumi replied calmly.   
  
Tsubasa growled under her breath. “I really hate you, ya know? Who the hell are you to give _me_ orders?”  
  
Honoka swung her fist toward Tsubasa, intending to punch her but the girl disappeared suddenly, reappearing behind Kasumi. She remembered with a sinking feeling that Tsubasa had taken her ability back when her past self had went after Kasumi. “You took my ability…”  
  
“I wonder what’s in this head. Your power must be exquisite. In fact I never got the chance to copy the telepath. Such a passive ability needs more...physical tampering. One can’t just look at it.” Tsubasa commented, mostly to herself.   
  
“MORE POWERS, THAT’S ALL SHE NEEDS!” Nico, who had effectively knocked Anju out, tossed her aside and started over to Eli and Future Honoka.   
  
Tsubasa raised her hand, revealing a knife. She turned Kasumi around and lifted the blade, pressing it to the woman’s forehead.   
  
“Honoka!” Eli cried out, giving Honoka a harsh shove to get her attention.   
  
Honoka came to her senses and stopped time. She experienced a moment of shock when she saw Tsubasa still moving but then her shock was replaced with disgust as Kasumi started screaming. She looked away, feeling bile rush to her throat as Tsubasa used her ability to wrench Kasumi’s skull open much like she had with Chika.   
  
Kasumi went silent and as she stood there Honoka felt time unfreeze around her.   
  
Eli and Nico were both shocked to see Tsubasa shove Kasumi onto the desk, her skull open.   
  
Nico turned on Honoka. “What the fuck did you do?!”  
  
“She could move through my time freeze, I couldn’t…” Honoka trailed off, shaking her head. “I couldn’t stop her!”  
  
“Of course she could move, she has your ability!” Eli exclaimed in disdain. “And she has super speed! You were meant to teleport behind her and get her out of here! How could you be so...so…”  
  
“Stupid.” Nico finished for Eli who trailed off, her teeth gritted in anger. “Do you even know what this means?”  
  
Behind the desk, Tsubasa laughed darkly. “So the telepath has been here the whole time? I can hear you, Nishikino.”  
  
Maki felt her heart skip a beat in her chest. “Nico, what the hell is going on?!”  
  
“ _Shit_.” Nico cursed, her eyes still fixated to Tsubasa.   
  
“ _What_?” Maki insisted hurriedly.   
  
_“She’s dead, Maki.”_ Nico thought back to Maki, her hands clenching into fists. “ _There’s nothing we can do to stop her now.”_  
  
“ _I’m glad you realize that.”_  
  
The sound of Tsubasa’s voice in her head sent shivers through Maki’s body but she refused to answer. “ _Where is Rin?_ ”  
  
Nico looked away from Tsubasa’s manic eyes. She couldn’t look at her anymore. “ _She’s knocked ou._..HANAYO, BEHIND YOU!”   
  
Hanayo turned to see a guard rushing for her. In her panic, she phased through the floor.   
  
Eli threw herself forward, hitting the guard in the face with a flaming fist. He landed next to Rin, out cold.   
  
“Now I can find Erena.” Tsubasa said to herself.  
  
“Over my dead body.” Nico scowled, stepping forward with her fists clenched.   
  
Tsubasa smirked. “You know I could take your ability but I quite like the ones I have now. Maybe if I cut you open and examine your brain’s nerves I could learn it.”  
  
Nico was about to make a scathing retort when Tsubasa ran out of the room, using her newfound speed to do so.   
  
“What do we do now?” Eli stared at the ground, her body still engulfed in flames.   
  
“I don’t think there’s anything we can do.” Nico said hesitantly, glancing at where Hanayo had fallen through the floor. She hoped she was okay. “Guess we just wait around for her to come for us.” She sighed and went to Rin’s side, kneeling down next to her. “ _The mission is a failure, Thinker. Bolt is fucked up.”_  
  
Maki cleared her throat. “ _From what I can tell, Phase has fallen several stories.  I can’t get a read on her right now but I think she’s okay. How the hell did this happen?”_  
  
“Why don’t you tell us that, Honoka?” Eli turned on Honoka, her eyes blazing with silent anger. “How the _hell_ did this happen?!”  
  
“I told you, s-she was just too fast. I choked, I didn’t know she had gotten this powerful this fast. It took me years to learn how to master the time stops. I’m sorry.” Honoka stuttered, her eyes wide.   
  
“You could have teleported behind her, you could have grabbed Kasumi and left. You could have done SOMETHING!” Eli was on the verge of yelling as she stepped toward Honoka. “You’re meant to be the best, you’re meant to be the one who’s going to SAVE us and you can’t even…”  
  
“Eli.” Nico warned, looking up. “Stop. You’re just scared.”  
  
“DAMN RIGHT I’M FUCKING SCARED!” Eli yelled, her flames darkening slightly to a murkier blue. She kept her attention focused on Honoka though. “I know you could have stopped her! I know you could have done something but you didn’t want to, did you?”  
  
Future Honoka took a small step back, her heart pounding frantically against her chest. It was like Eli could see right through her. “No. I didn’t. I let her…”  
  
Eli surged forward and grabbed Honoka by the jacket, shoving her hard into the closest wall. “Do you know what you’ve done? She could kill us _all_.”  
  
“Eli.” Honoka choked out, her eyes filling with tears as she grasped at Eli’s wrist. It seemed the blonde had no intention at all of letting go “I’m sorry, she was too fast. I couldn’t have stopped her.”  
  
“You didn’t TRY!” Eli exclaimed loudly. “You could have at least tried! Now she’s going to come for us. She could come for my family! Honoka, Umi, Yuki, Arisa, my dad, NOZOMI!”  
  
Honoka gasped as Eli’s flames licked at her skin and clothes, lighting the clothes and scorching her skin. “E-Eli-senpai.”  
  
“Eli, STOP!” Nico threw herself at Eli and knocked her backwards, away from Honoka who quickly patted her clothes to put herself out. “Are you insane? What the hell are you doing?! Maki, talk to her!”  
  
“ _She’s faster than Honoka, Eli. She would have gotten away anyway._ ” Maki directed her thoughts toward Eli whose flames lessened slightly. “ _She’s tapped into the fastlane, she’s faster than any of us can stop right now. We weren’t training to deal with this. We need to do that if we want to contain Tsubasa.”_ _  
_ _  
_ _“R-Right.”_ Eli looked at Honoka, at the burns on her skin. Burns from her own hands. “Honoka…”  
  
“I’ll go and find Hanayo.” Honoka’s voice was slightly choked but Eli couldn’t see her eyes. She was looking away. “Nico, get Rin and Eli outside. Please.”  
  
She left the room without waiting for an answer.   
  
“ _You’ve gotten slower.”_ _  
_ _  
_Honoka flinched as Maki’s voice filled her mind. “ _How do you know?_ ”  
  
 _“I’ve been studying Rin for a while_.” Maki explained. “ _You know she can even phase like Hanayo now. I know she’s faster than you but I also know that you really hate Sonoda.”_ _  
_ _  
_ _“Ugh, I hate that you can tap into my thoughts.”_ Honoka paused at the end of the hallway, looking this way and that before she continued on ahead.   
  
“ _It’s understandable after what she did to your Umi and Eli. What’s she’s done to Kotori and  my Honoka…”_ _  
_ _  
_“ENOUGH!” Honoka exclaimed out loud, gripping her head. “I didn’t LET her die, okay? Just leave me alone.”  
  
 _“All I’m saying is deep down you want her dead.”_  
  
Honoka growled angrily. _“I didn’t want it. In the end, I was just slower than Tsubasa. Just like you said. I haven’t trained with a speedster ability user in a long time.”_  
  
Maki hummed in response. She was skeptical but didn’t argue. “ _Hanayo is outside. Everyone else is waiting for you so get out of the building.”_  
  
“Everyone else…?”  
  
 _“Nozomi too._ ” Maki answered, knowing what Honoka would want to know.   
  
_“How did she…?”_ _  
_ _  
_ _“She found where we were hiding out and forced us to tell her.”_ Maki said with a wince. “ _Besides, she said she could...feel you or something. I don’t know, just hurry up and get out there. She’s waiting.”_  
  
Future Honoka didn’t waste another second before she teleported herself out of the building. She stumbled a little, grabbing her head. “What the hell…?”  
  
“Senpai!”  
  
Honoka looked up in time to see Nozomi rushing toward her. The girl collided with her hard and hugged her as tightly as she could.   
  
Honoka felt her throat constrict, her eyes stinging with tears. She vaguely felt time freeze around her before her knees buckled beneath her and she collapsed to the ground, Nozomi going with her. She buried her face in Nozomi’s shoulder, sobbing quietly.   
  
Nozomi rubbed Honoka’s back, her own eyes smarting with tears which she blinked back. She could feel Honoka’s pain even though she was trying to block it out so she could focus on helping her. When Honoka quietened just a bit, Nozomi spoke up. “You in time out again?”  
  
Honoka nodded silently.   
  
“Do you want to tell me what happened?”  
  
“She’s dead. I let it happen. I wasn’t fast enough. I wouldn’t have been but I could have tried. But I wanted to see her die. For Umi-chan, for Eli-senpai, for Kotori-chan. She _hurt_ them all and I wanted to see her dead. Like them.” Honoka pulled back, gripping the front of Nozomi’s shirt. “I just wanted it to be fair, Nozomi. I wanted her to suffer. You understand, don’t you? Please say you understand, I can’t take you hating me too.”  
  
“Shh.” Nozomi gently soothed Honoka, brushing her hair back from her face. “I could never hate you. Of course I understand. What happened?” Her gaze flitted down from Honoka’s eyes, just briefly and she did a double take at the sight of burns on her skin. “Elichi…?”  
  
Honoka’s lower lip trembled. “She hates me.” She managed to force out, her voice thick with tears. “My Eli-senpai never...she never...I don’t know what I’m going to do, I can’t…”  
  
“Hey, hey. It’s okay.” Nozomi’s heart seized in her chest as Honoka’s breathing grew ragged and fast, her chest heaving. “It’s okay. Just breathe. It’s okay. Elichi doesn’t hate you. Just breathe with me, okay? I’m here, you’re safe.”  
  
“But Eli-senpai…”  
  
Nozomi cursed under her breath. “Your Eli-senpai loves you. That’s all that matters, alright?” She gently rubbed Honoka’s back, trying to calm her down. “Elichi doesn’t understand. She can’t. But from what you’ve said, I know that your Eli could never hate you. I’m right, aren’t I?”  
  
Honoka nodded tearfully. “But I don’t want any Eli to hate me.”  
  
Nozomi drew Honoka into another tight embrace and cursed Eli under her breath. It was amazing and painful to see, that Eli could reduce the usually strong and composed Honoka to a small, frightening child in minutes. Without even meaning to, most likely. “It’s okay. I’m here. I’ve got you.”  
  
\----  
  
Nico stood in the doorway to the infirmary, her gaze fixed to Hanayo who was sitting at the side of Erena’s bed. Hanayo seemed to be watching the girl intently. “Why did you save her?”  
  
Hanayo flinched in surprise at the sound of Nico’s voice. She looked up, forcing a slight smile to her lips. “Because it was the right thing to do. She was being tortured in there.”  
  
Nico hummed and walked further into the room. “But the psychopath wants her.”  
  
“That’s why it’ll be good to tell her we have her.” Hanayo said reasonably.   
  
“Leverage?” Nico asked, raising an eyebrow.   
  
“Yes.”  
  
“Fuck, people should never underestimate you.” Nico said, slightly awed by the girl next to her.   
  
Hanayo smirked and shrugged her shoulders in response. “It was the right thing to do anyway. We’re not going to let Tsubasa take her.”  
  
“So...Rin was taken to the future painter’s room.” Nico said, squeezing herself into the seat next to Hanayo.   
  
Hanayo growled under her breath.   
  
“It’s weird to see you think angry.” Nico said with a slight chuckle. “Should I be worried?”  
  
Hanayo shook her head. “She just pisses me off. What she’s doing to Rin-chan…”  
  
Nico watched the way Hanayo’s hands curled into fists. “Cursing too. Now I’m definitely worried.”  
  
“Nico-chan.” Hanayo sighed in exasperation.   
  
“I’m sorry.” Nico mumbled, leaning in to press a kiss to Hanayo’s shoulder. “Did the fall hurt much?”  
  
“Only when I hit the floor.” Hanayo joked. “I’m fine, just bruised is all. Rei-san thinks I cracked a rib.”  
  
Nico thought for a moment. “I have an idea.”  
  
“Wha…?” Hanayo gasped as Nico suddenly moved on top of her, straddling her legs. She was shocked but she grasped the girl’s hips anyway, to steady her. “Nico-chan?”  
  
“Bite me.” Nico whispered, pulling her turtle neck down. She brushed aside her hair, having left it down after she’d showered to wash all of the blood away.   
  
“Huh?!”  
  
“Bite me.” Nico repeated patiently. “I want you to take my blood. So you can heal. Please, Hanayo.”  
  
Hanayo swallowed thickly, her gaze shifting to Nico’s neck. “It’ll hurt a lot. If I’m the one who does it. You can feel when I touch you so...”  
  
“I want it to hurt a lot.” Nico interrupted quickly. “Come on. Just do it.”  
  
Hanayo didn’t have it in her to argue with Nico anymore. Leaning forward, she kissed Nico’s neck before she began to suck, taking her time to build up pressure.   
  
Nico sighed and closed her eyes. Hanayo was right, it did hurt. But it felt good too. “Just like that.” She mumbled, feeling Hanayo start to use her teeth.   
  
Hanayo bit down sharply without warning and heard Nico release a soft moan at the feeling. She couldn’t resist the urge to phase her hands under the girl’s sweater and bra, her fingers sliding over her breasts. She shuddered as Nico arched into the touch.   
  
She felt Nico’s hand sliding into hair and then she tasted blood and simultaneously felt it on her lips. She sucked hard, feeling the warm liquid spill onto her tongue.   
  
Nico turned her head and pressed her mouth to her shoulder, trying to suppress a rising moan. She whimpered as Hanayo continued to suck and without thinking about it, she began to grind down against Hanayo’s lap, gently at first until Hanayo noticed and started to help guide her movements.   
  
She felt Hanayo start to pull away and pressed a hand to the back of her head, urging her back. “More.” She insisted softly.   
  
Hanayo seemed all too willing to do as she was told and went back to it without hesitation as Nico rocked her hips back and forth against her lap. The soft gasps and whimpers coming from Nico were intoxicating, she thought as she squeezed at Nico’s breast. She slipped her free hand between them and phased it through Nico’s pants, eagerly brushing her fingers through Nico’s folds.   
  
She hissed, surprised to find how aroused Nico was already. She rubbed lightly back and forth for a moment before slipping two fingers into Nico.   
  
Nico cried out, the sound muffled by her own shoulder as she started to grind down relentlessly against Hanayo’s fingers.   
  
Hanayo kept going, addicted to the taste of Nico’s skin and the feeling of her blood, slipping over her tongue. It didn’t take long for Nico to tense, bucking against her hand as she moaned softly to herself. Slowly, Hanayo stopped sucking and Nico shrunk forward against her, exhausted.   
  
Hanayo gently kissed Nico’s neck, watching the pierced skin heal.   
  
“Do you feel better?” Nico asked, panting softly against Hanayo’s shoulder.   
  
“Much.” Hanayo said with a small smile.   
  
“Me too.” Nico mumbled.   
\----  
 _  
_Hibiki woke to an ache in her head and a subtle dryness in her throat. The aftermath of her visions always felt something like a headache. She looked down, finding an arm curled around her waist and her brow furrowed in confusion. She was in her room so she couldn’t help but wonder if it was Riko who had inadvertently embraced her in her sleep.  
  
She turned over, slowly, already planning how she would make a quick getaway if it was Riko. She froze in place when she found Rin lying next to her instead, her face, arms and what Hibiki could see of her shoulders and chest above her tank top bruised. The bruises were healing quicker than normal thanks to Rin’s ability but Hibiki shuddered to think how bad they must have been.   
  
Hibiki looked around and noticed F!Honoka and Nozomi sitting against the wall a few feet from the bed. Both looked exhausted and Honoka looked injured. Hibiki could see a few burns scattered on Honoka’s neck, shoulders and upper chest. “What happened?”  
  
Future Honoka looked up from Nozomi, whose head was resting on one of the arms Honoka had wrapped around her knees to hold them close to her chest. “Rin? She wouldn’t go to her room. She wanted you. You saved her. We um...couldn’t stop Tsubasa.”  
  
“Oh.” Was all Hibiki could think to say to that. She didn’t really need to say anything else.   
  
Future Honoka hummed softly in response, her gaze returning to Nozomi. Hibiki took another moment to look around the room before she looked to the two of them again. “Is she out? Rin too?”  
  
“Rin was knocked out, Nozomi is just sleeping.” Future Honoka said softly. “She wanted to wait in here for Rin to wake up.” Her brow furrowed slightly in confusion. Both she and Nozomi knew that her past self would be waiting for the blonde to get back yet Nozomi had insisted she wait in the room with her.   
  
Hibiki nodded and looked at Rin. “Is Nico-chan okay?”  
  
“Yeah, she’s fine. She’s with Hanayo.”  
  
Hibiki shivered at the mention of Hanayo’s name. As much as she didn’t want to admit it, the girl scared her. 

 

“Are you okay?” Honoka asked in concern, having noticed the shiver.    
  
Hibiki nodded silently.    
  
Honoka was silent too for a few long moment until she spoke again. “What else have you drawn?”   
  
“Death mostly.” Hibiki said softly. “I even drew the death of my mother. That was after she took me away from my father.”   
  
Honoka bit the inside of her cheek. “I’m sorry.” She watched Hibiki shrug her shoulders and noticed the vulnerability in the girl’s eyes. “It’s all a front with you, isn’t it? The sarcasm and cockiness. Building up walls so nobody will get to know who you really are.”   
  
Hibiki rolled her eyes. “Thank you, Miss obvious.”   
  
“Hey.” Honoka said gently.    
  
“Sorry.” Hibiki sighed and ran her fingers through her hair. “I’m not used to talking to people. Besides Rin and sometimes Riko.”   
  
“So...who killed your mom?” Honoka asked rather bluntly.    
  
“My birth.” Hibiki answered hesitantly. “She transferred her ability to me, making her weak and causing her lifespan to decrease.”   
  
“What?!” Future Honoka’s eyes widened in surprise.    
  
“My father is normal.” Hibiki said with a shrug of her shoulders. She continued after a moment. “Only male ability users can transfer abilities into a baby. They have more energy compared to women. Female ability users with a normal male can either have normal children or transfer their ability and lose it.”   
  
“I see.” Honoka mused thoughtfully. “Rin is right, you are smart.”   
  
“Not as smart as the nerd duo.” Hibiki muttered, leaning back against her pillows.    
  
“Maki and Hanayo?” Honoka guessed, raising an eyebrow.    
  
“Bingo.”  Hibiki answered in the affirmative. “And I’m pretty sure Hanayo wants to kill me. Literally. Which makes how smart she is even scarier if I’m honest.” She sighed and closed her eyes for a moment. “I hate this.”    
  
Honoka slowly shifted out from under Nozomi, making sure her girlfriend was steady before she got to her feet. “Can I hug you?”   
  
“What?!” Hibiki’s eyes snapped open.    
  
“You look like you need a hug.” Honoka clarified, taking a step forward toward the bed. “From someone who’s conscious. It’s been a long day, huh?”   
  
“Why would you…?” Hibiki shook her head in confusion. “Why would you want to?”   
  
“You remind me of myself, a little.” Honoka said sheepishly. “So it’s kind of like...I could see you as a kid sister in a way.”   
  
“I’m fifteen.” Hibiki pointed out.    
  
“I’m twenty.” Honoka countered.    
  
Hibiki sighed but relented. “F-Fine, if you want to.”   
  
Honoka crossed the room to the bed and leaned down, drawing Hibiki into a gentle embrace. The girl was stiff in her arms for a moment but finally relented, melting into the hug and burying her face in her shoulder.    
  
Hibiki took a shuddering breath. She’d always hated parental figures but this person seemed safe. She hugged her back, hesitantly.    
  
Nozomi opened her eyes slightly, having woken when Honoka had moved. She watched Honoka hug Hibiki thoughtfully. It was nice to see her girlfriend trying to befriend someone.  For a while it had seemed like Honoka was intent on distancing herself from the group. Nozomi had been sure that what had happened with Eli would only make that worse. Her hands balled into fists at the thought.    
  
\-----   
  
Honoka was close to dozing off between her girlfriends on the bed when the door to her room flew open, startling her back to full consciousness.    
  
“Nozomi-chan!” She exclaimed when she looked to the doorway, finding Nozomi standing there. “Why did you open the door like that? You could have frightened Yuki!”   
  
“Yuki-chan is down the hallway with Kotori-chan and Raven-san. I saw her on the way past.” Nozomi said, stepping into the room without waiting for their permission. She focused on Eli who was staring at her silently. “I need to speak to you. Alone.”   
  
Eli stood from the bed, crossing her arms. She knew what Nozomi was going to say already. “You can say it in front of them, it’s fine.”   
  
“Honoka-chan shouldn’t be here for this.” Nozomi said steadily, her gaze fixed to Eli.    
  
“She’s fine.” Eli said again, refusing to back down.    
  
“Fine.” Nozomi replied through gritted teeth. She took a deep breath before she spoke again. “Do you have any idea what you’ve done?”   
  
Eli sighed. “So you’re taking her side. I figured you might.”   
  
“This isn’t about sides. You  _ burned _ her, Elichi!” Nozomi accused loudly, anger seeping into her voice. “That’s not okay!”   
  
“She let Sonoda DIE!”   
  
“Because of  _ you _ ! Sonoda had Arisa killed in the future. She did it because she hated Sonoda for  _ you _ !” Nozomi’s voice gradually rose. She threw her arm out to the side, pointing at Umi who sat up straight, her eyes wide. “And she did it for Umi-chan. For everything that...evil  _ woman _ did to her! She wasn’t being selfish. She didn’t even  _ mean _ to let her die and yet you  _ burned _ her!”   
  
“So I’ll apologize…” Eli said, a little taken aback by how angry Nozomi seemed to be. “I didn’t mean to, I was just angry.”   
  
“It’s too late to apologize! Do you know that she was so upset that time stopped itself so she didn’t tear a hole in the damn continuum?!” Nozomi growled, her hands curling into fists as she remembered how distraught Honoka had been. “When I found her, she couldn’t stop crying. Telling me you hated her and…” She trailed off, shaking her head. “You have no idea what you did to her.”   
  
Eli swallowed thickly. “All I did was yell at her and set her clothes on fire. She knows I can’t control my ability. Why does she even care wha…?”   
  
“Because she fucking  _ loves  _ you, you idiot! She worships you. You’re the closest thing she has to her Eli. You’re the closest thing she’s  _ ever _ going to have again to the person she loved more than anyone else!” Nozomi exclaimed. She could barely believe Eli could be so oblivious. “She loves you  _ just _ as much as Honoka-chan does, if not more. How do you think Honoka would feel if you burned her?”   
  
“E-Eli-senpai wouldn’t…”   
  
“Exactly!” Nozomi turned to Honoka who looked nothing short of startled. “You trust Elichi more than anyone else, don’t you? You feel safest with her.”   
  
Honoka hesitated for a moment before nodding. “And Umi-chan.” She mumbled, reaching for Umi’s hand.    
  
“That’s how Honoka felt.” Nozomi quietened down a bit as she looked back to Eli who seemed to be gradually realizing what she was saying. “Her Eli was her safe place. Her protector. And you  _ hurt _ her, Elichi. Deeper than any burn you left her with.”   
  
“I’m sorry.” Eli mumbled, looking down at the floor.    
  
“I’m not the person you should be apologizing to.” Nozomi said sharply. She watched Eli flinched and sighed, forcing herself to soften her tone. “You’re my best friend and I don’t want to hurt you. But I love her. I know her better than you, better than  _ any _ of you and I know how much you’ve hurt her. You need to fix this. The Elichi I know would want to fix this.”   
  
Leaving Eli to ponder that, she stormed out of the room, closing the door behind her.    
  
The room was silent for a moment, until Eli raised her eyes, cautiously looking to Honoka. “I would never…”   
  
“I know.” Honoka said as Eli’s voice cracked. She shifted away from Umi and patted the space between them. Eli crawled into it immediately, feeling arms go around her from the front and back. Umi pressing against her back and Honoka holding her close to her front.    
  
“I fucked up.” Eli whispered, thinking back to how Future Honoka had looked at her. She had called her Eli-senpai, pleading with her to stop. “I really really fucked up.”   
  
“You can fix it.” Honoka whispered, kissing Eli’s forehead. “I know she’ll listen to what you have to say if you go and talk to her. I would.”   
  
Eli gave a slight nod. “Umi?” She shifted, looking over her shoulder. “What do you think?”   
  
Umi smiled sadly. “I don’t think I’m in any position to give you advice about how not to hurt Honoka’s future self. Bit if anyone can fix this, it’s you. Honoka loves you in any timeline. Just talk to her.”   
  
“Thank you.” Eli gently pecked Umi on the lips before she turned to do the same with Honoka. “I don’t know what I’d do without the two of you.”   
  
\-----   
  
“What are you doing?”   
  
Future Honoka flinched, letting out a yell of surprise at the sound of someone’s voice from the doorway. She spun around, her hands half raised to defend herself but she relaxed when she noticed Rin standing in the doorway to the kitchen. “Rin! Don’t sneak up on people!”   
  
“I didn’t, nya!” Rin exclaimed, her eyes wide. She leaned to the left, trying to look past Honoka to see what she was doing. “What are you doing?”   
  
“Making tea.” Honoka answered simply.    
  
Rin stepped further into the kitchen, her nose scrunching up slightly. “It smells weird.”   
  
“It’s chamomile. Nozomi-chan used to make me drink it in the future. She said it’s calming.” Future Honoka answered as she watched Rin hop into one of the stools in the kitchen.    
  
“You’re not calm?”   
  
“No, I…” Honoka frowned, shaking her head. “What do you want?”   
  
Rin turned serious suddenly, clasping her hands in her lap. “I want to thank you.”   
  
Honoka shrugged. “Wouldn’t be the first time I’ve saved your ass. You were always getting into trouble in the future.”   
  
“It’s not just that, nya!” Rin exclaimed quickly.    
  
Honoka frowned at the younger girl. “Hm?”   
  
Rin took a deep breath. “I wanted to say...thank you for being nice to Hibiki. Earlier in the bedroom, I mean.”   
  
Honoka’s eyes widened in realization. “Oh god, you weren’t knocked out. You heard that. I thought you were asleep! You were faking?!”   
  
“Maybe.” Rin shrugged sheepishly.    
  
“Damn it.” Honoka muttered, pressing her hand lightly to her forehead. “Look, I just...thought she needed someone.  I’m still me, you know. You still...know me.”   
  
Rin grinned and hopped down from her seat. “Yes you are.”   
  
Honoka took a step back as Rin paced forward. Her face flushed with embarrassment. “What do you want?”   
  
“A hug.” Rin declared.    
  
“No!” Honoka resolutely shook her head. “No more hugging today. I’m done.”   
  
Rin frowned, pausing in front of Honoka. “You gave Nozomi-chan a hug. And Hibiki.”   
  
Honoka was about to declare her innocence when she noticed something. “You know, I find it strange that you don’t call her Hibiki-chan.”   
  
“She’s cool.” Rin shrugged her shoulders. “It doesn’t fit her...NYA, don’t change the subject!”   
  
Honoka smirked at Rin’s annoyance. “You really like that girl.”   
  
“Stop changing the subject!”   
  
“Why? She is your...girlfriend, isn’t she?” Honoka had to admit that she did get a kick out of teasing Rin. It was something she’d never gotten to do with her Rin because the girl had never been in a relationship.    
  
“Shut up!”   
  
“Fine, I’ll stop.” Honoka smiled, crossing her arms in front of her chest. “But you have to tell me what she did to catch your attention so badly.”   
  
Rin huffed. “I-If you give me a hug I’ll tell you.”   
  
Honoka rolled her eyes. “Fine. Get over here.” She opened her arms though she wasn’t quite prepared for how quickly Rin flew into them. She winced though counted herself lucky that Rin hadn’t used her ability.    
  
She felt Rin’s arms go around her and tentatively hugged her back. She had intended to pull away after a few seconds but she didn’t, taking a moment to ponder the fact that while she and Rin had shared a deep respect for each other and cared for one another as friends and comrades, they had never really hugged much in the future.    
  
The moment was broken by Rin. “You’re a good hugger.”   
  
Honoka shook her head and carefully pulled away from the embrace. “So your turn.”   
  
Rin gave a shrug, a cheeky smile on her face. “You’ll just have to spend more time with Hibiki to find out. It’s worth it, nya.”   
  
“Eeeh?!” Honoka exclaimed, watching Rin run from the room in a streak of orange lightning. She shook her head, staring at where Rin had stood just a few seconds ago. “She’s probably going to go and find her now.”   
  
“I usually see her outside sketching.” Nozomi’s voice sounded, causing Honoka to turn toward the doorway. “I think Rin-chan finds her interesting because she’s different from her.”   
  
“So opposites attract.” Honoka elaborated thoughtfully. “Kind of like…”   
  
“You and me.” Nozomi finished Honoka’s sentence for her with a soft, albeit weary smile. She walked into the kitchen and stepped over to Honoka. “I don’t suppose you have one more hug left in you?”   
  
“For you? Always.” Honoka opened her arms and Nozomi stepped into them. Sighing blissfully, Honoka rested her chin atop Nozomi’s head, holding her close.    
  
“Rin isn’t the only one who saw what you did by the way.”  Nozomi said softly, resting her head against Honoka’s chest.    
  
Honoka blushed. “Shit, this is ruining my image.”   
  
“Don’t be embarrassed. I find it adorable that you see her as a little sister.” Nozomi looked up, flashing a soft smile.  _   
_ _   
_ “Ugh, you heard that part.”   
  
“Yes.” Nozomi leaned up, pressing a gentle kiss to Honoka’s lips. “You don’t have to worry about letting people in. You should, you don’t have to keep up this...facade.”   
  
Honoka worriedly bit her lip and shrugged her shoulders.    
  
“It’s okay.” Nozomi said quietly. She understood why Honoka would be reluctant to do so. She lifted her hand, brushing her fingers against Honoka’s cheek.    
  
Future Honoka caught Nozomi’s hand and held it to her face, turning to brush her lips against her palm. Her eyes locked intently with Nozomi’s and she held her stare for a few seconds before she spoke. “What’s wrong?”   
  
Nozomi shrugged her shoulders. She knew better than to say there was nothing wrong. It seemed Honoka could see right through her. “I talked to Elichi.”   
  
Honoka’s face fell at the mention of Eli’s name. “O-Oh?”   
  
“I couldn’t just leave it alone after what she did to you.” Nozomi said earnestly. “We argued. Umi was there too and she...I think she was trying to stay out of it. Elichi feels bad, she told me so in the end. She didn’t want to hurt you. I knew that would be the case but I needed her to understand what she’d done.”   
  
“Nozomi…” Honoka sighed softly and glanced down between them. “I didn’t need you to say anything to her. I’m an adult, I’ve dealt with worse than that.”   
  
“I don’t believe you.” Nozomi slid her arms around Honoka’s waist and gave her a gentle squeeze. “I know how you feel about your Eli. I know how much it hurt you for...Elichi to burn you. She needed to understand too.”   
  
Honoka wasn’t convinced but she didn’t attempt to argue.    
  
“I guess the argument made me think about how much I’ve changed over the past few months. I don’t want to stay the same.” Nozomi let go of Honoka and strode over to one of the drawers, emerging with a pair of scissors.    
  
Honoka straightened up in concern as Nozomi took her hair ties out. “Nozomi…”   
  
Nozomi gathered her hair in one hand and drew it around to the front as best she could. She cut it just below shoulder length with no hesitation.    
  
Honoka inhaled sharply as Nozomi let her cut hair fall to the floor. Her Nozomi had never done anything so drastic about her appearance. The most she had done was start wearing her hair in a single braid, or tied up. She walked over to Nozomi, reaching up to touch the shortened locks.    
  
Nozomi felt her heart wrench as moisture gathered at the corners of Honoka’s eyes. “W-What’s wrong?”   
  
Honoka shook her head. “I’m just...it’s nothing. You really are your own person.” She let her hand drift down to Nozomi’s shoulder where it lightly rested. “I’m...so in love with you, Nozomi. You’re my rock.”   
  
Nozomi’s chest tightened and she reached up to grasp Honoka’s hand on her shoulder. “And you’re mine. I love you too, Senpai.”   
  
Honoka smiled softly and leaned up to give Nozomi a tearful kiss. “You have to let me fix your hair a little though.” She whispered, drawing away ever so slightly. “To straighten it out.”    
  
Nozomi nodded and drew Honoka back to her, kissing her deeply. Her hair could wait, for now.    
  
\----   
  
“Remind me again why we’re spying on Rin-chan and Hibiki-chan.” Nozomi requested from where she was sitting on the step outside of the back door with Future Honoka.    
  
It took Honoka a moment to realize that Nozomi had spoken. She’d been too busy watching Hibiki and Rin. Hibiki was sitting on the grass, while Rin was laying down, her head resting in Hibiki’s lap. “What? Oh. We’re not spying on them, we just happen to be out here at the same time. Do you think they’re actually dati-” She was cut off as Rin leaned up and Hibiki leaned down at the same time, pressing their lips gently together for a split second. “Nevermind.”   
  
Nozomi rolled her eyes. “Uh-huh.”   
  
“I never knew Rin was that smooth.” Honoka said thoughtfully as watched Rin place her head back in Hibiki’s lap.    
  
Nozomi shrugged her shoulders. “She’s never been attracted to anyone before. Those two must talk a lot under our noses.”   
  
“I think they’re cute.” Honoka decided as she watched them. “Hibiki is calm, she’s good for Rin. Like fire and water.”   
  
“Hibiki is water.” Nozomi chimed in with a nod of her head. “She can adjust to change. Rin is...definitely fire.”   
  
Honoka hummed in acknowledgement and leaned into Nozomi’s side, resting her head on her shoulder. She smiled faintly, feeling Nozomi tilt her head to rest it against hers.    
  
Hibiki looked up with a sigh. “We can hear you, you know. Do you find us especially interesting or something?”   
  
“Uh-oh.” Nozomi mumbled, detecting the defensive tone in Hibiki’s voice. “Now you’ve done it.”   
  
Rin sat up, a slight concerned look on her face. She knew Hibiki wasn’t good with people. She gave the girl’s arm a gentle squeeze of reassurance. “Did you need something, Honoka-chan?”   
  
Honoka shook her head. “No, we’re fine. We just felt like getting some air. Right, Nozomi?”   
  
“Uh...right. Sure.” Nozomi said with a roll of her eyes. Honoka was so obvious, at least to her.    
  
“We weren’t doing anything.” Hibiki frowned, seemingly not believing Honoka. “We were just talking about uh...London. I used to live there.”   
  
Future Honoka brightened at the new information. “Oh, how long did you live there? If you don’t mind me asking?”   
  
Deciding not to butt into the conversation, Nozomi elected to listen silently. It was better that way, she figured, seeing as Hibiki had only just grown more comfortable with Honoka and she didn’t know her all that well yet.    
  
“Since I was four.” Hibiki answered, raising her voice a bit to be heard. “My mom took me away from my dad after they divorced.”   
  
“Why?”   
  
“Because my dad wanted to use me for his benefit.” Hibiki got to her feet, stretching slightly and Rin stood up next to her.    
  
Rin growled under her breath. She’d heard plenty about that scumbag. As Hibiki walked tentatively closer to Honoka and Nozomi, she followed close behind.    
  
“So why are you here then?” Honoka asked in confusion.    
  
“Because my father demanded it.” Hibiki sighed in response, glancing at Rin. She paused once she was closer to Honoka. “He’s working with CORPS as a donor.”   
  
“Oh.” Honoka mused, taking a moment to think about that.    
  
Nozomi cleared her throat, taking advantage of the brief silence. “I’m meant to be meeting with Kotori.” She said softly. She leaned in, fleetingly kissing Honoka’s cheek. “I’ll see you later.”   
  
Hibiki watched Nozomi go, her brow furrowed in confusion. “Meeting…?”   
  
“Oh, Nozomi is kind of the...shrink here.” Honoka said with a hint of pride in her voice. “More like a friend who’s really good at listening. She’s been helping the others. She’s an empath so it’s good to talk to her.”   
  
Hibiki nodded as she stared after Nozomi. “So she’s your girlfriend?”   
  
Future Honoka nodded without hesitation, glancing back over her shoulder for a moment. “Yeah, she is. She’s pretty great. If you ever need to talk to someone, Nozomi is the one. She doesn’t judge, she just listens.”   
  
Rin smirked at Honoka’s response. “I’m gonna tell her you said that.”   
  
Honoka surprised Rin by shrugging in response. “Nozomi knows what I think of her. You can go ahead and tell her.”   
  
Rin huffed.    
  
Hibiki listened to the two of them, feeling a little awkward. She was surprised when Honoka looked back toward her.    
  
“So do you know Maki and Kotori?” Honoka asked, trying to include Hibiki in the conversation at hand. “You three would probably get along pretty well.”   
  
“Ah, I think Maki and I...got off on the wrong foot.” Hibiki said hesitantly, remembering her first encounter with Maki. “I was an ass to her. And she did read my mind so I’m not sure about her. I haven’t really met Kotori.”   
  
“If you can get past what she did, Maki is a pretty forgiving friend.” Honoka leaned back on her hands, peering up at Hibiki. “I tried to steal her girlfriend too many times to count.”   
  
“That’s pretty messed up.” Hibiki said in amusement.    
  
“In my defence, Kotori was my girlfriend first. Well…she would have been. It’s complicated.” Honoka said with a shake of her head. “The point is, if Maki can get past that she can get past most things. And you tried to save her fiance, she’s probably already forgiven you.”   
  
“That would be nice. I like moving forward.” Hibiki said quietly. “Maybe I’ll try talking to her sometime.”   
  
“That’s a good idea. If you’re gonna be sticking around for a while you’ll need friends.” Honoka slowly rose to her feet, deciding to give Rin and Hibiki some time alone. “If you ever need to talk, come and find me, HIbiki.”   
  
She lifted her hand in a wave before she walked back toward the house.    
  
“Gotcha fellow crow.”   
  
Honoka paused briefly, confused but she brushed it off with a laugh and with a wave goodbye, walked back into the house, leaving Hibiki with a rare genuine smile on her face.    
  
Hibiki turned to Rin. “Ready to move forward?”   
  
Rin stepped close to Hibiki and swept her up, off of her feet. “Of course.” She said, kissing Hibiki briefly before she ran back into the house with Hibiki in her arms.   
  
\----   
  
Maki paused at the bottom of the stairs to the basement as Hanayo let out an angry yell and swept her arms over the desk, knocking some paper and gadgets they’d been working on to the floor. “Angry today, I see.”   
  
“She won’t say anything!” Hanayo growled angrily. “She may be weak but she still won’t fucking TALK!”   
  
Maki raised an eyebrow as she walked further into the room. “Rin”?   
  
Hanayo shook her head. “Erena.”   
  
Maki bent to pick up everything Hanayo had knocked from the desk. “You tried to interrogate her?”   
  
“Someone has to.”   
  
“You should leave that to me.” Maki pointed out quietly. She stood, placing everything back where it was meant to go.    
  
“You were busy with your mom and Kotori.” Hanayo frowned, crossing her arms in front of her chest.    
  
“Sorry.” Maki apologized, leaning her hip against the desk.    
  
“She’s fiercely loyal to Tsubasa. She won’t budge and it’s pissing me off.” Hanayo muttered irritably.    
  
“I see that. Nico-chan is rubbing off on you.”   
  
Hanayo lifted her gaze to Maki. “We’re not talking about Nico-chan.”   
  
“Right.” Maki said slowly, eyeing Hanayo. It had been clear that there was something wrong with Hanayo as of late. “Maybe you should talk to Nozomi. About how angry you are. It could help.”   
  
“I’m not angry, I’m just frustrated.” Hanayo said, getting up from her seat. She paced across the room to the whiteboard where she, along with Maki, had been writing down anything that could help with the situation. From equations to operations. “This is useless. None of this is helping! We need to enhance RIn’s body armor but there’s no way to do it without...”   
  
“Weighing her down and making her slow.” Maki finished for Hanayo. “Maybe she should train with weights to get her strength up. We also need Honoka to train with her. She hasn’t sparred with Rin in months, that’s why she was slower than Tsubasa.”   
  
Hanayo gave a loud sigh and turned away from Maki to focus completely on the board. “We need to figure this out or we’re just going to keep screwing up. Rin-chan couldn’t do anything against Tsubasa out there. All she could do was take down guards. Any of us can do that.”   
  
“So you’re still angry with Rin then.” Maki said, raising an eyebrow.    
  
“That’s none of your business.” Hanayo said sharply, catching Maki by surprise. She looked back to her, her hands clenching. “Rin is being reckless. And so are you for that matter.”   
  
“Wait,  _ what _ ?!” Maki exclaimed in surprise. “What are you talking about?”   
  
“You’re both distracted by your damn relationships!” Hanayo exclaimed loudly. “It seems like Nico-chan and I are the only people who aren’t distracted by our relationship! Our work is never affected by it but you and Rin are completely different.”   
  
“What is that supposed to mean?” Maki asked, at a loss. “I’ve never been distracted by Kotori.”   
  
“Then why is she here?!” Hanayo demanded, throwing her hands up in exasperation. “This was meant to be a team of  _ three _ !”   
  
Maki planted her hands on her hips. “I could ask you the same question. Why is Nico here?!”   
  
“Because she’s actually  _ useful _ !”   
  
“Watch it, Hanayo.” Maki growled, her knuckles turning white as she gripped the edge of the table. “That’s my fiance you’re talking about. You know I can’t lie to her. Not after last time.”   
  
Hanayo didn’t bother to ask what last time was about. She didn’t feel the need to. “And yet you and Rin-chan both got pissed when Nico knew even a little bit about what we were doing. You’re such  _ hypocrites.  _ It’s like you think your relationships are more important than mine!”   
  
“Nobody said that, Hanayo.” Maki said, trying to calm down in an effort to keep Hanayo calm too. “I know you care about Nico.”   
  
“Care about her?” Hanayo asked skeptically. “Would you say you only ‘care’ about Kotori- chan?”   
  
“Well...no but it’s not like you’re in love with Nico or anything.” Maki said cautiously. She really didn’t understand Hanayo’s relationship with Nico, she had to admit. “Right?”   
  
“That’s not your business.” Hanayo said again. “Screw this, I’m going to try again with Erena.”   
  
Maki was silent for a moment but as Hanayo walked past, she spoke up. “Hanayo.” She turned quickly to see Hanayo hesitate near the stairs. “You really should speak to Nozomi. You need some help.”   
  
As Hanayo disappeared up the stairs, Maki tiredly slid into the seat at the desk. She really needed to smoke. She rested her head on the table but flinched when after a moment she felt hands slide over her back to her shoulders.    
  
“It’s just me.”   
  
Maki relaxed at the sound of Kotori’s voice and the feeling of warm breath against her ear. “Did you hear any of that?”   
  
Kotori gently rubbed Maki’s tense shoulders. “Would you be mad if I said I was standing on the stairs? I used my ability. I-I wasn’t spying or anything, I just didn’t want to interrupt.”   
  
“It’s fine.” Maki said quietly. She gave a soft sigh, feeling Kotori’s hand travel down her arm to take her hand. She opened her eyes as Kotori lifted her hand and watched her girlfriend gently kiss the ring on her finger. “Did you hear what she said...about you?”   
  
“Oh, that I’m useless?” Kotori shrugged sheepishly. “She has a point. I don’t really do anything around here. Everyone else does a lot more than I do.”   
  
“You’re not useless.” Maki turned, causing Kotori to take a small step back to give her space. “You’re our spy. And I need you, Kotori. I can’t focus without you. Hanayo has a point about that but it’s the only one she has. You’re  _ not  _ useless.”   
  
Kotori smiled softly as Maki wrapped her arms around her waist. “You called me your fiance earlier.”   
  
“Because you are.” Maki said, tilting her head back to look up at Kotori. “I’m not going to hide it.”   
  
“My mom’s gonna be pissed when she finds out.”   
  
“So let her be.” Maki let go of Kotori and stood, drawing her close to kiss her instead. “I can take whatever she has to throw at me.”   
  
Kotori giggled softly and kissed Maki back.    
  
TBC   



	45. Chapter 45

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here’s the next chapter of Let It Burn, I hope you guys enjoy! And thanks for all of yourcomments etc about this, it means a lot that you guys are so interested in this fic and the ins and outs of the LIB universe. :)
> 
> Warning(s): MAJOR character death, angst, sexual scenes (possibly), violence.

Umi walked up the stairs, rubbing her shoulder. Conscious of the looming danger, she had asked Future Honoka to spar with her for an hour or so to make sure she was up to shape. She’d held her own, barely, but Honoka was a lot stronger and faster than she looked and Umi’s shoulders were aching from overuse after the long session.    
  
She turned the corner, almost running into Honoka. She brightened at the sight of her. She hadn’t seen her since that morning. “Hey. Where are you going?”   
  
“I was just on my way to see Kotori-chan and Maki-chan.” Honoka answered, her eyes drifting to Umi’s hand which was still rubbing at her shoulder. “What’s wrong?”   
  
“Oh, I um...just have an ache in my shoulder.” Umi answered with a slight shrug. “I was practicing this morning and then I was sparring with your future self so…” She watched as Honoka seemed to think for a moment before the girl grinned to herself and grabbed her hand.   
  
“W-Where are we going?” Umi asked as Honoka tugged her down the hallway. Honoka tugged Umi into one of the rooms and closed the door behind them. “Honoka…”   
  
Umi’s tone was slightly disapproving but she felt a shudder of anticipation course through her when Honoka turned to her. “Whose room is this?”   
  
“Kotori-chan’s. I think.” Honoka stepped close to Umi and leaned up, pressing her lips gently to her girlfriend’s. She didn’t touch her for fear of hurting her but she felt Umi relax and return the kiss immediately. She pulled back after a second though, lowering her voice to a whisper. “Take off your shirt and get on the bed.”   
  
“W-What?” Umi felt her stomach flutter with anticipation. “But we’re in Kotori’s room. And Maki’s.”   
  
“They’re probably going to be in the basement most of the day. Working with Rin-chan.” Honoka kissed Umi once more, just briefly. “Come on, Umi-chan. Please?”   
  
Umi opened her mouth to argue but she was silenced by the look on Honoka’s face. “F-Fine.” She grasped the hem of the loose tank top she was wearing and pulled it off, wincing as her shoulder twinged with pain.    
  
“That too.” Honoka said, nodding to Umi’s bra. “If that’s okay.”   
  
“It’s fine, I just um...need you to help me. My shoulder hurts.” Umi said sheepishly, her cheeks tinged a light red.    
  
Honoka nodded and gestured for Umi to turn around. When her girlfriend did so she stepped close and reached up to gently unclasp Umi’s bra. She kissed the middle of Umi’s back, unable to resist the temptation to do so. Umi’s skin was soft and warm under her lips and Honoka allowed herself a moment to relish in the feeling.    
  
“Lie down on the bed.” She requested softly, her hand curling around Umi’s hip. She chose her words carefully, aware that Umi would most likely end up reversing their positions so she could take the more dominant role. “On your front. Please.”   
  
Umi cast a puzzled look at Honoka but paced across the room, doing as she was asked. “What no…?” She trailed off as she felt Honoka move over, a light weight resting on her lower back. Looking over her shoulder she saw Honoka straddling her lower back. “What…?”   
  
“You’re in pain. And I want to help.” Honoka held her hands up, moving her fingers. She smirked mischievously. “A massage, Umi-chan. Why? What did you think I was doing?”   
  
Umi blushed at the amused look on Honoka’s face. “N-Nothing. Thank you, I do need it. My shoulder’s really hurting.” She turned back around and rested her chin on her hands which she’d folded upon the bed.    
  
Honoka smiled and reached down, gently pressing her hands into Umi’s shoulder blades. “Here?”   
  
“Yeah.” Umi sighed softly as Honoka began to rub her shoulders. “You can do it harder than that.”   
  
“Oh?” Honoka teased, smirking to herself as she added more pressure to her hands. She was surprised that Umi didn’t get embarrassed but she continued with what she was doing. Silence settled between them save for Umi’s delighted sighs as Honoka rubbed the kinks from her back and shoulders.    
  
“I have a confession.” Honoka said suddenly, her voice soft.    
  
“Hmm?” Umi hummed, too relaxed to reply any other way. Her shoulder wasn’t aching anymore and she felt like she could doze off at any second.   
  
“I wasn’t really coming to find Kotori-chan and Maki-chan.” Honoka admitted softly. “I already knew they were in the basement.”   
  
“I figured as much.” Umi mumbled. She turned her head so her cheek was resting against her hands. “What were you doing?”   
  
“I was looking for you.” Honoka’s hand stilled on Umi’s shoulders and she leaned over, pressing her front flush against Umi’s back. “I’ve missed you. We haven’t spent much time alone together in a while and I want to...spend the day with you. And...you haven’t touched me in a while. Not since before Kotori-chan was taken.”   
  
“O-Oh.” Umi stammered. She had realized that herself of course but she hadn’t wanted to bring it up. “Well I don’t really have the...heat that Eli does.”   
  
“Yes, you do.” Honoka swept Umi’s hair to the side and pressed her lips gently to the back of the girl’s neck. “You even drove Eli-senpai crazy. It was hot to watch. But I want you to touch me too. I miss your touch, Umi-chan. Please?”   
  
Umi growled under her breath, suddenly wide awake. With Honoka pressed against her, pleading breathlessly right next to her ear, she could hardly say no. Not that she would ever want to. She tried to turn and Honoka took the hint to lean up, taking her weight off of Umi to let her turn beneath her. She let out a yelp of surprise when Umi turned over, grasped her waist and flipped her in one movement.    
  
“You used your ability.” Honoka accused, finding herself staring up at Umi.    
  
“So?” Umi smirked, leaning down so her lips brushed against Honoka’s.   
  
Honoka closed the distance between them, kissing Umi deeply and passionately as her hands wandered over her girlfriend’s back.    
  
\------   
  
Nozomi awoke abruptly to a pitch black room and Honoka thrashing around next to her. “Senpai?” She quickly turned her bedside light on and inhaled sharply when she noticed Honoka’s face. She was pale, her forehead damp with sweat and she looked more distressed than Nozomi had seen her in a while.    
  
“Eli-senpai.” Honoka whimpered, the blankets clutched in her fists. “I’m sorry, Eli-senpai…”   
  
“Senpai!” She reached over and gently shook Honoka, trying to wake her. “SENPAI!”   
  
Future Honoka bolted up in bed, looking frantically around the room. “Eli-senpai…”   
  
“It’s just me.” Nozomi said softly, placing a hand on Honoka’s arm. Wide eyed flitted toward her and Nozomi forced a smile. “It’s just me. It’s Nozomi. You’re in the past, remember?”   
  
“Nozomi.” Honoka echoed, her voice a little bit breathless. “Nozomi. My Nozomi…”   
  
“Y-Yeah.” Nozomi blushed as she always did when Honoka referred to her as such. It usually happened when Honoka had nightmares of her future. It seemed she used it as a way to separate herself from Muse’s future selves and ground herself in the present.    
  
As Honoka leaned into her and relaxed against her chest, Nozomi wrapped her arms around her and kissed the top of her head. “This Elichi thing is really getting to you, huh?”   
  
Honoka hesitated before giving a slight nod of her head. “I’m sorry.”   
  
“Hmm?” Nozomi asked in confusion. “Why are you sorry?”   
  
“I…” Honoka hesitated for a moment. “I don’t know. I guess I shouldn’t care this much about what another girl thinks of me. That’s what you’re probably thinking, isn’t it? Eli-senpai hating me shouldn’t bother me this much.”   
  
Nozomi sighed softly. “That’s not what I’m thinking. And Elichi doesn’t hate you. What reason could she have to hate you?”   
  
“I keep screwing up. I got Yukiho killed. Sonoda is dead.” Honoka said with a shrug of her shoulders. “I have you. Maybe that’s why she’s mad at me.”   
  
Nozomi frowned at Honoka’s explanation. She wanted to argue with all of those points but she settled for the latter. “I don’t think she’s mad at you for that. She has Honoka now. Your past self.”   
  
“That’s a crappy trade.” Honoka mumbled, glancing up at Nozomi. “She’s an idiot for letting you go. It’s not like she’ll find anyone better.”   
  
Nozomi smiled softly at the earnest comment. “Come on, I’m not all that…”   
  
“Yes, you are.” Honoka sat up slightly, meeting Nozomi’s eyes intently. She reached up, gently brushing her fingers over Nozomi’s cheek. “To me you are. You’re kind and smart. And thoughtful. And beautiful. Who wouldn’t fall for you?”   
  
“Senpai…” Nozomi ducked her head, blushing at the compliment. She felt Honoka lean in, resting her forehead against her own.    
  
“I don’t know how to fix things with Eli but I have to.” Honoka said in a whisper. “You’re my favourite person, Nozomi. And I love you. But I can’t let Eli keep hating me. I love her too. Not as much as I love Eli-senpai but…”   
  
“I understand.” Nozomi said quietly. She was was being honest. She really did understand how Honoka felt. Although she was in love with Honoka and she was the person she wanted to be with, she would always be somewhat in love with Eli. The blonde would always be precious to her. “I think you just need to talk to her. I would help but I think you need me not to interfere. I’ve already said too much to her.”   
  
Honoka gave a soft sigh. “I guess you’re right.” She bit her lip, wondering whether she should mention what else was on her mind. She had been trying to be more honest with Nozomi lately. “Um...I have a bad feeling.”   
  
“Like you feel something bad is going to happen?” Nozomi lowered her voice to a whisper. “I have the same feeling.”   
  
“We need to be careful.” Honoka drew away from Nozomi and lay down next to her, opening her arms. Nozomi settled into them and Honoka closed her eyes with a content sigh.    
  
“Maybe it’s just because of what happened with Sonoda and Tsubasa.” Nozomi whispered hopefully. She felt Honoka flinch in her arms at the name. “I’m sorry. We don’t have to talk about it if you don’t want to.”   
  
“No, it’s fine.” Honoka said quietly. She fell silent for a moment, seeming to consider her words before she spoke. “From what I know about her...from my experience with her, she wouldn’t attack. She would lure us out into the open first. Maybe by taking one of us hostage. Probably one of the younger ones. Arisa-chan, Yuki...”   
  
“Honoka-chan, Umi-chan and Elichi wouldn’t let anything happen to Yuki.” Nozomi said confidently. She was sure they hardly let her out of their sight now after what had happened with Sonoda.    
  
“We should get someone to stay with Arisa-chan.” Future Honoka murmured thoughtfully. “You’re close to her. Maybe she could stay in here with us for a while. I just need to get her to warm up to me. She’s probably scared of me. And I need to get Eli to agree too.” She hummed thoughtfully, trying to think if there was an easier way to keep Arisa safe. “Or maybe she could stay with Nico. She’d probably be safer with her.”   
  
“I think Elichi would agree with either way. She’d just be happy that Arisa-chan is safe.” Nozomi replied, her cheek pressed against Honoka’s chest. “Kotori-chan and Maki-chan are together most of the time so they’ll be fine. I have you. And you have me, not that I can fight very well.”   
  
“I can fight well enough for the both of us.” Honoka said softly, lightly toying with the ends of Nozomi’s hair. “You know, you look really hot with shorter hair.”   
  
“Yeah?” Nozomi leaned up and kissed Honoka softly.    
  
“Yeah.” Honoka breathed against Nozomi’s lips. She kissed her again, her hand sliding to the back of the girl’s neck and she gently eased her onto her back, crawling over her. “Really hot.”   
  
Nozomi giggled softly and ran her hands up Honoka’s sides, pushing up her shirt. She looked down, entranced as always by Honoka’s lean abdomen. She ran her fingers over it, taking in the feeling of the muscles rippling beneath her fingertips. She smirked suddenly and Honoka raised a questioning eyebrow.    
  
“What?”   
  
“Nothing, I just...I was thinking. I never thought I’d end up with a hot, older woman. Or Honoka-chan. I mean...you. Technically you’re Honoka-chan.”   
  
“Hey, I’m not that much older.” Honoka said, feigning offence. “But I know what you mean. If anyone had told me in my time that I’d be dating you, I’d have thought they were crazy.”   
  
“You know if Arisa-chan does move into our room we won’t have time for this…” Nozomi slid her fingers beneath the waistband of Honoka’s underwear. “Maybe we should make the most of being alone.”   
  
“Well we have the showe...mmph!” Honoka was abruptly cut off as Nozomi dragged her into a deep kiss.    
\----   
  
“I wish we had a bigger area to work with.” Maki mused as she glanced around the lab. She sighed heavily. If they had somewhere Rin could run so they could accurately measure her speed it would be so much easier to help her improve. She turned back to her computer and let out a yell of alarm when she found Future Honoka standing in front of her, her hands clasped behind her back and a smile Maki didn’t recognize on her face.    
  
“Where did you come from?!” Maki exclaimed, placing a hand over her heart. “How did you even get down here without me hearing you?”   
  
“Teleported.” Honoka answered, hopping up onto Maki’s desk. “So what are you working on?”   
  
Maki rolled her eyes and locked her computer. “I’m not telling you.”   
  
“Oh come on…” Future Honoka huffed. “Please? Please tell me? I want to help, I’m going out of my mind waiting for something to happen. And we’re friends now, right? We should work together more.”   
  
“I don’t think we need to do that.” Maki mumbled, crossing her arms in front of her chest.    
  
“What if...you tell me a secret, I’ll tell you a secret?” Honoka shuffled over on the table so that she was closer to Maki.    
  
“What are we, five?” Maki asked in disbelief. She sighed after, shaking her head. “Fine. I’m training Rin to get faster. Your turn.”   
  
“Hmm…” Honoka thought about that for a moment, leaning back on her hands. “I’m down here because I’m trying to muster up the courage to speak to Eli.”   
  
“Why would you be worried about speaking to Eli?” Maki frowned.    
  
“No cheating, it’s your turn.” Honoka rested her chin on her open palm and smirked at Maki. “Spill.”   
  
Maki heaved a long suffering sigh. “I’m worried about Hanayo. She’s been getting angry a lot lately.”   
  
Honoka’s brow furrowed. “In my time Rin had the anger issues, not Hanayo. She was always calm and level-headed. Oh maybe it’s because of Rin’s girlfriend. Maybe she’s a calming influence. I figured she would be.”   
  
“Hibiki?” Maki snorted in disbelief. “Maybe on Rin, but not Hanayo. I swear, whenever Rin mentions her Hanayo gets this look in her eyes, like she actually hates her. I thought there might be some kind of history between those two but it can’t be that, can it? Hanayo would have said something. And they act like strangers.”   
  
“Maybe Hanayo is jealous that Hibiki has all of Rin’s attention?” Honoka asked with a shrug of her shoulders. “Maybe Hanayo feels like she’s being pushed to the side in favor of Hibiki.”   
  
“That’s oddly insightful of you.” Maki leaned back, narrowing her eyes at Honoka in thought. “What’s wrong with you? You’re not acting like yourself, you seem...different.”   
  
Honoka scoffed and nudged Maki’s chair with her foot, causing it to spin slightly. “I can’t be happy for a change? I’m dating the hottest girl in Muse now. Besides, I got laid last night.”   
  
“Makes sense.” Maki said with a roll of her eyes. “But back to Hanayo, I…” She yelped as Honoka leaned forward and grabbed the front of her lab coat. “W-What the hell…?”   
  
“Time to spy on my little sis.” Honoka smirked before she closed her eyes, teleporting them away.    
  
Maki’s stomach lurched as she appeared in a room she vaguely recognized as belonging to Rin. “Why the hell am I…?”   
  
“Shh!” Honoka grabbed Maki’s arm and crouched down next to the bed, dragging Maki down with her. “Just listen.”   
  
Maki sighed but as Honoka tentatively lifted her head to look over the bed she followed suit, noticing Rin and Hibiki standing on the balcony.    
  
“I can’t hear anything.” Honoka whispered. She tugged at Maki’s hand. “Come on, we need to get closer.”   
  
“Fine.” Maki mumbled, crawling around the bed after Honoka. She wondered how she had even gotten into this situation. She came to a stop to the right of the balcony doors next to Honoka, pressing close to her, her breathing quickened by the adrenaline suddenly coursing through her veins.    
  
“Hey.” Honoka smirked, nodding at how close Maki was to her.    
  
“Shut up.” Maki grumbled, her cheeks turning red. “We need to listen.”   
  
Honoka nodded and pressed herself closer to the wall, listening intently with her head near the glass door.    
  
“Maybe when all of this is over you could join my school.” Rin was proposing softly, her tone a little anxious. “You’ll need somewhere to study.”   
  
“Cute…” Honoka whispered to herself, finding Rin’s innocence endearing.    
  
Hibiki gave a nervous laugh in response. “Well I guess I will. If I want to graduate that is. I probably should. Sure, I’ll join if I can. Not sure they’ll let me in so late though.”   
  
“Kotori’s mom was the principle. Or is...no, was. I don’t know.” Rin said, a little baffled by the idea herself. “Even if she doesn’t work there anymore we can be home schooled. Together.”   
  
“That would be nice, I guess.”   
  
“Maybe Kayo-chin can help us study! I’m not so good at studying but I’m sure she’ll help.”   
  
“Uh...yeah, I don’t think that’s gonna work.” Hibiki said regretfully. “She hates me, remember? She thinks I’m taking advantage of you.”   
  
“That makes sense.” Maki said softly as she peeked around the corner to see what Rin and Hibiki were doing. They were just standing there but Maki could see their hands resting on the balcony, fingers brushing together.    
  
“But you’re more innocent than me.” Rin giggled at the mere thought of Hibiki taking advantage. “I top you.”   
  
Honoka cringed slightly at that, earning a confused look from Maki.    
  
“D-Don’t say that so loud!” Hibiki exclaimed in embarrassment.    
  
“What? You’re all talk and flirt.” Rin said in amusement. “But you suck at kissing.”   
  
“I-I’m not used to it!” Hibiki replied defensively. She seemed to huff afterwards, looking away.    
  
Maki watched as Rin’s hand wandered up Hibiki’s arm before she nuzzled her head into the other girl’s neck.    
  
“You smell nice, nya.”   
  
“You’re like a puppy.” Hibiki accused playfully.    
  
“Arf!”   
  
Maki rolled her eyes at the two of them and glanced to Honoka in time to see her smirking. “Heard enough?”   
  
“Mmhm.” Honoka took hold of Maki’s arm and teleported them back to the lab. She stood up, a smug look on her face. “I told you it’s all a front. You’d like her.”   
  
Maki looked skeptical as she made her way back to her desk. “She still screwed with me when my girlfr…. _ fiance  _ was missing. Her and Kotori’s mother.”   
  
“Well I can’t argue with that, I’d be pissed too.” Honoka said with a shrug of her shoulders.    
  
Maki sank down into her seat. “You call her your little sister. Why?”   
  
“She reminds me of me.” Honoka answered with a shrug as she walked over to lean against Maki’s desk. “She just needs someone to care. Her mom died when she was seven and her dad is an asshole.”   
  
“Maybe it would be good for both of you.” Maki said as she unlocked her computer again in preparation of going back to work.    
  
“You should see her sketches.” Future Honoka pointed out, seemingly in no hurry to leave just yet. “There are even some with Rin in them. I think those two are connected.”   
  
“Good.” Maki said simply. She stared at Honoka, waiting for her to leave. “Um, Honoka…don’t you need to go and speak to Eli about something?”   
  
“Ah right. Sorry. I’ll see you later, Maki-chan.” Honoka waved at Maki before she turned and jogged toward the stairs.    
  
Maki watched with a bemused look on her face. She was glad Honoka was opening up a bit more at least. She seemed more like their Honoka somehow. She just hoped that it would last.    
  
\-----   
  
Future Honoka paused outside of Honoka’s bedroom door. It was ajar, giving her a clear view inside. Yuki was sitting on the floor, playing with toys given to her by Kotori while Eli and Kotori were sitting on the bed, cross legged. They were facing each other rather than the door so neither of them noticed her standing there.    
  
“You were the student council president  _ and _ you had the highest grades in your year.” Kotori was reminding Eli matter of factly. “If anyone can home-school Yuki, it’s you. Besides even if it does come down to that which it might not, you wouldn’t be doing it alone. Maki-chan could teach her math and science. And how to play the piano. Rin could run some kind of gym class. And the rest of us would help too.”   
  
“Thanks, Kotori.” Eli said with a small smile. Honoka felt her heart wrench at the sight of it and she lifted her hand, pressing it idly to her chest. She wished she could see her Eli just one more time. She wished she could have a normal conversation like that with her. “I just want her to have a normal life. As normal as possible anyway.”   
  
“She will.” Kotori reached over and took Eli’s hand, giving it a light squeeze. “You, Honoka-chan and Umi-chan will give her the best life.”   
  
Eli leaned in suddenly and hugged Kotori, taking Honoka by surprise. In her time, those two were constantly at odds with each other. Because of her, admittedly. Because of the trouble her Eli tended to drag her into.    
  
As Eli and Kotori parted, she cleared her throat to make her presence known and the three occupants of the room looked up. Honoka inched further into the room only to be met by Yuki who had made her way over to her.    
  
“You look like Honoka-san.” Yuki said innocently, looking up at Future Honoka. “Eli-senpai says you are Honoka-san but an older Honoka-san. So you’re not the same.”   
  
“Yeah, that’s right.” Honoka forced a small smile to her lips and watched as Yuki tilted her head inquisitively. “We’re not really the same though.”   
  
Kotori slipped off the bed and made her way over, placing a hand on Yuki’s shoulder. “Come on, Yuki. Let’s go and find Honoka and Umi.”   
  
Honoka winced. “I wouldn’t. They’re having um...S-E-X in your bedroom? I heard them on the way here.”   
  
Eli snorted out a laugh at that while Kotori just looked horrified.    
  
“Rin and Biki are in Raven’s room.” Honoka said, vaguely aware that Kotori spent most of her time with those two now, if she wasn’t with Maki or Honoka and Umi. “I think she bought doughnuts. Or stole them maybe. I don’t know.”   
  
“What are doughnuts?” Yuki asked excitedly, looking up at Kotori. “Let’s go and see Rin-san and Raven-san!”   
  
“Alright, let’s go.” Kotori guided Yuki out of the room and pulled the door shut behind her, leaving Eli and Honoka alone.    
  
Honoka shoved her hands into her jeans pockets and glanced around the room. There wasn’t much to look at but she wasn’t sure where else to look. Out of everyone in Muse, looking at Eli and thinking about her Eli hurt the most.    
  
“Do you want to sit down?” Eli finally asked, drawing Honoka’s attention back to her. She patted the space in front of her, where Kotori had been sitting a moment ago.    
  
“Yeah. Thanks.” Honoka moved slowly to the bed and sank down onto it. She drew her legs up and sat cross legged, mimicking Eli’s position. “Um…” She wasn’t sure what she wanted to say. She had been thinking about that all day but her mind was blank down. “Look, I’m sorry about what happened with Sonoda. I was just pissed at her and I knew I wouldn’t be quick enough to get to her anyway so I-I guess subconsciously, I wanted the satisfaction of watching the bitch die, okay? Maybe you were right about that but I would never intentionally endanger any of you. Especially you, Kotori-chan and Nozomi.”   
  
“I know.”   
  
“And I know it seems...wait, what?” Honoka did a double take and looked at Eli in confusion. She wasn’t sure if she had heard her right or not. “You...you know?”   
  
“I know. I’m sorry I lost my temper with you back there. I shouldn’t have accused you and I definitely shouldn’t have yelled at you like I did. I was just...frustrated, I don’t know.” Eli apologized sheepishly. “I wanted someone to blame for what had happened and you were there, that’s all. I’m sorry.”   
  
“So you…” Honoka paused, clearing her throat. “You don’t hate me?”   
  
“Of course I don’t hate you. We just had a fight, that’s all.” Eli took Honoka’s hand, frowning at the suggestion. “You’re Honoka. I can’t hate any version of you, even if the things you do annoy me sometimes.”   
  
Honoka nodded, biting the inside of her cheek to distract herself from the tears that threatened to approach.    
  
Eli’s gaze shifted down and she frowned to herself, noticing Honoka was wearing a hoodie, zipped up all the way. She reached out with her free hand and pulled the zipper down. Tugging the hem of Honoka’s shirt down too, she winced at the sight of bandages on Honoka’s shoulders and chest. “Why didn’t you let Rei-san heal you?”   
  
Honoka shrugged silently and looked away. Nozomi had told her to but she’d refused.    
  
Eli sighed and glanced up, noticing Honoka’s cheeks were flushed. “So I can still make you blush at least?” She teased lightly as she leaned back, letting Honoka’s shirt fall back into place.    
  
“Well you are still Eli, even if you’re not my Eli-senpai.” Honoka muttered with a shrug. She looked toward Eli, her eyes widening slightly. “I’m not saying I want to be with anyone but Nozomi. You’re...you’re not my Eli-senpai. No offence. And I love Nozomi.”   
  
Eli gave a gentle laugh at that. “I know.” Her eyes drifted to Honoka’s chest once more and she bit her lip, troubled by the fact that she had put those burns there. “We’re still friends, aren’t we? I know I haven’t been there for you much lately. We were close when you first got here but...everything with Nozomi happened and…”   
  
“We’re fine.” Honoka interrupted, squeezing Eli’s hand. “We’ll always be friends.”   
  
Eli breathed an audible sigh of relief.    
  
\-----   
  
Honoka leaned against the door to the living room, watching fondly as Eli tried to explain to Yuki how she managed to control her fire. Yuki was listening with rapt attention, engrossed in Eli as always. It was amusing to watch how fascinated by Eli the young girl was. Honoka couldn’t blame her. Eli was cool, captivating and interesting.    
  
“Like this?” Yuki tentatively touched her hand to Eli’s outstretched fingers.    
  
“Y-yeah. Just hold back a little bit more.” Eli advised quietly. Honoka could see her wincing even from the doorway. Concerned as she was it was heartwarming that Eli tried to hide that the touch had hurt. It was a risk to touch Yuki when she didn’t have her gloves on, given that the young girl lacked control.    
  
Honoka flinched as arms went around her suddenly. She realized it was only Umi though and leaned back into her with a content sigh.    
  
“I catch you like this a lot.” Umi said, gently nuzzling Honoka’s neck.    
  
“I like watching the two of you with her.” Honoka said with a small smile. A lot of the time Yuki was with her but she liked to see the girl with Umi and Eli too. “It’s cute.”   
  
“You’re cute.” Umi whispered, giving Honoka a gentle squeeze. She rested her chin on Honoka’s shoulder, watching Yuki pull her gloves on before she stood and sat herself down in Eli’s lap. She chuckled softly. “They are cute.”   
  
“Maki-san says we’re um...opp...opps…” Yuki’s brow furrowed in frustration for a moment. “Opposites! That means we’re not the same.”   
  
Honoka and Umi couldn’t help but smile at how proud of herself Yuki looked.    
  
“That’s right.” Eli said with a soft smile. “Maki is smart. If you listen to her you’ll grow up to be as smart as her. Maybe even smarter.”   
  
“Really?” Yuki looked overjoyed for a moment as she looked up at Eli. “Maki-san says being opposite isn’t a bad thing.”   
  
“It’s not.” Eli answered confidently.   
  
“Maki-san says fuck a lot.” Yuki said innocently, causing Honoka’s eyes to widen. Umi groaned in exasperation and Eli merely stared at Yuki for a moment until the young girl spoke again. “And Nico-san says shit. Kotori-san says they’re bad words and we shouldn’t say them.”   
  
“K-Kotori is right.” Eli stuttered, making a mental note to have a strong talk with both Maki and Nico about how they spoke around Yuki.    
  
“But what do they mean?” Yuki pressed curiously. “I asked Kotori-san and she won’t tell me, she just keeps saying I’m too young. I asked Raven-san too and he says he doesn’t know. I think he might be lying about that…” She sighed heavily. “Will you tell me, Eli-senpai?”   
  
“W-Well it means…”   
  
“ _ Eli _ .” Umi warned from the doorway, noticing Eli relenting to the pressure.    
  
“Umi-san! Honoka-san!” Yuki hopped up from Eli’s lap and rushed toward the two, colliding with Honoka’s middle. She hugged her around the waist as tightly as she could. “I was practicing with Eli-senpai! She says I did good.”   
  
“That’s good. I’m proud of you.” Honoka said softly, running her hand over the back of Yuki’s head. Her heart melted as the girl beamed up at her.    
  
The moment was interrupted by loud footsteps coming down the stairs. Umi looked up in time to see Nico, Kotori, Nozomi and Future Honoka along with Yume, Rei and Takashi storming down the stairs.    
  
“INCOMING!” Nico yelled, jumping the last few steps. “RI-”   
  
Rin appeared a second later with Maki and Hanayo. “Get ready, nya!” She ran off once more, leaving a streak of orange trailing after her. She was back a moment later and some of the occupants of the room found themselves holding a weapon of some sort. A gun for Nico, Rei, Takashi and Future Honoka, knives for Umi and Kotori. “They’re coming.”   
  
Honoka heard footsteps on the stairs and looked up to see Kanan, Chika, You, Mari, Riko and Raven coming down.    
  
“What’s going on?” Raven asked, reaching the bottom. He looked to Kotori. “Kotori?”   
  
“A-Rise are coming.” Kotori answered, turning her attention back to the door. She reached out and Maki was at her side seconds later, gripping her arm. “We need to be read-”   
  
She flinched, gripping Maki’s arm harder as two girls suddenly appeared in the foyer. At once, the Muse members holding guns lifted them, along with Takashi, aiming at the two girls. Umi and Eli situated themselves in front of Honoka, getting into defensive positions. In Umi’s case as best she could with Yuki clinging to the back of her shirt.    
  
There was a beat of silence before Future Honoka stepped forward, her eyes glinting with hatred as she lowered her gun slightly. “You’re not going to win this fight.” She warned coldly even as her hands trembled at the sight of the two. She tried not to let her mind flit back to when the two of them, along with Erena, had killed her friends but it was inevitable.    
  
Anju gave a bitter laugh in response. “I think you might have that the wrong way round.  _ You’re _ not going to win this fight. Just like you didn’t win our last.”   
  
Future Honoka’s eyes widened slightly in surprise. “What…?”   
  
“Oops, maybe I shouldn’t have said anything.” Anju smirked, pressing her hand to her mouth for a second. “Tsubasa looked into your mind, you see. When she killed Sonoda. You gave her some good ideas. Let’s see…” She scanned the room while the others waited with baited breath. Her gaze landed on Rin. “She was first, wasn’t she? Then her.” She pointed at Hanayo who glared back at her. “I’m not sure who came next. Maybe Minami. Maybe Nishikino. I think they may have died around the same time, poetic isn’t it?”    
  
Maki froze as Anju’s gaze locked with hers. “What the hell do you want?”   
  
“And seeing as you had so many channels open, I looked into your memories too.” Tsubasa continued where Anju had left off. She was staring at Maki too. “You really fucking hate your dad, don’t you? Though you seem to forget to tell everyone he was grooming you to become the next head of the science division.”   
  
Maki was about to reply but her words stuck in her throat when her mother moved forward to stand at Future Honoka’s side. “Don’t mention him in front of her. EVER.”   
  
Tsubasa looked amused by the warning. “Ah, you mean Nishikino-sensei. He seems rather depressed lately. I think he’s having doubts, last time I went to his office.”   
  
Rei scoffed. “This conversation is over. Why are you here?”   
  
“You have something that belongs to me.” Tsubasa said curtly, her eyes flitting back to Future Honoka, then to Maki. “I would like her returned to me.”   
  
“That’s not happening.” Surprisingly it was Hanayo who spoke up, a defiant look on her face. “You’ll have to go through the rest of us to get to her.”   
  
“That can be arranged.” Tsubasa’s eyes flickered with lightning and she used her newfound speed ability to dash across the room toward Hanayo.    
  
Rin’s eyes briefly widened as she watched Tsubasa. As quickly as she could she used her own ability to intercept the girl and the two clashed right in front of Hanayo, the force sending Hanayo stumbling back.    
  
“You’re not as slow as I thought.” Tsubasa grinned at Rin. “Still not as fast as I am though.”   
  
“Screw you.” Rin growled angrily.    
  
Umi tucked her gun into her belt and picked Yuki up, rushing across the room to Kotori. She pushed Yuki into her arms, panicked desperation in her eyes. “Take her and hide, Kotori.”   
  
“W-What…?” Kotori numbly took Yuki feeling the young girl’s arms go around her neck. “But I need to…”   
  
“Please!” Umi exclaimed, clutching Kotori’s arms. “You’re the only other person I trust with her. Honoka and Eli won’t go. I need you to keep her safe. Please, Kotori!”   
  
Kotori looked at Maki, torn as to what to do. When the redhead nodded, she took a deep breath and turned invisible before she rushed for the stairs.    
  
Umi breathed a sigh of relief when Yuki disappeared with Kotori. At least she knew the young girl was safe.    
  
“Look out!”    
  
Maki looked up in time to see Raven throw himself toward her. She barely had time to gasp before she was being pushed to the ground along with Umi, Raven landing heavily on top of them. She felt him jerk against her and then realized with a start that his shirt was on fire.    
  
“Shit!” She moved quickly, hurriedly patting the flames out as best she could, along with Umi. They quickly got up, each grabbing an arm to drag him to his feet.    
  
“Would you care to get out of my way now?” Tsubasa growled, her hands clenched into fists. “I should warn you, if you don’t this is going to get messy. All you have to do is hand Erena over and I’ll resist the urge to kill the rest of you.”   
  
“O-Onee-chan?”   
  
Eli looked toward the stairs, her stomach sinking when she saw Arisa standing there. “Arisa, no!” She took off toward her at the same time as Tsubasa and Rin did. She ducked as a red streak and an orange streak passed in front of her, the orange streak seeming to push the red off course. She stumbled on her way to the stairs, vaguely aware that Nico was hot on her heels in her efforts to get to Arisa.   
  
“Eli, be careful!” Takashi yelled as the streaks zipped back and forth around the room, knocking things over in their wake. Lamps overturned, a TV knocked onto it’s front and tables unpheaved. Everywhere the streaks went destruction followed.    
  
Eli finally reached Arisa and grasped her arms, turning her around. “Get upstairs, Arisa! RUN!”   
  
“N-No, I…”    
  
“GO!”   
  
With a light shove Arisa rushed back up the stairs, stumbling up a few on the way.    
  
“NOW!”    
  
Eli turned at Tsubasa’s sudden yell in time to see her father just behind her. She caught a briefly glimpse of a knife coming toward her but then Takashi was in front of her, blocking it. It lodged itself in his head and he collapsed to the ground instantly, dead.    
  
Eli screamed, her hands going to her mouth. Her knees buckled but Nico was there to catch her.    
  
Tsubasa bolted toward Hanayo next and Rin quickly followed, using every bit of speed she had to get there first. She picked Hanayo up and took her to Umi, Eli and Nico near the stairs.    
  
Umi realized Honoka hadn’t come to help and desperately looked up, hoping to see her approaching. Instead she found Anju standing in front of Honoka, a knife protruding from Honoka’s chest. Her blood ran cold at the sight and for a moment, time seemed to stand still. She saw Nozomi and Future Honoka on their way over to Honoka.    
  
“HONOKA!” Umi hastened down the stairs, tripping over Takashi’s body. She got to the bottom just as Anju pulled out the knife and pushed Honoka to the floor. “HONOKA, NO!”   
  
She heard Eli yelling behind her too, the sound of the Aqours girls trying to hold back Tsubasa but she could hardly take anything in. She collapsed to her knees next to Honoka, watching her girlfriend choke on her own blood. It spilled over her lips, trailing down her cheek to mix with tears that spilled from the corners of her eyes.    
  
“U-Umi-chan…” Honoka barely managed to gasp out.    
  
“I’m here.” Umi said hurriedly, her eyes brimming with tears. She desperately applied pressure to the wound but there was too much blood. She looked around, hoping she’d see Rei coming toward them but the adult was being blocked by Anju.    
  
“Y-Yuk…” Honoka trailed off before she could get her words out.    
  
Umi looked back to her, ice running down her spine when she saw Honoka’s eyes staring unblinkingly up at her. “No. NO!”   
  
“Get out of the way!” Nico fell to her knees next to Honoka and shoved Umi to the side. She slid a knife from her belt and holding out her arm, dug it into her wrist. Tearing open Honoka’s shirt she spilled her blood into the girl’s wound, willing it to revive her. “Come on, come on...shit! Someone get me something to inject her! RIN!”   
  
Nico’s hair blew up with a gust of wind as Rin reached her. She found a needle and syringe being pushed into her hand and took it, jabbing the needle into her arm.    
  
“I’ll do it.” Maki crouched next to Nico and quickly drew her blood before she leaned past her, jabbing the needle into Honoka’s arm. She injected it quickly and tossed the needle to the side.    
  
“Anju, fall back!”   
  
Nico vaguely heard Tsubasa call out the order but she couldn’t look up. She couldn’t look away from Honoka’s unblinking eyes.    
  
Umi felt an arm go around her chest and let herself be pulled back securely against someone’s chest. Eli, she realized, noticing the arm was ablaze. “It’s going to work, right?!” She asked desperately, clutching Eli’s arm as tightly as she could. Tears streaked down her cheeks, unrelenting. “NICO!”   
  
Nico waited a moment but when nothing happened she looked to Maki in confusion. It had worked when Umi had needed her blood. “Maki.”   
  
Maki’s lip trembled, her eyes damp as she slumped back. She shook her head. “She’s dead. You can’t bring back the dead.”   
  
Suddenly, the room was deadly silent. Not even Tsubasa and Anju were speaking, nor were they attacking.    
  
“No…” Nozomi whispered, stumbling back. She felt strong arms catch her and looked up to see Future Honoka standing there. “How...if Honoka-chan is dead how are you still here? She...She can’t be dead! Maki-chan, she can’t be! Her future self is still here. She has to be alive!”   
  
“It doesn’t work like that.” Maki rasped, her eyes damp with tears. She winced as Umi collapsed forward, crying loudly into Honoka’s body. “It’s...the timelines have changed. The multiverse…”   
  
“SHUT up!” Nico ordered loudly, snatching the knife up from the floor again. She held her right hand out this time, slicing down her wrist. She leaned over Honoka, desperately pouring as much blood as she could into the wound. “Damn it, work!”   
  
“Honoka-chan can’t be gone, nya! You have to do something, Maki-chan!”    
  
Maki looked up, finding Rin standing nearby, her own face awash with tears. She felt Hanayo fall to her knees next to her, leaning into her side and somberly shook her head. “I-I can’t…”   
  
“DAMN IT!” Nico growled furiously. “What the hell is the use of this ability if I can’t fucking save ANYONE?!”   
  
Maki was surprised that Nico’s voice was thick with emotion. She looked up just as a wave of white hot heat washed over. She gasped, lifting her arms to shield her face. She looked past them after a moment, seeing Eli on her feet, surrounded by bright blue flames.    
  
“E-Eli…” She gasped, struggling to catch her breath because of the heat. Eli’s flames were so much bigger and more intense than she’d ever seen them. Looking closer, trying to see whether she had Eli’s attention she realized that Eli’s eyes had turned completely blue. Even her pupils were a shroudy blue. “ELI!”   
  
Eli wasn’t listening. She strode over to Anju, shoving Tsubasa out of the way with surprising ease, the girl hitting the wall.    
  
Anju tried to fight but she was powerless against Eli’s fire. She screamed as Eli’s hand went around her throat though it was quickly choked due to the tightness of the grip.    
  
Maki gagged as the stench of burning flesh hit her nostrils. She quickly pressed her arm to her nose, her eyes stinging against the heat in the room. She felt her skin grow damp and looking across from her, she could see that the others were sweating too, aside from Nico.    
  
Anju’s choked screaming stopped suddenly and hearing a thud, Maki looked up in time to see Eli drop the girl’s charred body to the floor. The sight was enough to cause her to gag again and for a moment she really did think she was going to vomit. She noticed vaguely that Kanan had created a shield of water in front of herself, Riko, You, Mari, Chika and Raven.    
  
Looking to Tsubasa she noticed that the girl was staring Eli down in shock but also with a hint of hunger in her eyes. A second later Tsubasa ran for the stairs with her speed ability. Maki stumbled to her feet, fearful that she was going after Kotori, Yuki and Arisa. Tsubasa returned a moment later though, Erena in her arms.    
  
“I’ll be back for the rest of your abilities.” Tsubasa said with a smirk before she raced out of the front door, completely unhinging it in her wake.    
  
Hanayo reached out with trembling fingers, drifting them over Honoka’s eyes to close them. As she did a sob passed her lips and she slumped down, her shoulders shaking.    
  
Nozomi gripped Honoka’s hand as hard as she could, holding onto Future Honoka too in fear that she would disappear.    
  
Future Honoka pressed her lips to the top of Nozomi’s head, pained by the sound of her girlfriend’s crying.    
  
“Umi.” Maki’s eyes widened as she looked to Eli. The girl was just standing there, staring at Honoka but Maki could see her skin not turning red but burning. Her hair was singed too, white hot flames singing the ends. “UMI!” She moved to Umi and grabbed the sobbing girl’s shoulders, pushing her into an upright position. “Umi, we need to help Eli. She’s burning herself. Please. I need you to focus for a minute. Please. UMI!”   
  
Umi seemed to focus as Maki shook her. She looked away from Honoka toward Eli, noticing what Maki was talking about. She stumbled to her feet and crossed to the girl but paused a foot away, the heat too much for her. “E-Eli…”   
  
“Should I um...try to put her out?” Kanan spoke up apprehensively from behind her shield.    
  
“Try.” Maki said quickly as the skin on Eli’s arms began to blister. “Please, hurry.”   
  
Kanan nodded and held both of her hands out, unleashing a wave of water. It hit Eli but the water evaporated as soon as it hit her flames. She gasped sharply. That water had been close to freezing.    
  
“Eli.” Umi covered her mouth, finding it hard to breath. “Eli, please calm down. I need you. I...Honoka…” She choked on her words, struggling to reason with Eli. She didn’t know what to say. Not when Honoka was gone. “I can’t lose you both. Please, Eli! I need you, YUKI needs you.”   
  
Maki looked up sharply at the sound of footsteps on the stairs. Her heart sank in her chest when she saw Yuki running down them, Kotori a few steps behind her.    
  
“Eli-senpai!” Yuki cried, noticing Eli first. She made to run toward her but Maki intercepted her, not wanting her anywhere near the flames. They would surely kill her if she went near.    
  
“Honoka-chan?” Kotori stopped at the bottom of the steps, her eyes finding Honoka. She looked to Maki after, noticing tears on her cheeks. “M-Maki-chan?”   
  
“I’m so sorry.” Maki choked out emotionally as she held a struggling Yuki close to her. She noticed Kotori’s expression crumble with grief and the girl’s knees gave out beneath her. Thankfully Raven had been approaching and caught Kotori before she could hit the floor. He held her up with his good arm and Kotori sobbed into his chest.    
  
“What’s wrong with Eli-senpai?!” Yuki asked, sounding tearful herself. “Why won’t Honoka-san get up?! Umi-san!”   
  
Maki looked up, seeing Eli was still burning herself. Parts of her arms had turned black, a fierce red surround it. “UMI, she’s going to kill herself, you need to do something!”   
  
Umi couldn’t think of what to do. She looked to Honoka then to Yuki who was struggling to get to Honoka now. It seemed the girl had realized what was going on as she was crying, pushing at Maki to make her let go. Finally she looked to Future Honoka, finding that she was holding Nozomi but looking right at her.    
  
Future Honoka inhaled sharply as she realized what Umi was going to do. “Umi, don’t. You can’t.”   
  
Umi turned to Eli, a determined look on her face. Honoka had said that Eli would never hurt either of them. That she would rather die.    
  
Kotori looked up too, her teary eyes widening as she watched Umi step toward Eli. “Umi-chan!”   
  
Umi couldn’t breathe. Her eyes were watering but she could still see Eli’s outline even through the flames. She clenched her teeth and moved forward into the flames with Eli, colliding hard with the blonde. Her arms went around her tightly. She’d expected to feel the flames burning her body but instead she felt nothing. Nothing but intense heat. No pain.    
  
“I’m here.” Umi opened her eyes, noticing she was surrounded by blue flames. “I’m with you, Eli. Please come back to me. I can’t do this alone. Please.”   
  
“She’s gone.” Eli’s voice was numb, her body still tensed. “What’s the point? Honoka’s dead.”   
  
“I don’t know.” Umi said tearfully, pressing her face into Eli’s shoulder. She noticed the girl’s clothes were burnt in some areas but she didn’t care. “She wouldn’t want this. She wouldn’t want you to destroy yourself. And Yuki needs us. I need you. Arisa needs you.”   
  
Eli’s flames disappeared suddenly and with an anguished cry, she collapsed forward against Umi, sending them both to their knees.    
  
Hanayo looked up at Rin in time to see the girl run for the basement in a streak of orange. A second later the streak was back, running out of the front door.    
  
Nico stared down at Honoka, her breathing ragged. She should have been able to do something. She’d been too slow. Again. She clenched her hands into fists. She was going to kill Tsubasa. She was going to kill all of them.    
\----   
  
Hibiki’s paintbrush fell to the floor with a clatter and for a moment she regained her senses. The first thing that hit her was the scent of paint. She looked up, blinking at the picture in front of her. Tsubasa and Anju standing in the doorway. A short distance away Honoka’s body lay on the floor, the majority of Muse surrounding her. Her eyes were wide open, blood surrounding her body.    
  
“No…” She mumbled before the room spun. A moment later everything turned black and she collapsed onto the ground next to her paintbrush.    
  
TBC   



	46. Chapter 46

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here’s the next chapter of Let It Burn, I hope you guys enjoy! And thanks again for all of your asks/comments etc about this, it means a lot that you guys are so interested in this fic and the ins and outs of the LIB universe. :)
> 
> Warning(s): Major character death, angst, violence.

Rin wasn’t sure how long she’d been running, only that her lungs were burning with exertion and her side was starting to smart with pain. She stopped abruptly, her breathing heavy as she leaned forward and pressed her hands to her knees.    
  
She looked down at herself, at the yellow suit Kotori, Maki and Hanayo had worked together to make and she felt her vision blur once more with tears. Some hero she was. She couldn’t even save one of her friends when they were in danger.    
  
Looking up, Rin realized that she was near a beach of some kind though she hadn’t consciously travelled there. She’d just been running wherever she could, trying to run from the fact that Honoka was dead and there was nothing she could do about it.    
  
She stayed where she was for a few minutes, trying to steady her breathing. Her legs ached and she was trembling uncontrollably. Maybe from shock, maybe from the aching in her limbs. She wasn’t sure. Finally she straightened up and brushed her hair back from her sweaty forehead.    
  
She considered whether she wanted to go back to the house. She could go to her hideout, she figured, though she remember seeing Eli’s state when she had left. She needed to be there. She took a deep breath and took off running again, making her way back to the house. It took her a short while to find her way back but when she did, she sprinted into the kitchen. She needed to eat something, given how quickly her metabolism worked.    
  
She stopped in front of the fridge and was just about to open it when the sound of laughter met her ears. Her brow furrowing, she turned around and found Honoka pressing Nozomi back against the counter, the older girl’s head bowed to gently kiss at Nozomi’s neck.    
  
“What are you doing?”   
  
Nozomi’s eyes flew open at the sound of Rin’s voice. Spotting her next to the fridge, she gently pushed Honoka away. “Rin-chan, I-I didn’t see you. Whoa, you look sweaty. Maybe you should take a shower.”   
  
“A shower?” Rin echoed slowly, struggling to figure out what was happening. “What are you talking about? A-And what were the two of you doing?”   
  
“Um...we weren’t doing anything.” Nozomi said, a bit puzzled. “We just finished dinner so we were going to go ba-”   
  
“DINNER?!” Rin cut Nozomi off loudly, her eyes wide with disbelief. “How can you eat right now, nya?! W-What about Eli-chan? Shouldn’t you be taking care of her?”   
  
“What’s wrong with Eli?” Honoka asked, stepping away from Nozomi.    
  
“Wha…? I don’t understand.” Rin shook her head, at a loss. “Why are you pretending like you don’t know what happened? Eli-chan set herself on fire, she burned herself! H-Her skin was charred and red and she wouldn’t stop!”   
  
“Wait, what?!” Honoka noticed tears gathered in Rin’s eyes. It was clear she was telling the truth. She took off toward the stairs, taking them two at a time. Just as she reached Eli’s bedroom, flinging the door open, Rin rushed in with her.    
  
Honoka and Eli leapt off the bed as Yuki scurried over to Umi.    
  
“H-Honoka-chan…?” Rin whispered, blinking quickly. She could see Honoka right in front of her. She stared at her long and hard as Future Honoka rushed over to Eli, quickly checking her over. Nozomi moved past her too, pushing Eli’s sleeves up to check her for burns.    
  
“W-What the hell are you two doing?” Eli asked, baffled by their behavior.    
  
“Are you okay, Rin-chan?” Honoka asked hesitantly. She grunted when Rin ran at her with her ability, tackling her onto the bed in a tight embrace. “Ah, that hurt.”   
  
“I thought...I thought…” Rin shook her head tearfully as she hugged Honoka tightly. She pulled back slightly to look at her. “You’re okay. You’re really okay.”   
  
“Yeah, I’m fine. Why wouldn’t I be?” Honoka smiled uncertainly. “You’re kind of squeezing really tightly though…”   
  
“Sorry, sorry!” Rin quickly scrambled up from the bed, letting Honoka sit up too.    
  
“I’ll take her.” Everyone looked up to see Hibiki standing in the doorway. The girl reached out a hand to Rin. “Rin, come on.”   
  
“But Honoka…”   
  
“Please. I need to speak to you.” Hibiki said firmly. “Just come with me.”   
  
Rin went to Hibiki, taking her hand and allowed herself to be tugged from the room. Neither of them spoke on their way down to the basement. Rin was still in shock and Hibiki seemed to be deep in thought.    
  
“I don’t understand.” Rin finally said, her voice soft when they got the basement. Nobody else was there, thankfully. “I saw Honoka-chan die. I saw it!”   
  
“You ran into the space time continuum.” Hibiki led Rin over to a painting. She turned the canvas over, revealing Rin running into what seemed to be a portal. “Something happened to Honoka in the future but right now you’re in the past.”   
  
“I-I don’t...so how do you…?” Rin shook her head, at a loss. The only thing she could focus on was that Honoka was alive again.    
  
“We’re connected, the two of us. We have been for a long time. A lot of my visions are of you and your experiences.” Hibiki answered hurriedly. “It doesn’t matter what you do with time, I’ll always see it if you have.”   
  
“Connected?” Rin echoed softly.    
  
“Rin, you’re connected to space and time just as much as Honoka is.” Hibiki squeezed Rin’s hand, having failed to let go yet. “I can tell the future perfectly. Your time is my time, okay?”   
  
Rin nodded though she wasn’t sure she really understood. “Should I tell the others? Honoka-chan...if this is the past, I have to protect Honoka-chan. I need to tell Eli-chan and Maki-chan...”   
  
“Calm down.” Hibiki hugged Rin gently, trying to soothe her. “We need to figure out a plan.”   
  
Rin took a deep breath. “We need to find Tsubasa and stop her.”   
  
“Well...that’s not exactly where I was going with this but we do need to be ready.”   
  
Rin nodded hurriedly. “Super ready! Can you help me talk to Honoka-chan’s future self? She really likes you. Maybe she’ll listen.”   
  
“You’re the speedster. I’ll follow you no matter what, hotshot.” Hibiki said with a small smile. She glanced around before quickly pecking Rin’s lips. “Let’s save Honoka.”   
  
\-----   
  
Rin took a deep breath before she raised her hand, knocking on Future Honoka’s closed door. She was nervous but Hibiki’s presence at her side was reassuring. A moment passed before the door opened to reveal Future Honoka standing there.    
  
“We need to talk to you.” Rin said before she brushed past Future Honoka. She tugged Hibiki after her into the room but paused at the sight of Nozomi sitting on the bed. “Oh um...maybe we should talk down in the basement.”   
  
Nozomi looked surprised but rose from the bed nevertheless. “Don’t worry, I can go somewhere else. I’ve been meaning to check in with Elichi anyway. After what happened this morning.”   
  
“Wait, wait…” Honoka held out a hand, keeping Nozomi from leaving. “You don’t have to go.” She turned her attention back to Rin and Hibiki. “Whatever you have to tell me, you can tell me in front of Nozomi. I’d just end up telling her anyway. Unless...it’s something personal?”   
  
“Um…” Rin hesitantly looked to Hibiki who shrugged and closed the door. “I-I guess she can stay. I’m not really sure how to tell you, nya…”   
  
“Just say it.” Hibiki said softly, stepping up beside Rin. “It’s not going to be easy for them to hear no matter how you say it.”   
  
“For us to hear what?” Nozomi stepped forward, a worried look on her face. “What’s going on?”   
  
“Honoka-chan is going to die tomorrow!” Rin blurted out hurriedly, her hands clenched at her sides.    
  
“I am?” Honoka didn’t look fazed whereas panic flashed across Nozomi’s face. “How?”   
  
“Not you.” Hibiki said quietly, placing a hand on Rin’s arm. She could tell how upset Rin was without looking. She could feel her trembling under her hand, almost unnoticeably. “Your past self.”   
  
Honoka glanced at Hibiki, vaguely feeling Nozomi clutch her hand. “You drew it then? How does she die?”   
  
Hibiki didn’t reply, taken aback by the fact that Honoka had believed her without question.    
  
“Anju stabs her.” Rin said, venom seeping into her voice at the thought of the girl who’d killed Honoka. “She attacks us with Tsubasa and she kills Honoka-chan when Eli-chan and Umi-chan are distracted. Um...Hibiki didn’t draw it. I saw it myself.”   
  
“What?” Nozomi looked between Honoka, Rin and Hibiki in confusion. “How?”   
  
“I’m...well I kind of…”   
  
“You’re from the future.” Honoka finished for Rin, staring at her intently. “You ran back in time after it happened, didn’t you?”   
  
Rin nodded, a troubled look on her face. “I didn’t know what to do after...after Honoka-chan died so I ran. I didn’t know everything was different until I got back her and saw Honoka-chan was alive.”   
  
“So now you want to save her.” Honoka said seriously. “So you came to me to figure out a plan.”   
  
“We have to save her, Honoka.” Nozomi said, gripping Honoka’s hand a bit tighter. “There’s no other option. We lose Honoka, we lose Eli too. I don’t think any of us can cope with losing either of them.”   
  
“I know.” Honoka mumbled, reaching out to lightly rub Nozomi’s arm with her free hand. She turned back to Rin, raising her voice. “You should know that if you save her something equally bad or worse might happen.”   
  
“I don’t care.” Rin said resolutely. “We need to save Honoka-chan. I don’t care what happens.”   
  
“What if saving my past self means Hanayo dies?” Honoka countered, raising an eyebrow. “Would you still want to do it then? Actions have consequences, Rin. The slightest change causes a ripple effect. Even you being here is changing things. I came back and now Yukiho is dead. You have to be prepared for the consequences of your actions.”   
  
“That’s not going to happen.” Rin said, her stomach sinking at the thought of anything happening to Hanayo. “I’ll keep both of them safe. Let’s just try to figure out a plan, nya!”   
  
Honoka glanced at Nozomi in search of advice.    
  
“We can’t let Honoka-chan die.” Nozomi said softly, still gripping Honoka’s hand as tightly as she could. “I don’t think any of us could deal with that.”   
  
Honoka turned back to Rin. “Let’s get started then. Take me through everything that happened. Step by step.”   
  
\-----   
  
“Onee-chan?”   
  
Dia had been staring out of the train window but she looked down at the sound of Ruby’s choked voice. Her younger sister was curled up across the seats, her head in Dia’s lap. “Ruby? I thought you were sleeping.”   
  
Ruby sniffled softly. “Do you think Hanamaru-chan is okay?”   
  
Dia was silent for a few seconds. She didn’t want to lie but she couldn’t say what she really thought. “Y-Yeah, of course.” She forced a smile to her lips as she gently stroked Ruby’s hair. “Her ability makes her valuable to them.”   
  
“W-What about Yoshiko-chan?” Ruby turned her face toward Dia, revealing tears in her eyes. “Wasn’t she valuable to them? T-They just killed her, they didn’t…”   
  
“Yoshiko-san fought too hard against them.” Dia said, her heart wrenching in her chest as tears slid freely down Ruby’s cheeks. “That’s why they couldn’t take her in like they did with Hanamaru-san. She fought to keep both of you safe.”   
  
“I miss her.” Ruby whimpered through her tears. “I miss both of them so much.”   
  
“Come here, Ruby.” Dia barely had her words out before Ruby was sitting up, throwing her arms around her neck. She held her sister close as she cried into her chest, doing her best to stem her own feelings. If Yoshiko hadn’t been there Dia was sure Ruby would have been taken too.    
  
Finally, Ruby cried herself to sleep and Dia awkwardly shifted, taking her phone from her pocket. She tried calling Kanan but it seemed the phone wasn’t turned on. “Damn it, where is she…”   
  
Just as she was starting to think about how angry she was with Kanan, she noticed movement on the opposite side of the train. She glanced over just as a male passenger got to his feet. As his hand moved to his belt, her gaze flicked down. She realized within seconds what was happening and quickly pushed Ruby off of her. Thankfully Ruby still had her feet up on the seat so Dia could move right past. She hit him with a kick to the solar plexus and he dropped the short sword in his hand. It slid down the train and Dia delivered a solid punch to the side of the man’s head, sending him falling to the floor, unconscious.    
  
At once, several other people leapt to their feet, going for their own weapons.    
  
“Ruby, move!” Dia reached out and grabbed Ruby’s arm, dragging her away from the seats. She pushed Ruby in front of her and took off running down the aisle, grabbing the sword the agent had discarded a moment ago as she went. She looked over her shoulder,  keeping an eye on the agents behind her. When Ruby abruptly stopped Dia crashed into her and turned to tell her to keep going. The words died on her lips at the sight of several more CORPS agents in front of them. “Damn it!”   
  
“Get down, Onee-chan!”   
  
Dia ducked down as she was asked, clamping her hands over her ears just as Ruby let out an ear-shattering scream. Several of the agents were thrown back, knocked unconscious by the force of the sonic waves emitted. Even Dia who had been prepared for it felt her head throb. Her ears ringing, she stumbled to her feet and grabbed Ruby’s hand, tugging her through the door to the next carriage of the train.    
  
“Ruby, come on! Help me!” Seeing no other option, Dia moved to the doors and slid the sword between them, using it to the prise them apart. Ruby helped as much as she could until finally they were open. Dia discarded the sword, not wanting to injure herself with it.    
  
“We need to jump, Ruby.” She said, quickly taking Ruby’s hand. She was relieved when Ruby nodded urgently in response. “On 3. 3...2...1!” The door opened just as Dia finished counting down and both she and Ruby leapt off the train at the same time. They hit the ground hard and rolled down a grass verge, their hands parting somewhere along the way.    
  
Dia groaned as she sat up. She could already feel bruises forming but she figured she should count herself lucky that nothing was broken. “Ruby?!”   
  
“I’m fine.” Ruby winced, crawling over to Dia. “You’re bleeding. Your ears…”   
  
“Hmm?” Dia reached up, briefly touching her left ear. Indeed it was wet with blood. “It’s fine. Let’s just get out of here. Come on, we need to get to Tokyo.”   
  
“Okay…” Ruby got to her feet with Dia’s help. She chose not to point out that Dia was speaking a little too loud. It was her fault, after all. As Dia tugged her along, her thoughts flitted back to Hanamaru. She hoped she was safe. She couldn’t bear the thought of losing another friend.    
  
\----   
  
“So you’re saying that Arisa was the main reason for everyone’s distraction.” Honoka concluded as she looked over the whiteboard in front of her. She’d sent Rin down to the basement to get it earlier but they’d decided it would be safer to stay in the room she shared with Nozomi so that nobody else would find out what was going on. They couldn’t risk too much changing, after all.    
  
Rin, who was standing at her side, nodded quickly. “Yes! Arisa-chan ran downstairs and Eli-chan ran to her while I was fighting Tsubasa. Then Umi-chan ran over after so Honoka-chan was left alone. I think...I was trying to keep Tsubasa away from them.”   
  
“What happened after?” Nozomi who was sitting on the edge of the bed with Hibiki, asked warily. “When was Honoka stabbed?”   
  
“I-I don’t know.” Rin glanced apologetically over at Nozomi. “I didn’t see. I heard Umi-chan start to yell and that’s when I realized. Maki-chan and Nico-chan tried to help but they couldn’t do anything. Then Eli went out of control and killed Anju. And almost herself until Umi...stepped into her flames with her. I ran away after that, I didn’t know what to do.”   
  
Nozomi watched as Rin’s eyes flooded with tears, her lower lip trembling as she swiped at her eyes. No matter how hard she tried though she couldn’t stop crying.    
  
“We have to save her, Honoka-chan.” Rin said seriously as she looked at Honoka. “We have to.”   
  
Nozomi got up and silently crossed to Rin, drawing her into a light embrace. She shot Honoka a meaningful look and her girlfriend nodded in response.    
  
Hibiki frowned as she watched Rin cling tightly to Nozomi. She didn’t notice Honoka walk over until the older girl lightly touched her shoulder.    
  
“Relax, she knows what she’s doing.” Honoka said, sitting down next to Hibiki.    
  
“What if I paint another death?” Hibiki fretted anxiously. “You know, I...I…”   
  
“You won’t.” Honoka soothed gently. “By the time this is over you won’t paint death anymore. I’m not going anywhere, I promise.”   
  
Hibiki bit her lip, not entirely convinced.    
  
“Should we tell Honoka-chan and the others, nya?”   
  
Honoka looked up to find that Rin had pulled away from Nozomi and was suddenly looking directly at her. “No.” She answered with a resolute shake of her head. “They’ll just panic, especially Eli and Umi. We have to keep them in the dark and give them orders when the time comes. We have a plan now, we know what went wrong the first time they were attacked and we know how to change it. Don’t worry, Rin. We’ve got this.”   
  
“Right.” Rin nodded and taking a deep breath she seemed to steel herself. “So now what?”   
  
“Now, go and do what you would usually do. And don’t tell anyone.” Honoka answered firmly. She glanced between Hibiki and Rin. “Lock yourselves in one of your bedrooms if you don’t think you can keep the secret but nobody can find out about this. We can’t risk changing things be affecting someone else’s actions in the situation. If we don’t we give up our only advantage.”   
  
“Right! Let’s go, Hibiki.” Rin waited for Hibiki to get up and walk over to her before they both made their way to the door. Pausing as she opened it, she glanced over her shoulder. “Thank you, Honoka-chan.”   
  
Honoka smiled softly as the two younger girl’s left. Feeling Nozomi’s eyes on her, she glanced over to see her staring. She patted the space next to her and Nozomi wandered over, taking a seat next to her.    
  
“You’re thinking about something.” Honoka said, turning slightly toward Nozomi. “Worrying.”   
  
“You can feel that, huh?” Nozomi asked with a soft, sheepish laugh. “I should have known you would.”   
  
“Not at the minute.” Honoka shook her head, a knowing smile on her lips. “I just know you well enough to know when you would be worried about something, that’s all. So talk to me. What’s going on?”   
  
“I...I love Honoka. Your past self, I mean. She’s one of my closest friends.” Nozomi glanced away, a guilty look on her face. “The thing is, I um...I’m worried about what might happen to you if she dies. I know that sounds awful and I hate that I’m thinking it but what if she dies and you disappear? It’ll be bad enough that Honoka-chan will be gone but…”   
  
“Okay, okay.” Honoka placed a hand lightly on Nozomi’s shoulder. “Slow down. It really doesn’t sound as bad as you think. You’re still worried about my past self but you’re worried about me too. It’s sweet. But you don’t have to worry about me.”   
  
“Why?” Nozomi asked worriedly. “Won’t you disappear?”   
  
“I don’t think so. I think the timeline has diverged too much from my original timeline. She is my past so I might be wrong but I think I’m only from my past self at a fixed point. I’m my own entity at this point. I may as well be from a different earth.”   
  
“A different earth?” Nozomi looked more confused than when Honoka had first started talking. “But there’s only one earth.”   
  
Honoka smirked to herself and gently patted Nozomi’s shoulder. “Don’t worry about it right now. The continuum is tricky. If you mess with time too much you can easily tear a hole into a new universe. But the point is, I’m not going anywhere. I’m almost certain. Besides, Rin didn’t look at me like she was talking to a dead person. I know that look, remember?”   
  
“You’re not the only one who knows it.” Nozomi pointed out.    
  
“Yeah. I guess I would have looked at you like that a lot.” Honoka admitted softly, guilt seeping into her own tone this time. “I probably still look at Eli and Kotori in that way. But it’s different with you now. We’re different, aren’t we? You don’t see your Honoka when you look at me and I don’t see your future self when I look at you. Even though we still love those two, we know the difference. Don’t we?”   
  
Nozomi nodded silently.    
  
“See?” Honoka leaned in and pressed her lips gently to Nozomi’s. She pulled back to speak again but stayed close. “And for the record, I’ll never look at you like I’m looking at a dead person again because it’s never going to happen. I don’t care what I have to do to...mmph!” She let out a squeak as Nozomi kissed her again, falling back to tug her on top of her. Honoka went willingly, forgetting what she’d been saying.    
  
\------   
  
Hanayo stepped into the training room, having been intending to work on her timing when it came to phasing. She paused at the sight of Rin hitting a punching bag with inhuman speed, turning it into a blur as it moved back and forth. Glancing around, Hanayo noticed Hibiki sitting cross legged on the floor a short distance away. She seemed sweaty and was wearing training clothes but she had a sketchpad in her lap and seemed to be drawing, casting the occasional glance up at Rin.    
  
Hanayo sighed and was just about the turn to leave when Rin stopped punching the bag and looked toward her.    
  
“Kayo-chin!”   
  
Hanayo offered a small smile as Rin reached up to wipe sweat from her forehead. “Sorry, I was just leaving. I’ll get Nico-chan to spar with me.”   
  
“I can do it!” Rin stated brightly. “Come on, spar with me! Hibiki is way too easy to beat.”   
  
“Hey, you’re just too fast!” Hibiki exclaimed though she looked decidedly uncomfortable with Hanayo in the room.    
  
“I wasn’t actually looking to spar with anyone. Just training.” Hanayo answered awkwardly, glancing between the two of them.    
  
“Come on, Kayo-chin. Fight me!” Rin exclaimed, bouncing from foot to foot, her fists raised.    
  
“Fine, fine…” Hanayo felt a gust of wind as Rin ran off somewhere. She blinked and then her friend was back in front of her, holding gloves. She sighed and tugged them on.    
  
“This should be interesting.” Hibiki mused to herself, flicking to a blank page of her sketchbook.    
  
“I won’t go easy on you.” Rin warned, grinning as Hanayo readied herself. Without giving Hanayo a chance to reply she threw a punch, using her speed to do it quickly only for Hanayo to phase immediately. Drawing her fist back, Rin grinned. “You’re faster now.”   
  
“I’ve been training with Nico-chan, I told you.” Hanayo focused on her ability as Rin unleashed a flurry of punches. Every one of them went right through her. Seeing Rin slowing down a little, Hanayo lifted her arm and threw a punch, unphasing just her hand at the last second. She caught Rin in the jaw, causing her to stagger for a second. It was more than enough time for Hanayo to slide her foot behind Rin’s ankle, sending her sprawling to the ground.    
  
“I guess I win.” Hanayo said, reaching down. She let Rin grip her arm and tugged her to her feet with a quick pull. “You’ve gotten faster too. But you can’t hit what you can’t touch.”   
  
“Yeah, yeah…” Rin grumbled, pouting. “Maybe I’ll train with Nico-chan or Honoka-chan later.”   
  
“Nice new trick, Hanayo-san.” Hibiki said, slowly getting to her feet. She left her sketchbook on the floor.    
  
Hanayo raised an eyebrow at Hibiki. “I wouldn’t call it a trick any more than you call your ability a trick.” She retorted, her voice turning slightly cold.   
  
Rin frowned at Hanayo. “She’s being nice to you. What’s your problem?”   
  
“I don’t like her. That’s my problem.” Hanayo answered simply. “You hardly know her. She will turn against you, Rin. I can guarantee it.”   
  
Rin gritted her teeth, noticing Hibiki shift uncomfortably out of the corner of her eye. “No, she won’t. You can’t know that. You obviously don’t even know her if you don’t like her. You two would get along. If you got to know her you…”   
  
“I have to find Nico-chan.” Hanayo turned on her heel and walked toward the door without another word.    
  
Rin let out a yell of indignation as Hanayo left and turned, hitting the punching bag twice. “Damn it!”   
  
“That went well….” Hibiki said, her eyes on the door. “Sorry. I guess she really does hate me.”   
  
Rin caught the punching bag as it swung back to her. “She’s not usually like that. Kayo-chin is the nicest person I know. I don’t know what’s wrong with her...”   
  
Hibiki shrugged her shoulder. She had never seen the other version of Hanayo. The version Rin always talked about and compared to family.    
  
\-----   
  
Maki paused at the bottom of the stairs, taking a moment to watch Kotori working on Rin’s costume as she hummed softly to herself. Recently Kotori had been spending more time in the basement, even when Maki wasn’t there with her.    
  
After a moment, Maki cleared her throat and Kotori looked up sharply. She looked concerned for a moment but quickly calmed when she saw Maki.    
  
“What are you doing?” Maki asked softly as she strode forward.   
  
“Just working on this for Rin-chan.” Kotori answered, nodding down at the costume on the table in front of her. “She said something about needing it to be perfect so I said I would look into it for her.”   
  
Maki nodded, looking down at the costume. It seemed fine to her though she didn’t point that out. She supposed Rin, who wore it, and Kotori who made it would know better than her. Her brow furrowed as she noticed Kotori’s hand trembling. “Can I help with anything?”   
  
“No, I’m fine.” Kotori answered with a shake of her head.    
  
“Your hand is shaking.” Maki pointed out, her gaze fixed to Kotori’s hand. She had noticed it happen a few times since Kotori had come back but she’d never paid much attention to it. “Is it sore?”   
  
“Sore? N-No, why would you think that?” Kotori let go of the needle she’d been gripping and crossed her arms in front of her chest in an attempt to keep them steady.    
  
“Let me see.” Maki stepped forward and gently prised Kotori’s arms from her chest. She lifted them, moving each of them to the side so that Kotori was standing with her arms stretched out to her sides. “Stay still.”   
  
Kotori did as she was told but after a few seconds she grimaced in pain as her arms began to ache. A few more seconds and she was gritting her teeth. “Maki-chan…” She finally let her arms fall to her sides. “It’s nothing, it’s...it’s just something I got from the facility.”   
  
“Got from the facility?” Maki asked incredulously. “What does that mean?”   
  
“When they...hung me up. I was hung by my arms for a few days. Almost a week, I think. I lost feeling in them after a while but then when the guards let me down, I couldn’t even move them.” Kotori looked away in guilt as she explained. “Rei-san couldn’t heal this fully. She wanted to ask Nico-chan but I said no.”   
  
Maki stepped forward and hugged Kotori tightly, needing the contact to reassure herself that Kotori was there and alive, not in a facility run by Sonoda. “I can’t believe you didn’t tell me.”   
  
“I didn’t want to worry you.”    
  
Maki drew back, fixing Kotori with a skeptical look. “I’m supposed to worry, I’m your girlf...your  _ fiance _ .”   
  
Kotori smiled, her eyes nervously flicking to the doorway. “Maybe don’t let my mom here you say that. She’ll kill me. And you.”   
  
Maki frowned and shook her head. “You mom’s going to have to get used to me. I’m not going anywhere. And my mom won’t let yours break us up anyway...” She shook her head, realizing they were getting off-topic. “Let me ask Nico-chan to heal you. Please.”   
  
“No.”   
  
“Why not? You know that she would want to if she knew about this. She wouldn’t take no for an answer.” Maki pointed out, confused by how stubborn Kotori was being. “It’s just a little bit of blood.”   
  
Kotori adamantly shook her head. “No, I don’t want to bother Nico-chan with this.”   
  
“Bother?” Maki echoed in confusion. “Why would it be a bother?”   
  
“I just don’t want to keep relying on people like I did before I was taken.” Kotori answered sheepishly. “I don’t want to be that person anymore. This...problem is my own and I should be able to deal with it.”   
  
“Not when you have friends who can help you.” Maki pointed out. “Does anyone know about this? Anyone at all?”   
  
“Nozomi-chan knows. I told her in one of our sessions. She said I should talk to Nico-chan if I feel ready. She says she understands wanting to be independant but I need to accept help too.” Kotori sighed, her shoulders slumping. “I just don’t want to look weak. Everyone knows I’m the weakest member of the group. Even Sonoda said so.”   
  
“You’re not weak!” Maki said sharply, squeezing Kotori’s hands. “You got through a whole  _ week _ with her without telling her anything! You saved Yuki, you probably saved Honoka by giving her a reason to keep going.”    
  
Kotori hugged Maki once more, touched by Maki’s vehement argument. “I want to be stronger. I want to try to be, at least.” She whispered honestly. “I want to be useful to the team like you and Rin-chan are.”   
  
“Stop it, you’re stronger than any of us.” Maki said, shaking her head slightly. “And I’m not going to let you call yourself weak, okay?”   
  
Kotori gave a soft laugh. “Okay, okay. I get it. I’m not weak.”   
  
“So you’ll let Nico-chan help you?”   
  
“Um...I’ll think about it.” Kotori replied hesitantly.    
  
Maki sighed. She supposed she couldn’t ask for anything else.    
  
\-----   
  
“Are you ready?” Future Honoka turned to Rin who was standing next to the whiteboard they’d been scribbling on. She was wearing her suit, Hibiki at her side. “You go downstairs and warn Honoka, Eli and the others. I’ll  get everyone up here. Nozomi, I need you to stay with Hibiki. Just in case she has a vision.”   
  
“That wasn’t part of the plan.” Nozomi protested in shock. They’d discussed extensively what would need to change to protect Honoka and it hadn’t been mentioned that she would need to hide.    
  
“I want to help.” Hibiki said, nodding in agreement with Nozomi. “And I don’t think I’ll be painting again soon. I’ve already done what I need to do. I’m connected to time and...and Rin after all.” She felt her cheeks grow hot as Rin glanced at her in surprise. “Anyway, I want to help!”   
  
“We can’t risk anything else changing.” Future Honoka impatiently glanced at the clock. They only had a few minutes before A-Rise would be there, according to Rin. “And I need to focus. I can’t concentrate when you’re in danger, Nozomi. And Rin won’t be able to concentrate when you are, Hibiki. Neither of you are fighters. You need to stay put. If you want to help, go and keep Arisa in her room. Make sure she stays there, no matter what happens.”   
  
“Honoka…” Nozomi frowned at her girlfriend.    
  
“I’m sorry, Nozomi. I just need you to stay away from this. We’ll talk about this later.” Honoka turned toward Rin and nodded. “Run, Rin.”    
  
With one last look toward Hibiki, Rin ran down the stairs. She went to the basement first, hurriedly telling Maki, Nico, and Hanayo what was happening and that they needed to meet her upstairs. Rushing to the living room she found Eli, Honoka, Umi and Yuki there.    
  
“A-Rise are coming.” She explained in a hurry, glancing toward the doorway. She heard the loud sound of footsteps hurrying down the stairs. “Umi-chan, give Yuki-chan to Kotori-chan when she gets down here. Tell her to go to Arisa-chan’s room. Hibiki and Nozomi-chan are already there.”   
  
“What? Bu…”   
  
“Just do it!” Rin exclaimed loudly. She took off running again, gathering up weapons for the others. By the time she got back, Umi was pressing Yuki into Kotori’s arms and the others were standing at the bottom of the stairs. She quickly gave them all of their weapons just before Tsubasa appeared with Anju.    
  
“Don’t leave Honoka-chan’s side, nya!” Rin exclaimed, pushing against Umi’s shoulder to urge her back to Honoka as Kotori reluctantly left. Eli was already there, standing in front of Honoka with her fists ablaze.    
  
“Get out.” Future Honoka raised the gun in her hand, pointing it directly at Tsubasa’s head. Nico stepped up next to her, tensed. “There’s nothing for you here.”   
  
Tsubasa smirked and was about to reply when she noticed movement out of the corner of her eye. She barely had time to think about moving before Rin slammed into her at full speed, throwing them both against the wall. She caught the briefest glimpse of Rin’s eyes, flickering with lightning before she shoved her off. She tried to use her own speed, heading for Hanayo but Rin was too fast. She caught her again, pushing her back.    
  
“Everyone get down!” Future Honoka yelled as Anju opened fire.    
  
Eli dragged Umi behind her, igniting her entire body so that the bullets were vaporised by her flames when they came near.    
  
You overturned a table, dragging Chika behind it while Kanan created a shield of water in front of herself and Mari.    
  
“Maki-chan, watch out!” Honoka yelled from behind Eli as Anju turned the gun toward the redhead.    
  
Rin’s concentration was broken for a split second. She turned her attention to Maki in time to see Raven tackle her to the ground just as he had in the previous time. Just like last time, he was struck, this time in the back of his shoulder. “Raven-kun!”   
  
Nico, who had leapt for Maki almost at the same time, landed on her knees next to the two and quickly cut her hand to heal Raven.    
  
Anju quickly turned her attention to Rin only for Riko to appear in front of her, taking her by surprise. A number of Riko’s actually. She shot at the first and then swung to the left, firing at two more.    
  
“RIN, FOCUS!” Future Honoka, who was busy shielding Hanayo yelled out.    
  
Rin nodded though just as she was about to run off she was stopped by a sudden, anguished cry. She looked for the source of the sound in time to see Kanan and You grab Chika as she tried to run forward. She barely caught a glance of Riko’s body falling to the floor, a bullet wound right between her eyes before she was thrown off her feet by Tsubasa.    
  
“RIKO-CHAN!” Chika cried out, struggling against Kanan and You’s tight grip on her. You especially, was impossible to fight against.    
  
“Go NOW!” Honoka said, noticing Anju was out of bullets.    
  
Hanayo moved out from under Honoka and rushed toward Anju. Before Anju could react she phased her hand into her chest and gripped her heart. As Rin and Tsubasa crashed into the far wall, she glanced over in time to see Tsubasa raise a fist.    
  
“TSUBASA!” She yelled, catching Tsubasa’s attention. “One more move and I’ll tear her heart from her chest.”   
  
Tsubasa growled. As much as she hated Anju, she needed her. “Give me Erena and I’ll leave. For now.”   
  
Future Honoka stared long and hard at Tsubasa before she relented, sighing. Rin was already bleeding from her forehead, she really didn’t want her to be hit again. Tsubasa could do serious damage. “Umi, get Erena. Go.”   
  
Umi did as she was told, moving past Honoka and up the stairs.    
  
Hanayo gave Anju’s heart a light squeeze, causing her to cry out in pain. “One wrong move and I’ll rip it out.” She warned coldly, vaguely able to hear Chika crying over Riko’s body. Rei was there, doing what she could but they all knew there was no healing that could save Riko. “Don’t tempt me.”   
  
As she waited, Future Honoka glanced around at the others. Nico was still sitting next to Maki and Raven on the floor while Honoka was pressed close to Eli’s flaming back. Kanan, Mari, Chika and You were gathered around Riko with Rei, Yume and Takashi. You was once again holding Chika back, this time to keep her away from Anju.    
  
Finally Umi came down with Erena in her arms and Tsubasa ran over, taking her.  “Anju, fall back.”    
  
Umi watched, surprised as Tsubasa’s eyes changed slightly as she looked down at Erena. She somehow looked more human. Saner.    
  
“Hanayo.” Future Honoka spoke sharply, causing Hanayo to finally release Anju’s heart.   
  
“I’m so glad you’re safe, Erena.” Tsubasa said softly as she looked down at Erena.    
  
“N-No need to be worried.” Erena said with a small smile as she looked up at Tsubasa. “I knew you would come for me.”   
  
Umi watched the two, confused by their conversation. She had no idea what their relationship was.    
  
Anju walked over to Tsubasa, touching her shoulder. In a blink of an eye the three were gone.    
  
Rin pushed herself into a sitting position and looked over at Chika and the others. “I’m sorry.” She choked out. “I’m so sorry, I didn’t mean to…”   
  
“Rin!” Future Honoka exclaimed sharply, looking toward Rin. She had no idea how Chika would react if she found out that Rin had changed things from Honoka dying to Riko dying. “Go to my room, that’s an order.”   
  
Rin looked like she wanted to argue but without another word she used her ability to run to Honoka’s bedroom.    
  
“WHY DIDN’T YOU SAVE HER?!”   
  
Chika’s angry cry caught Future Honoka’s attention and she looked up in time to see You holding Chika back, this time from her. The girl looked furious. “I’m…”   
  
She was caught off guard by a sudden punch from the side. She staggered, her head spinning for a moment. She caught herself against the banister of the stairs and looked up to find out where the hit had come from. It didn’t take a lot of deduction. The punch hadn’t only hurt, it had burned.    
  
“I’m so sorry, I-I didn’t...it wasn’t me!” Eli apologized, her eyes wide. She’d only just apologized to Honoka for hitting her when they’d tried to save Sonoda and yet she’d done it again. She yelped in alarm as she threw another punch without thinking about it. Thankfully, Honoka ducked out of the way.    
  
“Chika-chan, stop!” You exclaimed frantically while Kanan pushed Chika’s arms down. Unfortunately for her, Chika’s arms were ablaze and there was no water near so she had to endure the burning. “Stop it, please!”   
  
“Someone needs to calm her down or knock her out!” Mari exclaimed in a panic. “When I’m in that state of mind I can’t be stopped. I won’t stop until I see blood!”   
  
Maki got to her feet and crossed the room, planting her hand on Chika’s head. In seconds, the girl slumped to the floor, unconscious.    
  
Eli sighed in relief. “Thank you, Maki.”   
  
Mari looked grimly around the room. “She needs to get rid of that ability as soon as possible or it’ll take her over. I won’t let her succumb to what I’ve been given since birth. Kanan, you need to look after her.” She glanced down at Riko’s body, her throat tightening uncomfortably before she turned back to You. “You, I need to speak to you in private.”   
  
You nodded and got to her feet. With a last look at Riko she left the room with Mari.    
  
Umi went to Honoka and hugged her tightly, Eli joining them a moment later. She couldn’t imagine losing any of their friends.    
  
\-----   
  
Kanan was just dozing off at Chika’s side when she felt her jerk awake. She sat up quickly herself just as Chika did. “Chika…”   
  
“Riko-chan.” Chika looked to Kanan with a hint of desperation. “I-It was just a bad dream, right? Riko-chan isn’t really…”   
  
“She is. I-I’m sorry, Chika.” Kanan noticed Chika’s expression crumble with grief and drew the girl quickly into her arms. “I’m so sorry.”   
  
She let Chika cry softly into her chest for a few long minutes until the girl seemed to run out of tears and fell silent.    
  
“Y-Your arms…” Chika finally rasped, touching one of Kanan’s bandages arms gently. She noticed a fairly bad, unbandaged burn on her own arm.    
  
“It’s nothing.” Kanan said softly, doing her best not to wince. “Don’t worry about it. We just need to get rid of that ability. Mari’s. She’s really worried about you having it, you know.”   
  
Chika shrugged her shoulders. “I needed it.”   
  
“You need to copy my ability, Chika. Please. Then Maki’s, Kotori’s, Hanayo’s, Rin’s, Nozomi’s and Nico’s.” Kanan pleaded, grasping Chika’s hand. “It’s a dangerous ability. Please, you have to trust me. You need to get rid of it.”   
  
“What’s so bad about it? It makes me stronger…”   
  
“It’ll change you, you’ll become like Tsubasa. Chika, you know that!” Kanan insisted firmly. “I told you about Mari’s ability and what it does to her!”   
  
“I know.” Chika looked away, remembering how Tsubasa had changed right in front of her. “Okay, I’ll copy your ability.”   
  
“And the others.” Kanan reminded her. “It’s the only way to get rid of Mari’s ability. You have six now after your ability grew, you need to take six more in.”   
  
Chika nodded silently.    
  
Kanan sighed in relief and lifted her hand, pulling water from the glass on Chika’s bedside table. She gently pressed the water to the girl’s arm and noticed Chika watching intently. She was obviously observing the ability but she also looked confused. “Sorry. We were worried that your skin was too hot for us to treat you earlier so I’ve been doing this for a while to soothe the burn.”   
  
“Thank you.” Chika whispered, looking down at her skin. She wasn’t sure how she had managed to burn herself. She cleared her throat after a moment. “You can bring the others in here if you want.”   
  
Kanan nodded and did as she was asked, rising to let the others into the room. They had been waiting nearby anyway.    
  
\------   
  
Dia glanced over her shoulder in search of her sister. Ruby’s hand was securely in her own but Dia could tell she was slowing down. “We’re almost there. You can do it, Ruby. Just a little longer and we’ll be at the hotel.”   
  
“I-I’m coming.”   
  
Dia’s brow furrowed in concern. Ruby was clearly out of breath and she was holding her free arm close to her body. As much as she wanted to stop and check if Ruby was hurt she just didn’t have time. They had to get to the hotel before she could even think about doing that.    
  
She turned her attention to face forward. They had just entered Ikebukuro station so she didn’t think it would be long before they could check into a hotel and get some rest. She sighed and felt around in her pocket for her driver’s license. Before she had even thought about taking the train she had read a driver’s manual, memorizing it completely and had learned how to forge her license. She had given herself a new name, along with Ruby who she’d forged a passport for. She supposed she was lucky that her ability made her so well equipped to handle being on the run.    
  
“Stay close to me.” Dia warned softly, tugging Ruby closer to her side. “There are people around us.”   
  
As Dia let go of her hand, Ruby gripped the back of her sister’s jacket, pressing as close to her as she could without slowing her down. She could tell that Dia was tense and alert, watching the people around them closely for any signs of movement.    
  
Dia gritted her teeth. She could tell that the majority of people around them were CORPS agents. It seemed like she could never escape them. She didn’t react to them for a moment, focusing on Ruby.    
  
“Ruby, when we get to the hotel I’m going to dye your hair blonde, okay?” She spoke, her heart wrenching ever so slightly at the thought of having to do that. “You’ll look American that way, it might keep CORPS at bay…”   
  
“Yours too?” Ruby asked quietly.    
  
“Yeah.” Dia answered softly. “When I tell you to run, I need you to run, okay?”   
  
“O-Oka…”   
  
“Run!” Dia grabbed Ruby’s hand once more and took off running down the street. Around them, agents drew their weapons and gave chase. Thankfully she’d made sure they were in front of the agents before she’d started running. Nobody else around them seemed to move to do anything. As she ran she caught sight of a police car but not even the police moved to help.    
  
They ran for a few minutes before Dia made a vital mistake. She turned right instead of left and after a thirty or so feet caught sight of a dead end ahead. She’d led Ruby into an alleyway and they still had CORPS agents behind them.    
  
She glanced around, catching sight of a dumpster pushed up against a wall. There was a fire exit above, a ladder hanging down. Ruby could climb onto it and make a jump for the ladder. Dia was sure she could make it.    
  
“Ruby, climb onto the dumpster and then ladder okay. Climb.” Dia tugged her hand from Ruby’s. Already she could hear the agents running toward them. “I’ll hold them off. Go! You know the plan.”   
  
Ruby glanced toward the fire escape and then back to Dia. “N-No! I’m not leaving you here, I WON’T!”   
  
“GO NOW!” Dia drew a knife from her belt and rearing her arm back, threw it at one of the agents. It was getting cleared to her that the agents were trying to bring them in alive. “Do as I say, Ruby!”   
  
“NO!” Ruby yelled back just as a strange fog appeared around them. She quickly grabbed Dia’s jacket again so she didn’t lose her. “Onee-chan…”   
  
“I know, Ruby. Just…” Dia looked around at the fog. She didn’t know what had caused it. She supposed a high level hydrokinetic ability user could though. “Kanan…”   
  
She gripped her head suddenly, pain coursing through it. It felt like someone was screaming inside of her head. It was similar to what Ruby’s scream sounded yet somehow it was inside of her mind rather than a sound outside. She forced her eyes open just as lightning struck between herself and the agents. She saw a silhouette of a person, shooting what looked to be more lightning toward the agents, knocking them out one by one.    
  
“You’re affecting the others, control yourself.”   
  
“Nee-sama, I’m not good at this!”   
  
“Stop doubting your ability!”   
  
“Ruby…” Dia turned and finding Ruby on her knees, weakly grasped her arm, trying to tug her to her feet. As much as she tried she couldn’t manage it. She glanced over at the two females walking toward her, black edging into her vision. One of them was dressed all in black. Black jeans, a black turtleneck and a long black coat  as well as fingerless gloves while the other girl sported a shorter black jacket,  crimson button down shirt and ankle length black pants. Dia’s vision turned black and she slumped to the ground with Ruby.    
  
TBC   



	47. Chapter 47

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here’s the next chapter, I hope you guys enjoy and as always thanks for the comments etc. :)

Chika looked up as the door to her bedroom opened. She was surprised to see Kanan walk back in. Kotori, Hanayo, Nozomi, You, Rei and Takashi had already stopped by to let her copy their abilities so she didn’t have Mari’s anymore.    
  
You hadn’t stayed for long. She had looked close to tears when she had been there. She’d hugged Chika tightly after demonstrating her ability and then she’d left quickly. Still, Chika had expected her to come back. “Where’s You-chan?”   
  
“She’s with Mari.” Kanan closed the door behind her and walked closer to the bed. “She’s...a mess. She doesn’t want to make it worse for you.”   
  
“Why are you here?” Chika looked down at her sheets though she could still feel Kanan staring at her.   
  
“I’m here for you. I don’t want you to be alone and…” Kanan sat down on the bed, hesitating for a moment. “I don’t want to be either. At a time like this we need each other.”   
  
“I want Riko-chan back.” Chika drew her knees to her chest, blinking back tears. “I don’t know how to do this without her. And You-chan is...I just want Riko-chan back.”   
  
“I know.” Kanan whispered. She climbed further onto the bed and wrapped her arms around Chika from the side. “We all do.”   
  
“What’s the point in having all of these DAMN abilities if I can’t even keep my friends safe?!” Chika exclaimed bitterly through tears as she leaned into Kanan. “I hate this!”   
  
“I know.” Kanan soothed gently. She thought of Future Honoka and her ability to go back in time. Even Present Honoka who had tried so hard to help Chika after she’d passed out hadn’t been allowed to give her ability. Rei had said it was too risky, given Chika’s state of mind.    
  
“I’m tired of losing people.” Chika said softly, focusing on the warmth of Kanan’s skin. “We might never see Dia-san and the others again, R-Riko-chan is gone...I just want things to go back to the way they were.”   
  
Kanan held Chika closer to her, trying to ignore the feelings the words evoked within her. She’d already cried herself out over Riko and she didn’t even want to think of the possibility of anything happening to Dia, Ruby and the others. She knew it was possible though. Dia should have been able to find a way to contact her by now.    
  
Chika didn’t speak again after that and Kanna started to wonder whether the girl had fallen asleep on her. Not that she minded especially. She was just starting to doze off herself, exhausted from the emotional day when Chika spoke up softly.    
  
“What will they do with her? With Riko-chan?” Chika looked up at Kanan whose heart wrenched at the hurt, worried look on Chika’s face.    
  
“W-With her body? Um...I think Rei-san is going to take care of it. She said we can um...have some kind of funeral if we want to but we have to be quick.” Kanan said, her voice trembling. She watched as Chika bit her lip, nodding her head. “I’m sorry, Chika.”   
  
Chika shook her head and leaned into Kanan once more. “I’m going to kill her.” She said, her voice soft and dark. “Anju. I’m going to find her and I’m going to make her pay. Tsubasa too.”   
  
Kanan watched to insist that that was a bad idea but she knew that nothing could really change Chika’s mind about what she was going to do. The only thing she could do was try to keep Chika as safe as she could.    
  
“I’m staying in here tonight.” She said softly, leaving no room to argue. “You was…” she paused, not wanting to tell Chika how much of a mess You had been earlier. “I think she might stay with Mari.”   
\----   
  
The first thing Ruby noticed when she woke up was that she was in a fairly nice room, not like the hotel rooms she had been staying in with Dia lately. Taking further notice she saw that there were two beds in the room, separate from each other.    
  
She heard voices next and looked over at the balcony to see Dia talking to another girl. As quietly as she could, she slipped out of bed and began to creep toward the balcony, hoping to hear what the two were saying. She froze, hearing the creak of another door open.    
  
“Nee-sama, you can have the ba-” Ruby’s eyes met those of another girl and she squeaked in alarm, accidentally using her ability and sending the girl stumbling to the ground.    
  
Quickly, the girl covered herself with her towel, her cheeks flushed crimson. “Y-You didn’t see anything, right?!”   
  
“R-Ruby saw nothing!”   
  
“Leah?”   
  
Ruby glanced up at the sound of a new voice and saw the girl who Dia had been speaking to enter the room, Dia behind them.    
  
“I see you two are getting along.” The girl observed in amusement.    
  
“Ruby, you’re awake.” Dia said, relief evident in her voice.    
  


Ruby hurried to Dia’s side, uncomfortable with being so close to the two new girls. “Onee-chan, what’s going on?”   
  
“Calm down.” Dia soothed calmly. “They aren’t agents. Well they used to be but uh...they rebelled and escaped and...I’ll tell you more about it later.”   
  
“ _ Stupid cute girl.” _ _   
_ _   
_ “Huh?!” Ruby looked up sharply in surprise as the words seemed to flow into her mind.    
  
_ “Shit, I opened a channel! Damn ability!”  _ The girl Ruby now knew as Leah was blushing furiously, drawing a small smile to Ruby’s lips.   
  
The taller girl looked between the two of them, shaking her head. “You really need a tutor, Leah.”   
  
Leah’s shoulders slumped. “I know.”   
  
“Oh!” The girl Dia had been speaking to exclaimed in realization as she looked back to Ruby. “I’m Kazuno Sarah and this is my sister, Leah. We’re orphans. We were raised in a CORPS facility to either be mates or agents.”   
  
“Mates…” Ruby mumbled uncertainty.    
  
“Yeah, you know. Forced to have sex with someone you’re forced to marry.” Leah provided blunty.    
  
“Leah!” Sarah exclaimed.    
  
“Sorry, Nee-sama…”   
  
Sarah sighed and shook her head. “We’re also a new bloodline for ability users though our parents were killed in an accident some time ago. I’m atmokinetic and Leah is telepathic as you can probably tell. We were meant to be killed but they found my ability valuable. And I wouldn’t do anything unless Leah was safe...though time went on and after hearing an agent named Raven defected, I started a rebellion in Hokkaido and now we want to spread it all over Japan, starting with the HQ in Akihabara.”   
  
Dia perked up. "Our friend was taken to one of the facilities in Tokyo. Our other friends went to rescue her but we don't even know if they are alive. Their cells are either off or dead and we don’t have any way of contacting them.”   
  
"You know rumor has it Raven might be with a small group of rebels...maybe your friends are with him.”   
  
“B-But how can we find them?” Ruby piped up nervously.    
  
“Well Leah could do it actually…” Sarah glanced briefly at her sister. “It’s just it’s hard for her to concentrate. Maybe with your ability you two can come up with a sound radar to find and connect to a person of your desire.”   
  
“That rules Kanan-san out then.” Dia mumbled to herself, Ruby nodding in agreement. “Assuming they need to be of stable mind, it rules Mari-san out too. Riko-san would be best, I think.”   
  
Leah sighed loudly. “Can I please get dressed?”   
  
Ruby looked at Leah noticing she was still just wearing a towel. She blushed and looked away quickly. “S-Sorry if I startled you earlier…”   
  
Leah stared at Ruby in silence for a long moment before she turned her attention to her sister. “Nee-sama, how are we gonna sleep tonight?”   
  
“You’re sleeping with me, silly.” Sarah answered as if it were obvious.    
  
“Ugh, you kick…”   
  
Sarah raised an eyebrow. “Would you rather sleep with Ruby-chan?”   
  
Dia pulled Ruby close, frowning. “I’ll sleep with Ruby.”   
  
“I-I wasn’t even thinking of the idea!” Leah exclaimed defensively, her cheeks turning red once more.    
  
“You totally were, Leah.” Sarah quipped.    
  
Leah threw up her hands in exasperation and turned, storming toward the bathroom door. Sarah quickly followed.    
  
\-----   
  
“Rin, stop it!” Honoka exclaimed, lightly shoving Rin back, away from the door. “You can’t tell her!”   
  
“I have to!” RIn cried out desperately, trying to push past Honoka even as Nozomi and Hibiki held onto her. “It’s my fault her friend is dead, I have to tell her I’m sorry. I can’t just LIE to her, nya!”   
  
“YOU CAN’T!” Honoka yelled back, worried that Rin would get past her. “How do you think she’s going to react when you tell her? You saw what she did downstairs! You’re going to keep your mouth shut about this, okay?!”   
  
“Honoka.” Nozomi frowned over at Honoka.    
  
“What?!” Honoka snapped though she regretted it when Nozomi flinched in surprise. “Look, Chika is dangerous, okay? We need to keep her neutral, not drive her to be chaotic!”   
  
“She’s already chaotic.” Hibiki growled, grasping Rin’s arm to keep her close.    
  
“Not with Mari and Kanan keeping her in control!” Honoka pointed out. “If Rin goes in there and tells Chika it’s her fault Riko’s dead, Chika WILL lose control! Nozomi, you know I’m right!”   
  
“I know you are but you need to be a little  _ gentler _ !” Nozomi said, her voice tinged with irritation.    
  
“I tried being gentler and it didn’t get me anywhere!” Honoka retorted in disbelief, gesturing toward Rin. Hibiki was slowly calming Rin down thankfully.    
  
“I’ll deal with this.” Nozomi offered, shaking her head. She made her way over to Rin and lay a gentle hand on her shoulder. “Honoka’s right, Rin-chan. Telling Chika the truth will only make her feel worse. What happened to Riko-chan wasn’t your fault. We couldn’t have saved everyone.”   
  
“B-But I  _ can _ save her.” Rin protested, her voice trembling with nerves. “I can just go back a-and…”    
  
“You might make it worse.” Nozomi said, shaking her head. “It could be one of us next time. Elichi or Hanayo-chan or Honoka again. Maybe even Arisa or Yuki.”   
  
“Please Rin.” Hibiki whispered, her chest tight as Rin’s eyes clouded with tears.    
  
Rin nodded and turned into Hibiki’s arms, sniffling softly. “I’m tired.”   
  
“Let’s go back to your room.” Hibiki whispered, taking Rin’s hand. She realized with a hint of guilt that Rin had been awake for quite some time, having repeated the day twice.    
  
Nozomi watched Honoka silently as she moved out of the way to let Rin and Hibiki pass. When the door closed, she crossed her arms and sighed.    
  
“Don’t.” Honoka murmured as she crossed to their bed. She sank down onto it, burying her head in her hands. “I know what you’re going to say so you can save me the lecture.”   
  
“You need to be gentler with her.” Nozomi spoke her mind despite Honoka’s request. “Rin isn’t like you or Maki. She can’t adapt as quickly as the two of you can to things. You know how she is, she wants to save everyone.”   
  
“Well she can’t and I TOLD her that!” Honoka snapped, looking up at Nozomi. “Look, I’m sorry, okay? Just leave me alone for a while. We can talk about this later.”   
  
“No, we’re going to talk about it now.” Nozomi said firmly, crossing her arms in front of her chest. “You’re acting like you didn’t do exactly the same thing Rin-chan did. And she didn’t even do it intentionally, she told you it was an accident!”   
  
“I know that!” Honoka snapped irritably. “That’s not what this is about. This is about Rin deciding that she’s going to tell Chika that it’s her fault that Riko girl died. I’m protecting her. I’m protecting Chika too!”   
  
“Protecting Chika?” Nozomi echoed in confusion, shaking her head. “How are you protecting Chika-chan?”   
  
Honoka scoffed in disbelief. “Do you really think that if Chika attacked Rin I would stand by and do nothing? Do you think everyone else would? Would  _ you _ ?”   
  
“Both of them are my friends.” Nozomi said, her voice strained. “I wouldn’t let either of them get hurt.”   
  
“Someone would get hurt if Chika found out Rin had anything to do with this.” Honoka got to her feet running a frustrated hand through her hair. “Maybe we’d all get hurt. Or killed. You don’t understand, Nozomi. If you think A-Rise are dangerous, Chika is a hundred times more dangerous. She could probably take us all out if she wanted to. Do you understand that?!”   
  
Nozomi swallowed thickly. There was fear in Honoka’s eyes. “She wouldn’t. And Rin-chan isn’t going to tell her anything anyway, you just have to be gentler with her.”   
  
“I hope you’re right.” Honoka’s voice lowered to a quiet murmur. There was nothing she could do about it now. The decision was in Rin’s hands. “For the sake of all of us.”   
  
\------   
  
Hanayo was on her way down to the basement when she found her path obstructed by a tall figure. She blinked in surprise, looking up at the taller male. “Um...hi?”   
  
“Hey.” Raven replied, his tone bright.    
  
“Um...you’re kind of in my way.” Hanayo tried to edge around him but when he moved in front of her again she scowled. “What do you want? Did Rin-chan send you to speak to me? You are her friend, right?”   
  
“Yeah, I am.” Raven answered with a nod of his head. “She didn’t send me but I did want to speak to you about Speedy. Will you come with me?”   
  
Hanayo crossed her arms in front of her chest and eyed him skeptically. “I don’t even know you. Why would I go with you?”   
  
“I guess that’s a good point.” Raven mumbled, rubbing the back of his neck. Hibiki had said that this would happen, that Hanayo seemed to be a little standoffish with everyone. Hibiki herself had elected not to speak to Hanayo on account of the fact that she thought Hanayo would only yell at her, or worse. “Would it help if I said that she needs you? She’s really upset.”   
  
Hanayo raised an eyebrow. “Upset about what?”   
  
“I um...shouldn’t say. She said it’s a secret.” Raven said hesitantly. “She might tell you though. You’re Speedy’s best friend, right?”   
  
Hanayo sighed, feeling herself begin to relent. As angry as she was about Rin’s recent choices in company, namely Hibiki, she couldn’t say no to helping Rin if her best friend was upset. “Speedy? What’s that about?”    
  
“Because she’s fast.” Raven looked a little confused, as if Hanayo had asked him an especially stupid question. “So will you come?”   
  
“Fine, fine.” Hanayo said with a roll of her eyes. She felt her lips turn up into a smile as he beamed at her. “You really like Rin-chan, huh?”   
  
“Yeah. She’s my friend. Kotori too.” Raven answered as he began to lead Hanayo out of the kitchen. “So your ability is phasing, right?”   
  
Hanayo was surprised by the question. “How do you know that?”   
  
“You took my gun from me when I first got here.” Raven explained, glancing over at her as he led the way to the stairs. He took the lead as they began to walk up them. “Remember?”   
  
“Oh right, yeah.” Hanayo mumbled, frowning to herself. She had almost completely forgotten about that. It seemed like she was so focused on what was to come that she could hardly think anymore. “What about you? Do you have an ability?”   
  
“Yeah, it’s nowhere near as good as yours though.” Raven hesitated for a moment before he reluctantly explained. His ability wasn’t something he was especially proud of, especially given how he had used it over the years. “I can amplify someone’s senses. That’s what Sonoda used me for when I was her prisoner.”   
  
“Torture, I guess?” Hanayo asked curiously. She wasn’t surprised by his nod. “So Kotori-chan…”   
  
Raven grimaced at the reminder. “Yep.”   
  
“No wonder Maki-chan is conflicted about you.” Hanayo observed quietly though Raven noticed that she didn’t pass her own judgement. “Ya know, they are engaged. Those two are the perfect couple to be honest. I want something like that. Even Rin-chan found someone. Even if it’s...her.”   
  
Raven awkwardly cleared his voice as irritation seeped into Hanayo’s voice. “Hibiki isn’t bad, you know. She’s actually really calm. And really shy at first. The first time we spoke, she hid behind Speedy. Anyway, even if she’s there you should talk to Rin. She needs you. And it seems like you need her too, if you don’t mind me saying.”   
  
Hanayo shook her head. “I don’t need anyone.”   
  
Raven paused outside of Rin’s door and turned to look at Hanayo with a knowing smile. “Everyone needs someone.”   
  
Before Hanayo could respond to him he opened the door and stepped inside, ushering Hanayo in too.    
  
Hanayo paused just inside of the doorway, noticing Rin lying on the bed, her head in Hibiki’s lap. Rin’s eyes were closed while Hibiki played with her hair though Hanayo could see tears marks on her cheeks. She looked to Raven hesitantly and he gave her an encouraging nod.    
  
“Rin-chan?”   
  
Rin’s eyes shot open and she bolted up into a sitting position. Hibiki too looked up. She looked surprised then relieved to see Hanayo standing there.    
  
“K-Kayo-chan?” Rin’s lower lip trembled. “W-What are you doing here?”   
  
“Raven-kun said you need me.” Hanayo explained, looking toward him once more. He had closed the door and was now standing in front of it, as if guarding it. “So I came.”   
  
Rin swallowed thickly. As much as she wanted to rush into Hanayo’s arms she was worried that Hanayo would push her away. She felt Hibiki try to move away on the bed as if to get up and quickly grabbed her arm. “Stop. You two are going to be nice to each other. No more ignoring each other!”   
  
Hanayo sighed and rolled her eyes. “Rin-chan, I came for you. Not her. If you want her to stay, that’s fine but I’m not going to speak to her.”   
  
Hibiki lowered her head and Raven let out a loud sigh behind Hanayo.    
  
Hanayo cast him a slightly annoyed look. “What?”   
  
“Nothing.” Raven muttered, crossing his arms in front of his chest. “But Hibiki is…”   
  
“It’s fine.” Hibiki interrupted, looking up with a small smile. She steeled her shoulders. “If that’s the way it has to be, that’s fine. We’re both here for Rin, that’s all.”   
  
Raven groaned as she cut him off. “Can’t you be selfish for once, Doodler?”    
  
Rin frowned as Hibiki walked over to Raven.    
  
“I’ll only be behind the door. I’m not going anywhere but you two need to talk.” Hibiki glanced once more at Rin who nodded before she turned her attention back to Raven. “And I’m an artist, not a doodler.”   
  
“It looks the same to me.” Raven shrugged as he opened the door, gesturing for Hibiki to go ahead.    
  
“Shut up, birdy.” Hibiki said with a roll of her eyes. “Haven’t you ever heard of Da Vinci? Or Raphael or Michelangelo?”   
  
“Then teach me, oh great doodler.” Raven retorted as he pulled the door closed behind him.    
  
“ARTIST!”    
  
Rin smiled at the fact that the two of them were getting along. Her smile faded as she turned back to Hanayo. “I need to tell you something but PLEASE don’t freak out.”   
  
Hanayo nodded hesitantly. “I’m listening.”   
  
Rin took a deep breath and spoke hurriedly. “It’s my fault that Riko-chan died!”   
  
Hanayo sighed in response. “Of course it’s not your fault. You can’t say everyone, Rin-chan.”   
  
“No, I mean...i-it’s complicated but it happened differently before. I lived that day twice.” Rin explained as best she could but she was still unsure about it herself. “The first time Anju killed Honoka-chan. I ran away and I ran too quickly s-so I ended up going back in time. That’s what Honoka-chan’s future self told me anyway. And we changed things to save Honoka-chan but this time Riko-chan died. And I can’t go back again because I don’t want to make it worse.”   
  
Hanayo was silent for a moment, her expression unreadable before she finally spoke up. “Why does Hibiki know? Or Raven-kun?”   
  
“W-Well me and Hibiki are um...kind of connected.” Rin explained, blushing. “She um...painted me running into the vortex...the time space continuum. She was actually the first to know. I told Raven-kun because I freaked out. Honoka-chan’s future self and Nozomi-chan know too. I want to tell Chika-chan I’m sorry but...”   
  
“Don’t do that.” Hanayo said sharply, her eyes widening.   
  
Rin frowned, looking down at her feet. “Honoka-chan said that too. But it’s my fault, I should apologize to Chika-chan.”   
  
“It’s not your fault, you were just protecting Honoka-chan.” Hanayo softened her tone. “Any of us would have done the same thing. We would have protect Honoka-chan, no matter what. You did the right thing.”   
  
Rin’s shoulders slumped. “I don’t feel like I did. I feel like I did something bad. Something really bad.”   
  
Hanayo crossed the room and hugged Rin tightly. Anyone who knew Rin would know how crushed the girl would be about causing anyone to get hurt, let alone causing someone to actually die. “It’ll be okay, Rin-chan.”   
  
\-----   
  
Chika mindlessly ran her fingers through You’s hair though her thoughts remained fixated on Riko. Her chest felt tight with emotion but she didn’t feel like she had the energy to cry anymore. She’d shed more than enough tears over the past twenty four hours.    
  
“W-Were you okay last night?” Chika finally asked, her voice a bit gruff from lack of use. “With Mari-chan?”   
  
“I missed Chika-chan.” You whispered, opening her eyes to look at Chika. “Mari-chan was nice and she made me feel...not as awful but I missed you.”   
  
Chika’s lips turned down into a frown. “You could have stayed in here with me and Kanan-chan.”   
  
You blinked up at Chika. She looked tired, Chika noticed. “Like when we were kids?”

  
“Well...not exactly since I like kissing you now.”   
  
You smiled at the comment. “I’ve admired you since we were kids so it’s pretty much the same to me.” She sat up, lightly kissing Chika on the lips. “It might be a bit awkward if Kanan-chan is there though.”   
  
“I think Kanan-chan has seen worse.” Chika said with a small smile. She gently tucked You’s hair behind her ear and kissed her once more, a soft sigh escaping her. “You made me feel again.”   
  
“Don’t remind me.” You cringed at the thought. “Please don’t remind me.”   
  
Chika was about to reassure You when the door to their bedroom opened and Kanan stepped into the room. She looked surprised to see You there.    
  
“Oh You, you’re here. Great, I was looking for you.”   
  
“You were?” You asked uncertainly. “Why?”   
  
“Because I thought it would be better for you to be with Chika.” Kanan explained simply. “Anyway, I’ll see you two tomorrow. I have to go and find a room to stay in. Mari’s decided that she wants to be alone tonight.”   
  
“Wait!” Chika exclaimed as Kanan turned to leave. “You can stay with us, Kanan-chan! It’ll be just like when we were kids.”   
  
“Just with more kissing.” You teased Chika, lightly nudging her.    
  
“Please?” Chika asked hopefully, staring up at Kanan. “If you’re not going to be with Mari-chan tonight anyway, it should be fine, right?”   
  
“Fine, if you insist.” Kanan closed the door and walked into the room, plopping down next to Chika on the bed. “So do I get kisses?”   
  
“You get cheek kisses from both of us.” You said, smirking.    
  
Kanan huffed but smiled after. “I guess that’s a good deal.”   
  
Chika giggled at the interaction, catching herself a bit off guard. “You used to kiss us goodnight. On our foreheads, whenever we had sleepovers. You’re a real mom friend.”   
  
Kanan growled and threw herself toward them, tackling them backwards onto the bed. “Mom friend?” She playfully tickled them, smiling at their laughing and protests. She stopped, sitting back. “As long as we’re clear. I’m  _ not _ a mom friend.”   
  
“If you say so.” You said with a coy smile.    
  
Kanan rolled her eyes but if she was honest she was happy to see Chika and You managing to smile despite everything going on with Riko. She moved off of them and lay down on Chika’s other side, her arm going behind her head. She heard You get up to turn off the light. The room was bathed in darkness and she listened for You returning to the bed.    
  
You lay down next to Chika who instinctively settled herself close to her girlfriend. You’s arms slid around her waist and she sighed contentedly, closing her eyes. Nothing made her feel more secure than You’s strong arms around her.    
  
You kissed Chika’s shoulder before she buried her nose against the nape of the other girl’s neck.   
  
Chika felt Kanan move toward her too, an arm gently going around her waist. “I could get used to this.” She said softly, opening her eyes to find Kanan’s face close to hers on the pillow. She noticed the older girl’s lips turn upward slightly. “Maybe you should stay with us every night.”   
  
You gave a light laugh against Chika’s shoulder. “It’s nice every once in a while but I wouldn’t say every night.”   
  
“Speak for yourself.” Kanan spoke up.    
  
“You wouldn’t rather be with Mari-chan?” Chika asked curiously. “Aren’t the two of you...together?”   
  
“We’re not...official. We sleep together but we’re not dating.” Kanan explained reluctantly. She opened her eyes, meeting Chika’s. “Mari doesn’t want me, she wants Dia. It’s always been that way. Being with Mari right now is just a reminder of...things I’m not happy I’ll have to do eventually. But being with you two makes me happy.”   
  
\------   
  
Nozomi was on her way to Honoka, Umi and Eli’s room when she found Eli hesitating outside of one of the other rooms. She was staring at the door, her arm crossed in front of her stomach to grip the elbow of her other arm, which hung limp at her side.    
  
Nozomi paused, taking a moment to look at Eli. The blonde was biting her lip nervously, just staring at the door. Unable to place whose door it was and why Eli would be worried about knocking, Nozomi walked closer to her. “Elichi?”   
  
Eli flinched at the sound of Nozomi’s voice and looked toward her. “N-Nozomi. Hey, what’s going on? Is everything okay?”   
  
“I was just looking for you. I was hoping we could talk.” Nozomi stopped at Eli’s side and looked toward the door in front of them. “What are you doing?”   
  
“I was trying to find a way to talk to the other group.” Eli said awkwardly, rubbing her arm. She winced at how cold that sounded. “You know, Chika and the others. I was going to ask if they need anything but I don’t really know what else to say to them.”   
  
Nozomi smiled softly at the admission. Eli could be cold and closed off at times but deep down she was a wam, kind person. Nozomi knew that from experience. “I think they just need some time alone. Chika-chan has her friends. She’ll be okay.”   
  
Eli sighed, her shoulders slumping. “I guess you’re right. I just feel bad. I was useless in that fight back there. I should have done something to help.”   
  
“You protected Honoka-chan and Umi-chan. That’s what you should have been doing.” Nozomi reminded her gently. “All of us were there. Nobody could have done anything to save Riko-chan. You should know that.”   
  
“I guess.” Eli took one more look at Chika’s door before she turned her attention fully to Nozomi. “Do you want to go somewhere to talk? Honoka and Umi are in Kotori’s room with Yuki so we can go back to my room if you want.”   
  
“Yeah. Please.” Nozomi said in relief. She noticed Eli cast her a curious look before leading the way down the hallway to her room. Nozomi was silent as she followed Eli, not speaking until she was in the room, sitting on the bed. “So uh...I got into an argument with Honoka.”   
  
Eli frowned. “So...your Honoka, I guess?”   
  
“Yes and no.” Nozomi felt the bed shift as Eli sat down next to her. “She’s so different but so similar to our Honoka. Sometimes I feel like I  _ am _ talking to our Honoka and then she says something that makes me think she’s not like her after all.”   
  
Eli said nothing for a moment, trying to figure out what Nozomi was saying. “I don’t understand. What did she do?”   
  
“She got mad at Rin-chan for something. She was right and she was only trying to help but she was too harsh. I told her that and she snapped at me too.” Nozomi groaned and buried her head in her hands. “It just surprises me how different she is from Honoka-chan sometimes. I know it’s stupid. I’m not in love with Honoka-chan and I don’t think I could ever feel that way about her. I love my Honoka the way she is now so I don’t want her to change, I just wish she could be more understanding.”   
  
Eli cleared her throat. “Maybe you should try to be too. It sounds like Honoka just doesn’t want to lose anyone again. Was she trying to keep Rin from doing something dangerous?”   
  
Nozomi nodded her head. “Maybe you’re right. She just expresses herself differently to our Honoka. I guess I should apologize to her.”   
  
“I didn’t say that.” Eli nudged Nozomi lightly with her elbow. “If she was being an ass to you let her suffer for a while.”   
  
Nozomi laughed and leaned into Eli’s side. “What would I do without you?”   
  
“Suffer endlessly, I’m sure.” Eli teased lightly, wrapping an arm around Nozomi’s shoulders.    
  
\-----   
  
“You’re not with Nozomi-onee-chan.”   
  
Honoka was getting a bottle of water from the fridge after a particularly long training session with Nico when someone spoke up behind her. She turned around, seeing Hibiki standing there. “What?”   
  
“You’re not with Nozomi-onee-chan.” Hibiki repeated herself. She smirked when Honoka twitched at her teasing. “Oh sorry, I was assuming both of you are my older sisters now. Or she’s my sister-in-law maybe.”   
  
“Hibiki!” Future Honoka gaped at Hibiki, her cheeks flushed red.    
  
“Sorry, sorry.” Hibiki laughed as she sat down at the table and lay her sketchbook down in front of her. “You just look sad. Usually she’s right here to make you smile.”   
  
“You noticed that, huh?” Honoka asked sheepishly as she stepped over to Hibiki. As the younger girl began to sketch Honoka looked over her shoulder. It was another picture of Rin, this time hugging Hanayo.    
  
“I’m glad those two made up.” Hibiki murmured as sh sketched. “Even though I caused it.”   
  
“You didn’t cause anything, Hanayo just doesn’t get you.”   
  
Hibiki stopped moving her pencil and looked up at Honoka. “You need to apologize to her, ya know. I know I’m not much help but snapping at her was the wrong reaction.”   
  
Honoka sighed and took a seat. “Rin or Nozomi?”   
  
“Both of them.” Hibiki said patiently as she turned more toward Honoka. “Rin is kind and she can’t lie to save her life. She hates that she caused that girl to die. She…”   
  
“Shhh!”    
  
Hibiki noticed Honoka’s eyes go wide with panic and smiled softly. Usually she would have flinched away if she was berated or shushed but from Honoka it wasn’t intimidating. “You care about Rin a lot.”   
  
“Rin is like my younger sister in a lot of ways too. I used to be her mentor, you know. In the future. She would always worry about me, whenever I...went off on my missions. I would die for her. I would die for any of my friends, even if...I don’t act like it sometimes.” Future Honoka said sheepishly. She had been harsh toward them in the past but she wouldn’t want to see any of them get hurt. Even Nico.    
  
“Same here.” Hibiki whispered truthfully.    
  
“If you don’t mind me saying…” Honoka hesitated, a slight smile tugging at her lips. “I don’t want to offend you but you’ve known Rin for less than a month. How can you say that?”   
  
Hibiki reached up, nervously tucking her hair behind her ear. “I don’t expect you to understand but…” She paused, reaching over to flick through her sketchbook. “Rin has been with me a lot longer than a month. I feel like I’ve known her my entire life because I’ve been drawing her that long. Sometimes knowing I had that connection with her was the only thing that kept me fighting.”   
  
Honoka leans in, watching the pages and pages of pictures of Rin at various ages pass by. “How long have you been drawing her?”   
  
Hibiki shrugged her shoulders. “I was about six when I first started drawing her in this.” She tapped the page of her sketchbook. “It wasn’t long before then.”   
  
Honoka smiled and lay her hand lightly on Hibiki’s shoulder. “For what it’s worth, I think you’re good for Rin. She needs someone like you and you need someone like her.”   
  
Hibiki smiled bashfully but it quickly faded when she looked back down at the page. She’d settled on the picture of Rin hugging Hanayo again. “Hanayo doesn’t think so. I’m pretty sure she wants to tear my heart from my chest.”   
  
Honoka laughed in response. “Hanayo wouldn’t do that.” She forced herself to be serious when Hibiki gave her a skeptical look. “Fine, why do you think that?”   
  
“She thinks I’m a bad influence.”   
  
“Well you did take Rin’s first kiss.” Honoka reminded her.    
  
Hibiki’s eyes widened. “What? SHE TOOK MINE! I was teasing her and she literally took it. Hot Shot has more game than you think. She surprises me a lot. But it’s our connection I cherish. Maybe...a red string of fate connection. Like you and Nozomi, you know?”   
  
Honoka’s face fell at the comparison. “I think it’s...a bit different for you and Rin. Me and Nozomi aren’t...we don’t really have that.”   
  
Hibiki stared at Honoka in confusion. “Do you think you have that with someone else?”   
  
“I-It’s a little bit complicated.” Honoka leaned back, sheepishly rubbing her neck. “She was with Eli first, you know? That’s how it was in the future too so I think maybe those two were fated to be together. As much as I hate to admit it, I think Kotori was meant to be with Maki too. I-I didn’t really have anyone I was supposed to be with.”   
  
Hibiki frowned and looked down at her book once more. “Maybe you were bound to Umi. That’s why your past self is with her. You love Future Umi, don’t you? Especially after learning about her hardships. But from what you’ve told me it seems Eli always gradually steals your heart. Only Umi would ever be above her, even in your future.”   
  
“Yeah.” Honoka whispered and Hibiki noticed her voice catching. “Then why do I think I would choose Nozomi now? If I had the choice…”    
  
Hibiki noticed Honoka pale and reached out to grip her arm just as she stood quickly. “Wait, don’t freak out. You’re not betraying them by saying that, it’s just how you feel. You love Nozomi, you can’t help it. The Umi you loved and the Eli you loved are gone. Nozomi is your life now...isn’t she?”   
  
Honoka swallowed thickly. “I-I have to go.”   
  
Hibiki sighed as Honoka pulled away and ran off. A moment late though she heard footsteps behind her. Before she could look up, arms went around her tightly. She gasped in surprise but the hug was only brief.    
  
“Thank you.” Honoka said sincerely before she broke away again, hurrying toward the door. A moment later she felt a familiar gust of wind as Rin ran into the room. She looked up in time to Rin approaching. This time she accepted the hug, leaning into it even as she blushed.    
  
“You really are something, Twinkletoes.”   
  
“You enjoy it.” Rin countered matter-of-factly.    
  
“Shut up.”   
  
Rin kissed Hibiki’s temple before she nuzzled her nose against the girl’s cheek.    
  
\-----   
  
Future Honoka’s stomach sank with dread as she walked into her bedroom to find Nozomi in the closet, tossing clothes out onto the bed. “Nozomi?”   
  
Nozomi looked over her shoulder, forcing a smile. “Oh, hey. Are you okay?”   
  
Honoka crossed the room to Nozomi and hugged her tightly. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have spoken to you like that. I don’t know what I was thinking, I was just worried about Rin and I didn’t want you to get hurt. I don’t want any of you to get hurt.”   
  
Nozomi carefully hugged Honoka back , surprised by the strength of her girlfriend’s grip. “I’m sorry too. I should have tried to be more understanding. I was too worried about you pushing Rin away. You only just started opening up to Rin and the others more. I’m sorry.”   
  
Honoka shook her head. “You just want what’s best for me.” She drew back and cupped Nozomi’s face in her hands, kissing her softly. “I don’t want to lose you, Nozomi. I don’t ever want that. Please, don’t leave. I’ll try harder, I swear.”   
  
Nozomi looked confused. “What?”   
  
“Your clothes. I-I figured you were packing…” Honoka turned to look at the clothes on the bed only to be startled by a laugh from Nozomi.    
  
“I’m not leaving, I’m looking for something to wear.” Nozomi said with a shake of her head. “Mari-chan told me they’re going to um...bury Riko-chan tomorrow. I want to be there for Chika-chan. Honoka-chan, Eli-chan and Umi-chan will be there too.”   
  
“Oh.” Honoka sighed in relief. “Hibiki will be too. She was friends with Riko, I think. And...I can be there if you want. For you.”   
  
“I would like that.” Nozomi leaned into Honoka, kissing her once more. She felt Honoka hold her tighter, deepening the kiss. She smirked against Honoka’s lips as the girl in question guided her back to the bed. They fell on top of the clothes she’d been tossing onto it and she giggled softly as the kiss was broken.    
  
“Nozomi?” Honoka mumbled against Nozomi’s neck. She heard Nozomi hum questioningly and quietly continued. “How long do you think this is going to last?”   
  
“What?” Nozomi asked softly, shifting so that she could wrap her arms around Honoka’s back to hold her closer. “Me and you?”   
  
“Yeah.” Honoka mumbled, blushing.    
  
“I don’t know.” Nozomi answered honestly, the response startling Honoka slightly. “I hope it lasts for a long time but I thought my relationship with Elichi would last forever too. So I don’t know.”   
  
“Maybe I should pull a Maki.” Honoka quipped, kissing Nozomi’s cheek. “I’m going to sleep.”   
  
Nozomi loosened her grip, letting Honoka move off of her. It was only after Honoka got into bed that Nozomi realized what had been said. She blushed violently. “Wait, what?!”   
  
Honoka giggled from the bed. “Goodnight, Nozomi.”   
  
“Senpai, are you serious?” Nozomi scrambled to her knees on the bed, inadvertently kicking her clothes to the floor. “Don’t go to sleep on me, damn it.”   
  
Honoka’s lips turned up slightly even as her eyes remained closed. “I’m a little serious. I’ve already been engaged through this crap once, I’m not planning to do it again.” She opened her eyes, noticing disappointment on Nozomi’s face. “If we’re still alive when this is over, I’ll ask you. I don’t want anyone else, Nozomi. You’re it for me.”   
  
Nozomi beamed at Honoka. “Damn it, Senpai.” She kissed Honoka swiftly before she got into bed with her, curling an arm around her waist. “We better make sure we survive this then.”   
  
\-----   
  
Hanayo was sitting on the edge of her bed, waiting for Nico to finish in the shower when the girl in question walked into the room, towel drying her hair. “Hey.”   
  
Nico raised an eyebrow in response, surprising to see Hanayo there. “Why aren’t you down in the basement helping Rin train?”   
  
Hanayo cringed. “She’s not in the mood. And well...I don’t think she should be getting any faster right now. She accidentally ran through time and now everything’s a mess.”   
  
“Great. Another time traveller. That’s all I need.” Nico tossed her towel onto the bed next to Hanayo. “Let me guess, it was one of us who died, not that Riko girl but Rin went back and changed it?”   
  
Hanayo gaped at Nico. “Uh...yeah, that’s what happened. How did you know?”   
  
“What else could have made her go back in time?” Nico asked skeptically. “At least she didn’t do too much damage.”   
  
“Damage?” Hanayo echoed in confusion. “She saved Honoka-chan’s life, she didn’t do anything wrong.”   
  
“But she could have.” Nico pointed out, placing her hands on her hips. She sighed when Hanayo frowned at her. “Look, you know I have nothing against Rin. I just don’t trust time travellers.”   
  
“Like Honoka?”   
  
“Exactly like Honoka.” Nico moved toward Hanayo and straddled her lap, wrapping her arms around her neck. She smirked as Hanayo’s arms went around her waist. “Let’s not talk about them, okay?”   
  
“ _ She _ knows too, you know.”    
  
Nico groaned at Hanayo’s bitter exclamation. “Can you please stop talking about her girlfriend?”   
  
Hanayo frowned. “I don’t trust her!”   
  
“I don’t either but at least I’m not bitchy toward her.” Nico said with a shrug of her shoulders. She sat back, putting a little more of her weight on Hanayo’s lap and a little less on her knees. “I mean I don’t trust future girl either and I’m not bitchy toward her. I even rooted for her and Nozomi to get together.”   
  
“Rin is too innocent for her.” Hanayo pointed out, frustrated that Nico seemed to be siding with Hibiki like everyone else.    
  
“So is the artist. Seriously, have you ever talked to her?”   
  
“Have  _ you?!” _   
  
“Once or twice.” Nico answered, tilting her head slightly as she recalled their encounter. “She showed me the sketch she did of me. Though her notebook is filled mostly with Rin. And death...lots of death.”   
  
“Huh?!” Hanayo responded in confusion. “She showed you?”   
  
“Yeah. Well no, I took it from her actually.” Nico smirked, remembering how angry and worried Hibiki had looked when she’d taken the book. She’d blushed furiously when Nico had flipped through the book, like it was some kind of personal journal. “It seems to me like she’s just running from her past, like she said. She’s just scared.”   
  
“I’m so sick of everyone defending her!” Hanayo snapped suddenly, irritation getting the better of her. “Honoka does it, Rin-chan does it, you do it, Raven-kun does it.”   
  
“And everyone else is sick of walking on eggshells around you two!” Nico retorted honestly. “Rin HATES it. Hibiki is actually more calm about this than you. In fact I think she  _ wants _ you to like her. Can’t you just leave it alone for a while? She just lost her roommate, she probably had to fucking dra-”   
  
Hanayo promptly pushed Nico off her, sending her tumbling back to the ground.    
  
“HEY!” Nico yelled angrily, pushing herself up on her elbows. “What the hell is wrong with you?”   
  
“You’re what’s wrong with me! You AND her!” Hanayo gestured toward the door. “Whose side are you on, Nico-chan? Mine or hers?!”   
  
“You’ve gotta be kidding me.” Nico got to her feet, brushing herself off. “What the hell do you want me to do? Ignore her? Or do you want me to hate her as much as you do? It’s like you want her dead or something.”   
  
“I want her OUT!” Hanayo growled, standing up from the bed. “And if she tries anything, I’m going to be the first person to throw her out.”   
  
Nico shook her head in dismay but took a moment to look at Hanayo. Underneath her anger she could tell that the girl was nervous. Terrified even, of any more threats that could come their way. “Fine. If she tries anything I’ll help you kick her out. I don’t give a crap, I’m only here for our group.”   
  
Hanayo stared at Nico for a moment, slowly relaxing. “Are you serious? You don’t think I’m making it up?”   
  
“I think you think she’s dangerous.” Nico shrugged her shoulders. “I think it’s crazy to say she is but I’m always going to take your side. You should know that by now. Just do me a favor and try not to hurt her. Rin would be pissed at you and the last thing we need is more drama.”   
  
Hanayo slowly sat back down, her eyes still fixated on Nico. “What if Maki-chan liked her?”   
  
Nico blinked in surprise at the question. “What do you mean?”   
  
“Nothing.” Hanayo shook her head in response. She got to her feet, not quite meeting Nico’s gaze. “I’m going to take a shower. Don’t wait up for me.”   
  
“What? But…” Nico watched, at a loss as Hanayo walked out of the room. With a groan she flopped down onto the bed, throwing her arm over her eyes. “Damn it.”   
  
\-----   
  
“Are you sure you’re ready for this?” Dia asked, her hands placed lightly on Ruby’s shoulders. In the background Sarah and Leah were finishing up with pushing the furniture out of the way to make more space in the middle of the room.    
  
Ruby nodded solemnly. She was worried but she knew she didn’t have much choice. “We have to find the others. Ruby will do whatever it takes. Even if I have to work with someone as mean as that girl.”   
  
“Hey, I’m not mean damn it!” Leah snapped, turning to face Dia and Ruby. She planted her hands on her hips, glaring at them.    
  
Sarah sighed loudly. “Leah…”   
  
“Nee-sama, I’m not mean!”   
  
“You’re too blunt.” Sarah pointed out, glancing between her sister and the Kurosawa siblings. “That can come across as mean.”   
  
Leah groaned in response. “I’m going to get some air!”   
  
Sarah winced as Leah stormed toward the balcony, sliding the door open and stepping outside. She turned to Dia and Ruby, an apologetic look on her face. “I’m sorry about her. Leah is very...bad with her ability. She’s afraid she can’t even do this. That’s why she seems to be a bit temperamental.”   
  
Ruby frowned, feeling a little bit guilty for saying what she had about Leah. “I’m going to um...get some air too.” She mumbled. She glanced briefly at Dia before she walked to the balcony. Stepping out onto it, she found Leah leaning against the railing.    
  
“L-Leah-san?” Ruby’s voice trembled slightly as she spoke. “I’m sorry I called you mean. I didn’t mean it.”   
  
Leah cast a slightly untrusting look toward Ruby. “I’m not mean.”

  
“I’m sorry.” Ruby said again, taking a small step forward. “I didn’t mean to upset you, I’m just...nervous. I don’t know if I can do this either a-and I don’t want to disappoint Onee-chan.”   
  
Leah nodded in understand. “Let’s just do our best. For our sisters. Sarah wants to find the others, she wants to free all of us from CORPS.”   
  
Ruby shifted from foot to foot and slipped her hands into her pockets. She was still a littl uncomfortable talking to people she didn’t really know. “You really love your sister.”   
  
“She saved my life.” Leah answered seriously. “She wasn’t going to go with them if I was killed. I owe her everything. Even if my ability is broken…”   
  
“It’s not broken!” Ruby said hurriedly as Leah lowered her eyes. “Telepathy just needs a lot of brain power so i-”   
  
“I’m not a damn genius.” Leah snapped, offended by Ruby’s way of thinking.    
  
Ruby flinched at the harsh tone but replied steadily. “Neither am I. Maybe if there’s a telepath with the others they could teach you to use your ability...”   
  
“Right.” Leah worriedly bit her lip as she eyed Ruby. “I-I’m sorry. I’m not usually like this. I just haven’t been outside of the facility in a while.”   
  
“It’s fine.” Ruby smiled tentatively at Leah. “Let’s go and get this over with, okay? We can do it.” She stepped forward and nervously took Leah’s hand. She half expected Leah to pull away but she was relieved when the girl didn’t. “Ruby will be with you, don’t worry.”   
  
“R-Right.” Leah allowed Ruby to tug her back into the room with Dia and Sarah though she couldn’t help but blush especially when Sarah raised an eyebrow at the sight of their joined hands. She resisted the urge to draw away. “We’re ready.”   
  
Dia nodded and pulled out a couple of pairs of earplugs from her pockets. “Better put these on.” She tossed one of the pairs of earplugs to Sarah before putting her own in.    
  
Sarah winced as she put hers in. “Oh, this is gonna sting…” She muttered, casting a concerned look at Leah. At least she would have protection against the sound. Leah wouldn’t.    
  
Leah squeezed Ruby’s hand hard and gave her a nod.    
  
Ruby opened her mouth and using her ability, screamed as loud as she could. “YOUUUUUUUUUUUU-CHAAAAAAAAAAN! YOUUUUUUUUUUUU-CHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAN!”   
  
Gritting her teeth, Leah used her own ability to magnify Ruby’s, releasing the screams with her ability as waves of thought. Finding a connection, she opened her telepathic channel to everyone else in the room and nodded weakly. “It’s done.”   
  
_ “What the hell was that? Was that Ruby-chan?!” _   
  
Dia sighed in relief as she heard You’s thoughts, loud and clear in her own head. “ _ You-san, can you hear me?” _   
  
There was a moment of tense silence before You replied. “ _ I hear you, Dia-san.” _ _   
_ _   
_ TBC.    



	48. Chapter 48

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for the comments/reblogs guys. I hope you enjoy the chapter! :)

Dia’s knees almost buckled in relief as she heard You’s voice in her head, directed at her. She hadn’t wanted to say anything to Ruby but she had been worried that it would take them months to get in contact with You and the others, let alone find them.   
  
“ _Can you talk?”_ She sat down on the small couch in the room, her gaze fixed to the floor. It felt strange to talk to someone without them actually being in the room or on the phone.   
  
“ _Give me a minute, I have to get out of the bedroom. I don’t want to wake Chika-chan and...Kanan-chan.”_ It was clear from the way that You paused that she hadn’t meant to say Kanan’s name but it seemed like the thought forced it’s way into the girl’s head right as she told herself not to think about it.   
  
“ _Kanan-chan?”_  Ruby thought back curiously. “ _Is Riko-chan there too?”_ _  
_ _  
_ _“Shit…_ ” You’s thought came back loud and clear. “ _Um...listen, we’re with another group now. We found Mari-chan in the facility and we’re staying with another group of ability users. Chika’s childhood friend, Honoka-chan is the leader so they’ve let us stay with them.”_ _  
_ _  
_ _“Is Mari-san okay?”_ Dia asked, glancing over at Ruby. “ _Was she hurt in the facility?”_ _  
_ _  
_ _“Mari-chan is fine. She wasn’t hurt too badly and we got her out so she’s with us.”_ You seemed hesitant, even in Dia’s mind. “ _Um...where are you, Ruby-chan and the others?”_ _  
_ _  
_ _“Ruby and I a-are with some...friends.”_ Dia replied, noticing Ruby bite her lip. She had taken Yoshiko’s death and Hanamaru’s death hard. “ _Where are you, You-chan? We want to come to you.”_ _  
_ _  
_ _“Tokyo.”_ You said, relief seeping into her voice. “ _Where are you? I can send a friend to get you.”_ _  
_ _  
_ _“Ikebukuro. I’ll get Sarah-san or Leah-san to give you the address.”_ Dia answered, still staring at Ruby. “ _L-Listen, You-san. There’s something you should know. Um...CORPS killed Yoshiko-san. And Hanamaru-chan has been captured.”_ _  
_ _  
_ _A number of thoughts flashed through You’s head, too quickly for Dia to catch fully but she heard the majority of it. It ranged from denial to worry about Chika to wondering who would be next._ _  
_ _  
_ _“We um...we lost Riko-chan too. They killed her.”_ _  
_ _  
_ _“_ Riko-chan too?!” Ruby cried out, her voice high with despair as she took a step closer to Dia. Her eyes clouded with tears. “No, no she can’t be…”  
  
 _“I’m sorry, Ruby-chan._ ” You apologized. “She was protecting us. All of us.”  
  
Ruby turned and ran from the room into the bedroom she was sharing with Dia. She slammed the door shut and quickly hurried over to the bed, throwing herself down onto it. She sobbed loudly into her pillow. It wasn’t fair. None of it was fair.   
  
She heard the door open and figured it was Dia. She didn’t say anything as she felt the bed dip next to her as someone sat down. She didn’t need to say anything. She was sure Dia felt the same way she did.   
  
“I-I’m um...sorry about your friend.” Leah said awkwardly, causing Ruby to freeze. Even the sob caught in her throat. “I know we’re not really friends and I can’t...imagine what it feels like. The only person I have is my sister. Not that it’s a bad thing! She’s the only person I really need b-but...damn it, I’m really bad at this. It’s just crappy, okay? That everyone has to die because of their abilities.”  
  
Ruby turned her head on her pillow, tearfully blinking up at Leah. “I think it’s c-crappy too.” She sniffled, inching her hand toward Leah’s. “And I do want to be your friend, Leah-san. I really do.”  
  
Leah flinched as Ruby’s fingers brushed her own. She looked down, hesitating a moment before she remembered Sarah telling her to make an effort. She took a deep breath and gripped Ruby’s hand. “Y-You do…?”  
  
Ruby managed a small smile as Leah turned red. “Let’s be friends, Leah-chan.  
  
“Ch-Chan?!” Leah’s eyes widened in surprise. “I-I mean...sure. Okay. If you want to be, we can try to be friends, I-I guess.”  
  
Ruby sat up and leaned forward, hugging Leah tightly. She heard the girl let out a surprised gasp before tentatively hugging her back. Ruby sniffled softly against Leah’s shoulders, noticing the firmness of the embrace. “You have strong arms.”  
  
“I-I work out a lot.” Leah said nervously, doing nothing to pull away from the hug. Ruby obviously needed someone to lean on after the news she’d just gotten. Even Leah could see that. “I can even do a backflip.”  
  
Ruby giggled, pausing after in surprise as if she was shocked that she’d managed to laugh. “You have nice legs too. A-And…”  
  
“Okay, enough!” Leah cut Ruby off, feeling her face burning with embarrassment. “W-Why are we even talking about that?”  
  
Ruby drew away quickly, her blush matching Leah’s. “S-Sorry, I don’t know why I said those things all of a sudden. It’s just…”  
  
Leah narrowed her eyes before she heard a thought resound in her head.   
  
_‘She’s really hot. Hotter than You-chan even…’_ _  
_ _  
_Leah cringed. She’d forgotten to close the channels between herself and Ruby and everyone else, meaning Dia, Sarah and You could still hear what they were saying. She quickly cut the connection between herself and Ruby and the other three girls, still keeping the connection open for them.  
  
“YOU-SAN, REALLY?!”  
  
Ruby cringed at Dia’s yell and flopped back down onto the bed. “I was trying to keep that a secret.”  
  
Leah cleared her throat. “You-san is the girl your sister was talking to? You like her?”  
  
“N-No!” Ruby exclaimed quickly, shaking her head. “Well I did, a little. She was athletic and cute and...everyone liked You-chan. But she’s older than me and we’re just friends. Besides, she likes Chika-chan, our leader. I hope Chika-chan is okay…”  
  
Leah’s lips turned up slightly as Ruby bowed her head. “Your friend mentioned her at the start. That she was sleeping, remember?”  
  
“I know but Riko-chan is...was her best friend.” Ruby murmured, tears welling once more at the thought of how distraught Chika must have been. She quickly wiped her eyes and looked up at Leah, forcing a smirk to her lips. “You-chan and Chika-chan probably weren’t just sleeping anyway.”  
  
“Ruby!” Leah’s eyes widened in surprise but she quickly relaxed, smiling as Ruby seemed to forget about what was on her mind. She was glad she could help in that way at least. She noticed Ruby reached up and flinched slightly but relaxed when Ruby touched her hair.   
  
“You look better with your hair down.” Ruby said quietly, tugging Leah’s hair free from the ties. It fell around the girl’s shoulders. “Like when I woke up.”  
  
Leah nibbled at her bottom lip. “I’m sorry I was mean to you then. I didn’t trust you and I thought...I don’t know. It’s just been me and Nee-sama for a long time.”  
  
“You’re not on you own anymore though. Either of you.” Ruby said softly, lowering her hand to grip Leah’s again. “You have friends now. Me and onee-chan. And the others soon too. You-chan and Chika-chan. Mari-chan and Kana-” She paused, the name catching in her throat.   
  
“Kana?” Leah tilted her head thoughtfully. “Another of your friends?”  
  
“No, um...well yes.” Ruby frowned and awkwardly looked away. “She was Onee-chan’s best friend. And one of my friends too but...she hurt Onee-chan really badly before she left.”  
  
Leah glanced between Ruby and the slightly ajar door. “What do you mean?”  
  
“She beat her up.” Ruby’s free hand curled into a fist. “Kanan-chan was always so nice to me. She was always like an older sister. Mari-san too. I wouldn’t have believed it if Onee-chan hadn’t told me. I feel like something is off though. Onee-chan keeps telling me it wasn’t Kanan-san’s fault but she won’t tell me why. She keeps it to herself so sometimes I think maybe she’s trying to make me feel better and Kanan-chan really did do it on purpose. I don’t know.”   
  
Leah frowned as Ruby sighed heavily. “How do you feel about this...Kanan-san now?”  
  
“I want to hate her for what she did to Onee-chan.” Ruby said honestly, looking up at Leah. “But if I hate her it’ll hurt Onee-chan. Besides i-it still feels wrong to hate Kanan-chan. I don’t know what to think. She was so upset after it happenes so m-maybe she feels bad about it.”  
  
“Maybe.” Leah said quietly. “At least you’ll get to see your other friends again. You-san and the others.”  
  
Ruby smiled at that. “Thank you, Leah-chan. Hey, um...would it be okay if I sleep with you tonight?”  
  
Leah felt like her heart had stopped in her chest only to be forced into action again. “W-What?!”  
  
“Sorry, I just...I want to keep talking to you about...things. And I want to know more about you.” Ruby answered sheepishly. “I-It’s okay if you don’t want to.”  
  
“No, it’s fine.” Leah said quickly though she was already anticipating how much her sister would tease her about it. “You can stay. Do you think Nee-sama and Dia-san will be okay together?”  
  
Ruby hesitated a moment before nodding. “Onee-chan likes Sarah-san, she told me herself. She said she thinks she’s resourceful. And brave for leaving CORPS.”  
  
Leah smiled proudly. “She is. A little crazy but still the best. You have to see her in action. She can do a backflip too.”  
  
Ruby looked impressed. “Onee-chan can do whatever she wants.”  
  
Leah rolled her eyes. “It’s not a competition. Besides Nee-sama can do a lot too.”  
  
“No, I mean it’s her ability.” Ruby said with a giggle. “She can learn whatever she wants to, by reading something or watching a video. It’s really cool. Not like my ability. All I can do is scream really loud…”  
  
“I think your ability is cool.” Leah blushed at Ruby’s surprised look. “What? I’m just saying. A-Anyway, I’m going to tell Nee-sama we’re going to bed.”  
  
“Right.” Ruby felt her mood darken as Leah left the room and her thoughts turned back to Riko and Yoshiko. Hanamaru too. They were losing so many people. She couldn’t help but wonder who would be next.   
  
\------  
  
Future Honoka and You appeared in the middle of the room Sarah, Leah, Dia and Ruby were standing in just as a red streak sped into the room, throwing the door open on it’s way in. Rin skidded to a halt next to Future Honoka, Hibiki’s hand in her own.   
  
Rin and Honoka made eye contact.   
  
“I won.” They both blurted out in unison. Their eyes widened in disbelief almost simultaneously. “You did not!”  
  
Hibiki drew away from Rin and turned away, feeling a little sick at the speed she’d just travelled.   
  
You rolled her eyes at the two of them before she turned toward Dia and Ruby. She was about to say something when Ruby bound forward, throwing her arms around her. Surprised, You hugged her back, flashing a small smile at Dia over Ruby’s shoulder.   
  
“It’s nice to see you, You-chan.” Dia said sincerely.   
  
You nodded in agreement as Ruby drew away. “Oh um...this is Honoka-chan.” She pointed to the girl next to her who offered a casual wave of her hand in response. “And this is Rin-chan. And Hibiki-chan.”  
  
“You look a little old to be Chika-san’s childhood friend.” Dia said, narrowing her eyes suspiciously at Honoka.   
  
“OLD?!” Honoka exclaimed in offense. “I’m not _old_ , I’m only twenty! For all you know, I could have been her senpai!”  
  
“But you weren’t...were you?” Dia asked thoughtfully.   
  
“Well no...my past self was. It’s complicated. I’m from the future, my past self is younger obviously.” Honoka shook her head, dismissing the topic before it could even start. “It doesn’t matter. Anyway, who are your friends? You-chan didn’t mention them.”  
  
Sarah stepped forward, clearing her throat. “My name’s Kazuno Sarah. This is my younger sister, Leah.”  
  
“They’re coming with us.” Ruby piped up, partially hiding behind You. “W-We aren’t leaving without them.”  
  
Honoka gritted her teeth. “Minami is gonna kill me.”  
  
Hibiki glanced at Rin. “Um...how many rooms are available now?”  
  
“You can stay in my room.” Rin answered with a small smile. She had meant to ask Hibiki days ago if she was honest. Right after Riko had died. She’d figured Hibiki would hate staying alone in that room now.”  
  
“Huh?!”  
  
“What?” Rin asked, her brow furrowed. “We are together.”  
  
“Hey you two, no funny business.” Honoka narrowed her eyes at the two of them and they quickly nodded. “I’ve got my eye on you, Rin.”  
  
Hibiki squeezed Rin’s hand and looked toward her, smiling shyly. She didn’t want to stay in the room without her old roommate anyway. “I’d like to stay with you.”  
  
“Hey, remember what I said.” Honoka gestured between the two of them. “No funny business with Biki, Rin.”  
  
Hibiki rolled her eyes in response though she couldn’t deny that it felt nice to have someone like Honoka.   
  
You looked toward Sarah and Leah. “You guys okay with sharing the couch in the living room? I don’t think we have any rooms left and it’s already cramped.”  
  
“Me and Sarah-san will sleep on the couch.” Dia said, looking up. “Unless...is Mari-san sharing with anyone?”  
  
“Um…” You hesitated for a moment, awkwardly biting her lip. “Kanan-chan mostly. They’ve slept in the same bed until recently. Kanan-chan has been staying with me and Chika-chan for the past couple of nights. I-I guess she thinks we need her there or something after...you know.”  
  
“I’ll...sleep on the couch with Sarah-san then.” Dia answered finally, casting a glance at Sarah to make sure it was okay. She was met with a nod. She wasn’t especially comfortable with the idea of sleeping on a couch with someone she didn’t know very well but there was little she could do about it. “These other people you live with. Are they...dangerous?”  
  
You shook her head before hesitating. “They have dangerous abilities but they’re good people. I don’t think they would hurt anyone.”  
  
Dia breathed a sigh of relief at that. She needed Ruby to be somewhere safe. “Tell me about them. Their names and abilities.”  
  
You smirked at the typical request. It seemed that Dia always needed to know everything about any situation she was getting herself into. “Okay, um...Honoka-chan and her past self can manipulate time and space. Time travel and teleportation. Rin-chan has super speed and Hibiki-chan can draw the future. Um well...there are also three adults…”  
  
Honoka groaned and rolled her eyes. “Umi is hyperkinetic, Eli is pyrokinetic, Nozomi is an empath. Kotori-chan has invisibility and Hanayo can phase. Arisa can locate other ability users and Nico…”  
  
“Wait, wait, wait!” Dia interrupted hurriedly. She turned to frown at You. “If you had an ability user like that you could have found us.”  
  
“Ah...didn’t really think of that.” You said awkwardly, rubbing the back of her head. She cringed at Dia’s resulting glare. “W-We had a lot to deal with!”  
  
“ _Anyway_.” Honoka said pointedly. “Can I continue?”  
  
“Um...just let me correct You-san.” Hibiki piped up quietly. “I have precognition. I can predict the future perfectly through my paintings. Okay, Onee-chan, you can continue.”  
  
“That’s literally what I said!” You exclaimed in frustration, throwing her hands up.   
  
“ANYWAY!” Future Honoka said loudly as Hibiki opened her mouth to argue. “As I was saying, Nico-”  
  
“I’m sorry but my ability is completely different from Minami-san’s. Hers aren’t always correct precognitive dreams, they’re always several scenarios. Mine are more accurate…” She trailed off blushing when she noticed You rolling her eyes. “I’m sorry, I just wanted you to understand. I-It’s more complicated than just drawing the future and...I’ll shut up now.”  
  
“You don’t have to.” Honoka said, frowning while Rin gripped Hibiki’s hand. She sighed at Hibiki’s shrug. “Okay so as I was saying, Nico is...well her ability is rapid cell regeneration. She can’t be killed or permanently hurt. She’s basically immortal. Maki is telepathic.”  
  
Leah’s eyes widened, unnoticed by everyone but Sarah and Ruby.   
  
“Uh...who else…?” Honoka mumbled to herself thoughtfully.   
  
“Raven-kun can enhance senses.” Rin answered helpfully. “Yume-san has dreams about the future. Rei-san can heal people and Takashi-san can fly.”  
  
“Um...what can Maki do?” Leah piped up quietly. She cringed as all eyes turned toward her. “I-I mean um...what exactly?”  
  
“Several things actually.” Honoka answered, crossing her arms in front of her chest. “She can open channels, she can manipulate dreams and create thought commands. She can talk telepathically with all of us. And she can shock people, knocking them out. She did that with Chika-chan actually when...nevermind. She can also dive into a person’s mind, like she did with mine when I was poisoned.”  
  
“She sounds strong.” Leah said thoughtfully, more to herself than Honoka.  
  
  
“She’s a genius.” Honoka answered bluntly. “She’s going to become an extraordinary doctor. Even better than Rei-san.”  
  
Leah bit her lip. “Um...I’m telepathic too.”  
  
Honoka barely managed to suppress a smirk. The girl had been obvious enough. “I figured since you were the one You told me connected to her. Talk to Maki and don’t feel like she’s superior. That’s the last thing she wants to feel.”  
  
“Um...right.” Leah said, relaxing slightly as she felt Sarah step closer to her. “Thank you.”  
  
“Can we leave now?” Rin complained with a sigh. “I have to get back.”  
  
“Take Hibiki and go. I’ll bring the others.” Honoka nodded for Rin to go ahead and watched as the speedster grabbed Hibiki and took off. “Right um...everyone grab on.”  
  
Leah and Sarah grabbed a bag each that they had set aside while Ruby and Dia had nothing but what they stood in. As instructed, they gathered around Honoka and when the time traveller was sure they were all touching her in some way, she teleported back to the Minami household.   
  
\-------  
  
Kanan, Mari and Chika were waiting anxiously in the living room when Future Honoka and the others got back with Dia, Ruby, Sarah and Leah. Eli was there too, standing at the far side of the room with Yume. Yume had wanted to be there so she could get a grasp of the newcomers. She had asked Eli to be there just in case anything went wrong.   
  
“Ruby-chan, Dia-san!” Chika exclaimed in relief when she saw them. She rushed toward Ruby, giving her an exuberant hug but stopped short of providing the same treatment to Dia when Dia raised an eyebrow at her. “I-It’s good to see you both again. We missed you.”  
  
Dia narrowed her eyes. “If you hadn’t written over the ability I gave you…”  
  
“Ah, sorry. It was an accident.” Chika smiled sheepishly at the reminded. “We’re glad you’re both here now though. Right?” She looked over her shoulder at Mari and Kanan, noticing the distant look in Kanan’s eyes. “Kanan-chan?”  
  
Kanan offered a weak smile. “Yeah, it’s...good.” She replied, her gaze resting on Chika. She couldn’t look at Dia nor Ruby. Looking at Dia brought back sickening memories. The feeling of her fists hitting flesh, Dia’s desperate attempts to stop her. She couldn’t meet Ruby’s glare either.  
  
Mari noticed Ruby clasping Leah’s hand. “Did you finally get a girlfriend, Ruby? You two are so cute together. It’s nice to see you steering away from your thirst for You too.”  
  
You gave an awkward laugh.   
  
Sarah glanced at You, looking her up and down. “She sure likes muscles.”  
  
“E-Eh?!” Ruby looked down, having forgotten that Leah had grabbed onto her hand just before Honoka had teleported. It seemed the girl had been nervous about it. “N-No! I-It’s not like that!”  
  
Leah quickly snatched her hand away, her eyes wide and her cheeks flushed red. “It’s not!” She added quickly, not wanting Mari to get the wrong idea.   
  
Dia rolled her eyes though a small smile tugged at her lips. She had missed Mari and her teasing, not that she would ever admit that. “Ruby is too young.”  
  
“I think you two would make a cute couple.” Sarah disagreed with Dia, smirking at the two younger girls. “Say, Dia. Are you...involved with anyone?”  
  
Mari heaved a sigh and shook her head while Dia seemed too surprised by the question to answer it. “She’s not. She could be though if she took me and Kanan up on our offer of a…”  
  
“Mari-san!” Dia interrupted loudly.   
  
Kanan felt her throat close up as Dia berated Mari. Feeling her eyes cloud with tears and her chest constrict, she turned quickly and hurried from the room.   
  
Dia stepped forward to go after her but Chika stopped her with a hand on her arm. “I’ll go.”  
  
Chika followed Kanan without another word, jogging her way up the stairs after her. She reached the top in time to see Kanan walk into her bedroom. Sighing, she followed and found Kanan standing in the middle of the room, her head bowed and her shoulders shaking. “Kanan-chan…”  
  
Kanan flinched in surprise. “What do you need, Chika?” She wiped quickly at her face, obviously trying to hide the fact that she’d been crying.   
  
“Kanan-chan?” Chika moved forward, pausing behind Kanan. When Kanan turned around to face her she leaned up and hugged her tightly. “It’s okay.”  
  
Kanan bit her lip hard, feeling tears welling up in her eyes once more. “It’s not okay.” She choked out, hugging Chika back. “I hurt her, Chika. I really fucking…”  
  
“It wasn’t you.” Chika soothed, gently stroking Kanan’s hair. “It was...Mari-chan’s ability. Dia-san knows it wasn’t you or Mari-chan who hurt her.”  
  
“It doesn’t matter!” Kanan disagreed emotionally. “I remember it ALL! How am I meant to look at her when I remember beating her up, I mean...I could have _killed_ her. A-And Ruby hates me. She _should_ hate me.”  
  
“Nobody should hate you.” Chika murmured in disagreement. “You would never hurt any of us, Kanan-chan. I trust you with my life, I swear. So do the others.”  
  
“I don’t know how.” Kanan reached up once more, brushing her tears away. “Mari  feels just as guilty but she…” She shook her head. She didn’t know how Mari could hide so easily behind her teasing. “Can I stay with you and You tonight?”  
  
“Of course.” Chika said softly though she made no effort to draw away from the embrace. Neither did Kanan. “I’m not going anywhere.”  
  
Kanan slowly calmed down, save for the occasional sniffle but still neither made any effort to pull away. Chika buried her face in Kanan’s neck, inhaling slowly to catch the scent that was uniquely Kanan clinging to the girl’s skin. She wondered vaguely how it was that Kanan still smelled like sea salt despite having not been to the beach in so long. On the run, there wasn’t much time for it.   
  
“We’re always going to be together.” She mumbled, both to assure herself and Kanan. “You, me and You-chan. Just like it’s always been.”  
  
“Yeah.” Kanan whispered in response. She would do anything to make sure that that happened. Nothing would separate her from Chika and You.   
  
\------  
  
Hibiki paused as she entered the training room, her chest constricting momentarily when she noticed Hanayo standing in front of a punching bag, hitting it hard as she bounced from foot to foot.   
  
Hibiki looked down at her own arms, feeling herself calm down. “I really need to work out.” She mumbled to herself, a bit taken aback by how agile Hanayo was. It seemed like everyone in Muse was quite fit.   
  
Hanayo turned abruptly, startled by the sound of Hibiki’s voice. Her fists were still raised and Hibiki flinched back. Hanayo narrowed her eyes. “What do you want?”  
  
“Um…” Hibiki took a small step back. Hanayo’s eyes were brighter than usual, she was sure. It almost looked like they were glowing. “Are you okay, Hanayo-san? Y-You seem upset…”  
  
Hanayo paced toward her and Hibiki stepped back quickly until she came into contact with the wall. She fumbled for the handle of the door next to her but then Hanayo was right in front of her and a hand was phasing into her chest. Hibiki felt it tighten and her eyes widened when she realized Hanayo was holding her heart. She froze automatically.   
  
“I could just pull it out, you know.” Hanayo said in a low tone of voice. “I could just take it from you. I’ve done it before. Did they tell you that? It’s such a rush, feeling someone’s heart beating in your hand…” She tightened her grip and smirked as Hibiki gasped. “It’s so tempting to take it…”  
  
Hibiki squeezed her eyes shut, feeling tears leak from the corners. She could feel herself trembling but she was trying to stay as still as possible, not wanting to accidentally jolt Hanayo’s hand. “Please, Hanayo…”  
  
Hanayo laughed darkly, leaning in close to Hibiki’s face. “Please _what?_!” She squeezed and Hibiki whimpered loudly.   
  
“Rin…” Hibiki whispered tearfully.   
  
“Rin’s not going to help you now.” Hanayo growled, tensing her arm. A second later though the door flew open. She looked over her shoulder just as Rin appeared. “Well it looks like I was mistaken.”  
  
“K-Kayo-chin!” Rin looked between Hanayo’s face and the hand in Hibiki’s chest. “W-What are you doing?!”  
  
Honoka teleported in next to Rin. “Hibiki?! What the hell, Hanayo?! Let go of her!”  
  
Hanayo was silent for a moment, her eyes fixated to Rin. She shook her head slowly, her eyes dimming to their usual color. She looked back to Hibiki, gasping when she noticed where her hand was. She quickly let go of Hibiki’s heart and pulled her hand back to her own chest. “W-What…?”  
  
“You’ve gone too far, Kayo-chin!” Rin exclaimed tearfully as Hibiki hurried toward her. She grunted as the girl threw her arms around her but hugged her back tightly.   
  
Hanayo shook her head, still staring at where Hibiki had stood. “I don’t understand.”  
  
“You could have killed her!” In a fit of anger, Honoka grabbed Hanayo by the shoulders and turned her to face her, giving her a rough shake. “Hanayo, what the fuck is wrong with you?!”  
  
Hanayo didn’t answer, nor did she struggle against Honoka’s hold on her. She didn’t know what was wrong with her. When she spoke, it was mostly to herself. “I don’t know why I did that.”  
  
“You don’t _know_?!” Honoka growled angrily. “You need to speak to Nozomi. You’re messed up, Hanayo. Something is seriously wrong with you. My Hanayo was _never_ like this, this isn’t right. Why would you even want to hurt Hibiki?”  
  
“Because I hate her.” Hanayo answered automatically. Her brow furrowed at the immediate answer. She hadn’t even thought about it but looking at Hibiki she felt anger flood back to her. She was a threat to all of them. She would only hurt Rin and Future Honoka in the end.   
  
“WHY?!” Rin cried out, at a loss for answers. “She’s done nothing but help us since she got here. She hasn’t done anything to you!”  
  
Hanayo blinked at Rin and Hibiki. She still felt a little lightheaded after the shock of what had happened.   
  
“CORPS can never have her.” Rin continued firmly. “Her paintings are our key to finally ending this nightmare! And if it wasn’t for her we would have never found Kotori. Or know she was being saved.”  
  
“I don’t care.” Hanayo felt her throat tighten suddenly. That was a lie. She cared about Kotori a lot.  
  
Honoka twitched but she forced herself not to react to the comment. “It’s her look, isn’t it? I never thought you would be so shallow as to only look at what’s on the outside. She may look like a delinquent but she’s far from it.”  
  
“I don’t know what’s wrong with me.” Hanayo muttered, staring down at her hands. She clenched and unclenched them.   
  
“H-Hanayo-san…” Hanayo looked up at the sound of Hibiki’s voice, finding Hibiki staring at her through bright blue eyes. “Please don’t be afraid of me. I’m not here to hurt anyone, I just...I don’t have anywhere else to go.”  
  
Feeling her eyes prickle with moisture Hanayo turned and ran from the room.   
  
Honoka growled under her breath. “I did it again.” She muttered, slapping her palm to her forehead. “I should have listened to Nozomi. _Damn it_.”  
  
Rin looked up at Honoka. “It’s okay to be upset, nya…”  
  
“It’s Hanayo.” Honoka didn’t seem to have heard what Rin had said. “None of this makes any damn sense. You know her, Rin. We all know Hanayo. She’s not like this. Too much has been changing since I came back and it’s all my goddamn fault. I-I have to go and talk to Nozomi. Maki-chan too. Look after Biki, Rin.”  
  
Rin nodded and watched Honoka hurry out of the room too.   
  
\-----  
  
Dia awkwardly sat down on the edge of Mari’s bed and glanced around the bedroom. It was more spacious than the rooms she’d gotten used to sleeping in. In fact the house itself was huge. Not as big as Mari’s own house but still fairly big. “So this is it…”  
  
“Yep!” Mari exclaimed brightly, gesturing around the room. She stood in front of Dia, clearly trying to mask her nerves. “What do you think? The room Ruby is taking is a lot like this one.”  
  
“It’s nice, I suppose.” Dia turned her gaze back to Mari. She wasn’t all that interested in what the room looked like anyway. “Are you certain it’s okay for me to stay in here?”  
  
“Well I don’t want you to sleep on the couch. Besides, Kanan has le-” Mari trailed off when Dia flinched. “Sorry. I didn’t mean to bring her up. I um...have you spoken to her yet?”  
  
Dia shook her head. Kanan had ran off before she’d had a chance to try to speak to her. “Are you and her...together now or something?”  
  
“No, it’s...complicated.” Mari sank down on the bed next to Dia, her gaze instinctively going to the scar just below Dia’s hairline. She had put that there, whether she’d been the one to touch Dia or not. “You know how I can be.”  
  
“I know.”  
  
“Chika copied my abilities once. After Riko…” Mari trailed off, wincing at the mention of Riko’s name.   
  
Dia’s eyes widened in panicked shock. “Does she…?”  
  
“No, we got it out of her as quickly as we could.” Mari assured Dia quickly. “You don’t have to worry about that. She’s fine.”  
  
Dia let out a breath of relief. It was bad enough that Mari had the parasite. She didn’t know what they would do if more of their friends were infected by it. “I’m glad Kanan-san and the others found you. I was worried they might not.”  
  
Mari stayed silent, not entirely sure what she should say to that.   
  
“Y-You can use me if you want.” Dia said, her face turning red as she averted her eyes from Mari. “Instead of using Kanan-san.”  
  
Mari looked surprised for a moment before she leaned in, her lips brushing Dia’s jawline. “You sure about that?” She felt Dia take a shuddering breath and slowly leaned back. “You’re special to me, we shouldn’t…”  
  
“You want to.” Dia objected, focusing on Mari once more. “And so do I. We’ve done this before, haven’t we?”  
  
Mari hesitated. They had but only a couple of times and nothing had really come of it. “That was before I did what I did to you.”  
  
“You didn’t do anything to me.” Dia frowned, catching Mari’s hand. “Please, Mari-san. I haven’t seen you in months, I thought you were dead. If you don’t want to do anything, it’s fine. Just one kiss though.”  
  
Mari hesitated, amazed by the sudden role reversal. Usually she would be the one asking that. She wasn’t going to argue with the offer presented to her though. She leaned in again and kissed Dia gently for a few second.   
  
Dia relaxed into the kiss. For a moment it was just Mari, kissing her like she usually would but then the kiss deepened and Dia found herself pushed back onto the bed, Mari going with her.   
  
“Just how badly do you want it, Dia?”  
  
Dia noticed Mari’s eyes glowing, bright yellow. “So badly that I dream about you.”  
  
“You know a distraction isn’t the only thing I need. I need control, Dia. And you hate when someone else is in control.”  
  
Dia awkwardly looked away. “It’s fine if you are.”  
  
Mari noticed the serious look on Dia’s face and slowly lifted her hands, unbuttoning the girl’s shirt. As she opened it she felt Dia shudder.   
  
Dia gasped as her hand moved to her own breast, not of her own accord though. “M-Mari-san…”  
  
Mari smirked at the look on Dia’s face. “Doesn’t it feel dirty touching yourself?” She watched as Dia closed her eyes and nodded quickly. “Let’s go further then, my shining Dia...”  
  
\-----  
  
Hanayo was sitting on her bed, her knees pulled to her chest when she heard a knock at the door. She looked up, waiting for one of her friends to walk into the room but nobody did. A moment later there was another knock at the door and Hanayo sighed in response. “Come in.”  
  
The door opened and Hanayo watched in confusion as Raven stepped into the room, closing it behind him. “Did you need something?”  
  
“No, um...I was wondering if you do.” Raven stepped closer to the bed, awkwardly shoving his hands into the pockets of his jeans. “Speedy uh...kind of told me what happened earlier.”  
  
“The fact that you’re here makes me doubt that.” Hanayo stared at him for a moment before shaking her head. “You know I almost killed Hibiki, right? She’s your friend, isn’t she?”  
  
“You’re my friend too. Or I like to think we could be friends. Can I sit?” Raven pointed to the bed and waited for Hanayo to nod before he sat down on the edge of it. “Speedy says you didn’t seem sure why you did it.”  
  
Hanayo didn’t answer him directly. “You shouldn’t want to be anywhere near me, let alone my friend after what I did.”  
  
Raven shrugged his shoulders. “I’ve done some bad things myself in the past. Kotori wasn’t the first person I had to torture for Sonoda, you know. The others usually weren’t lucky enough to escape alive.”  
  
“But Kotori was.” Hanayo said thoughtfully, relieved to take her mind off what she’d done for a moment. “Why is that?”  
  
“I don’t know. She was different.” Raven answered uncertainly. He wasn’t sure himself why he had been so concerned with what had happened to Kotori. As soon as he’d seen her he’d wanted to help her. “And you have to start somewhere, don’t you?”  
  
Hanayo nodded silently.   
  
“So why do you hate Doodler?” Raven asked curiously. “But you trust me? Or well...you don’t seem to mind me at least. I’m a lot less trustworthy than her when you think about it. I’ve worked for Sonoda. For the people you’re fighting against.”  
  
“I...don’t know why I trust you.” Hanayo stared at him for a moment as if she was trying to work that out. “At least you’re honest about who you are. You talked to me.”  
  
“And that’s what you should do with Hibiki.” Raven explained pointedly. “She won’t approach you but if you speak to her you might understand her better. She’s really nice when you get to know her.”  
  
“I can’t talk to her now, I almost pulled her heart from her chest.” Hanayo rested her forehead against her knees and sighed heavily. She’d made such a mess.   
  
“Yeah. She’s gonna have plenty of nightmares about that. Guess it’s a good thing she sleeps in Rin’s room now.”   
  
“What? Rin-chan didn’t tell me that!”  
  
Raven stood up abruptly, noticing Hanayo’s eyes flash a much brighter violet than usual. Thankfully they returned to normal a moment later. “Y-Your eyes just um...glowed for a minute. How did you do that?”  
  
“What do you mean?” Hanayo frowned in confusion.   
  
Raven was saved from answering by a knock at the door. A second later it opened and Nozomi walked in, faltering at the sight of the two of them.   
  
“Um...am I interrupting something?”  
  
“Her eyes glowed.” Raven replied, oblivious to the suggestive tone of Nozomi’s voice.   
  
“Um...right.” Nozomi shook her head, confused by the response and turned toward Hanayo. “I was hoping we could talk. Honoka said we needed to.”  
  
“Um, I have to go and find Rin-chan anyway.” Raven said, taking that as his cue to leave. He headed for the door but glanced back at Hanayo when he got there. “Is it okay if I come back later?”  
  
Hanayo looked confused by shrugged in response. “Um...yeah, sure. If you want to.”  
  
“Great.” Raven flashed her a bright smile before he left the room, leaving Hanayo and Nozomi alone.   
  
“So…” Nozomi sat down on the bed. “Honoka told me what happened with you and Hibiki. Do you want to tal-”  
  
“No.” Hanayo interrupted with a firm shake of her head. “I don’t want to talk about it? Can you ju-” She shrunk back as Nozomi leaned forward but a hand at the back of her head kept her from going very far. She felt Nozomi’s other hand press against her forehead. “W-What are you doing?!”  
  
Nozomi frowned as she focused on using her ability to delve deep into Hanayo’s emotions. “Something’s wrong. Your feelings...it’s like there’s two different sets. Like there’s someone else in there.”  
  
Hanayo stared at Nozomi skeptically. “What?”  
  
“I can feel...yours.” Nozomi closed her eyes, concentrating. “Yours are calm mostly. Maybe a little angry with Hibiki but…” She inhaled sharply as the other set she had felt intensified at the mention of Hibiki’s name. “There’s another set, stronger than yours. It’s hatred and anger. But it’s not yours.”  
  
“Nozomi.” Hanayo shook her head roughly, managing to push Nozomi’s hand away. She pushed against her shoulders after. “What the hell are you saying? What does it mean?”  
  
“It’s like there’s another...being inside your head.” Nozomi struggled to think of how to explain the situation. “Um...Mari-chan has something similar. She calls hers a parasite. She…”  
  
“Wait, I have a PARASITE?!” Hanayo exclaimed, her voice high with panic. “How do I get rid of it?”  
  
“Well...you can’t.” Nozomi said with a wince. “Have you been blacking out recently? Losing time?”  
  
“Like this morning.” Hanayo muttered to herself. “Y-Yeah, I have. B-But wait, that means I’m like...I’m LIKE TSUBASA!”  
  
“No, you’re not.” Nozomi placed her hand on Hanayo’s shoulder. “Calm down, Hanayo-chan. Tsubasa’s comes from power, Mari’s from control. Your parasite comes from...fear. And anger. You’re not like her.”  
  
“B-But this proves it. That I’m...I’m a monster. I shouldn’t be near Rin-chan!”   
  
Noticing Hanayo’s lower lip tremble, Nozomi pulled her into a crushing embrace.   
  
The door swung open across the room and Nozomi looked up, finding Raven standing there.   
  
“I-I heard Hanayo yell.”   
  
“It’s okay, I’ve got her.” Nozomi nodded toward the door. “Close the door, Raven-kun. And come here, I need your help.”  
  
Raven obediently closed the door behind him and made his way over to the bed. “What do you want me to do?”  
  
“She’s panicking and we need to calm her down.” Nozomi explained, doing her best to block out Hanayo’s alarm. “I want you to use your ability on her to enhance her senses so I can help her calm down, okay?”  
  
Raven looked skeptical but he nodded. He hesitated before he placed his hand on the top of Hanayo’s head. “Ready?”  
  
He looked to Nozomi and together the two of them used their abilities. Slowly, Hanayo relaxed against Nozomi who breathed a small sigh of relief. She looked down and finding Hanayo sleeping, eased her back onto the bed. “We need to get this under control.”  
  
“I’m confused.” Raven said sheepishly. “What’s going on?”  
  
“Uh...Hanayo-chan has a parasite ability and it feeds on fear and anger.” Nozomi answered as simply as she could. “It takes control when she gets angry or scared. So you’re going to be her...calm buddy.”  
  
“I am?” Raven asked skeptically.   
  
“You better be.” Nozomi said, flashing a tight lipped smile.   
  
“Uh...right.” Raven replied nervously. He wasn’t in any hurry to get on Nozomi’s bad side nor Honoka’s by default. “So how do I um…?”  
  
“Calm her down?” Nozomi asked as he trailed off. “You enhance her sensitivity and hold her down. Or hold her hand and calm her senses.”  
  
“That’s…” Raven trailed off, noticing Nozomi’s warning look. “Fine? I guess I can do that.”  
  
Nozomi noticed him looking down and smirked when she noticed his gaze lingering on Hanayo’s hand. “What? You’ve never held a girl’s hand before?”  
  
“Sure. Sonoda’s facility is a great place for meeting people.” Raven retorted sarcastically. He sighed as Nozomi merely chuckled at him. “No, I haven’t. I can manage it though. Well if she lets me.”  
  
“She will. You want to be her friend, right?” Nozomi questioned pointedly. She bit her lip to hold back a laugh when he nodded quickly. “I think she feels that way too. She needs a friend right now. I’ll leave her in your care, Raven-kun. But I’ll be back to check in later.”  
  
“Uh...right.” Raven watched as Nozomi stood and left the room. Sighing, he looked back to Hanayo. As much as he wanted to help her he still wasn’t sure he’d be able to. He knelt down next to the bed and reached out, tentatively gripping Hanayo’s hand. Folding his other arm on the bed, he lay his head down on it.   
  
“I promise I’ll protect you...if I can.” He mumbled, his thoughts shifting to his sister. It wasn’t long before his eyes slid shut and he dozed off.   
  
\------  
  
Leah glanced nervously around the kitchen as she entered, making her way to the door across the room. It looked like it was just the door to the basement but something was pulling her in that direction. She hadn’t been able to sleep and her head was aching. She supposed because she was feeling the ability of the stronger telepath in the house. Her own ability was weak in comparison.   
  
Ruby had fallen asleep right away on the other hand and when Leah had left her she had been clinging tightly to her pillow. It was cute, though Leah was hardly going to admit that.  
  
She opened the door to the basement and closing it behind her, slowly made her way down the stairs to the basement. She stopped short, a couple of steps from the bottom, her heart lurching in her chest when she heard voices.   
  
“Can’t you like remove the parasite thing?” Rin’s voice rang out desperately. “Nozomi-chan seems worried, nya!”  
  
Another girl’s voice replied. “Not easy.”  
  
“You did it with Umi-chan!”  
  
“Umi didn’t have a parasite!”  
  
Leah snuck down another two steps, looking over the railing to see a redhead speaking to Rin.   
  
“So you’re saying you can’t do it?!” Rin demanded loudly. “Or you won’t do it?”  
  
“I’m saying it’s not easy and I can’t just take a parasite out of her head. I wouldn’t even try it!”   
  
“Fine. I’m going to talk to Kotori-chan instead, nya!” Rin announced loudly, causing Maki’s eyes to widen in surprise.   
  
“What?! Rin, don’t you da-” Maki cursed loudly when instead of replying Rin sped off up the stairs. “Damn it.” She rubbed her temples for a moment before taking a deep breath. “You must be the other telepath. The one who’d been blocking my damn connections.”  
  
Leah squeaked in surprise as Maki spoke to her but quickly remembered that Honoka had warned her this might happen. “S-So what if I am?”  
  
Maki turned to Leah, her hands on her hips. “It’s causing me trouble. I would like to be connected to my fiance at all costs.”  
  
“T-Teach me?”  
  
Maki raised an eyebrow. “What?”  
  
“Teach me how to be more competent with my ability.” Leah said, struggling to keep herself calm.   
  
Maki scoffed and shook her head. “I can’t just teach you. There are so many components to this and your psyche has to be right for it and…”  
  
“Then teach me, PLEASE!” Leah practically begged. “Please. I need to learn.”  
  
“Oh you’re stubborn. Reminds me of Nico-chan.” Maki rolled her eyes. “Fine, fine. I’ll teach you some basic exercises and we’ll see from there if you have potential to learn.”  
  
“R-Really?” Leah’s eyes lit up.   
  
“Sure. Um...What’s your name again?” Maki remembered Future Honoka telling her that new ability users were coming to stay with them but she didn’t remember the details.   
  
“Kazuno Leah.” Leah answered, relieved that Maki had agreed to help her. “So when do we start?!”  
  
“Tomorrow. Is _when_ we start.” Maki replied firmly, narrowing her eyes. “Meet me down here in the morning. Nine o’clock. Don’t be late.”  
  
“O-Okay! Thank-” Leah was cut off by a sudden gust of wind blowing her hair up as Rin ran into the room again.   
  
“Kotori-chan, can you please talk to her?”  
  
“What?” Kotori muttered, rubbing her eyes against the suddenly bright lights of the basement. She’d been sleeping until just a few minutes ago when Rin had woken her up. She’d barely even had time to put some clothes on before Rin had whisked her away. “What’s going on?”  
  
“I just told you, nya!” Rin exclaimed in frustration. “Kayo-chin has a parasite ability and we need Maki-chan to help her get rid of it.”  
  
Maki looked down, her eyes widening when she noticed Kotori was only wearing panties and an open shirt that left very little to the imagination. “RIN!”  
  
She quickly took off her lab coat and wrapped it around Kotori’s shoulders, buttoning it at the front. Noticing Leah staring at Kotori, she glared at her. “Eyes on the floor, kid!”  
  
“Sorry!” Leah squeaked, averting her eyes.   
  
Maki sighed as Rin puffed out her cheeks. “Where the hell is Hibiki when you need her?”  
  
“She’s still awake, drawing next to Nozomi-chan in the living room.” Rin’s voice brightened for a moment before she remembered she was trying to make a point. “Don’t distract me, nya! We have to help Kayo-chin. Tell her Kotori-chan.”  
  
Kotori lifted a hand to suppress a yawn. “Maki-chan, we have to help Hanayo.”  
  
“Kotori-chan!” Rin exclaimed in outrage. “You’re just saying what I told you to say.”  
  
“I’m tired.” Kotori walked the few steps to Maki’s desk and sat down in the chair, laying her head on her arms atop the table.   
  
“I’ll deal with Hanayo tomorrow. The kid can help me.” Maki nodded toward Leah whose eyes shot up from the floor. “It’ll be fine. Now everyone get out so I can take my fiance back to bed!”  
  
Leah looked surprised. “ _She’s_ your fiance?!”  
  
Maki narrowed her eyes. “Got a problem with that?”  
  
“N-No, it’s just she’s so…” Leah blushed as she glanced over at Kotori who was dozing on Maki’s desk. “And well, I just…”  
  
“Eyes to the FLOOR!” Maki demanded pointedly. She nodded in approval as Leah’s eyes dropped once more. “She’s taken. And she’s too old for you so don’t even think about it.”  
  
“I-I wasn’t thinking about it!” Leah exclaimed quickly even as she blushed brightly. “I was just...I wasn’t even looking. I just glanced! I-It’s not MY fault she didn’t have enough clothes on!”  
  
“Come on, Leah-chan.” Rin placed her hand on Leah’s shoulders and guided her toward the stairs. Together they walked up them. “It’s okay to have a little bit of a crush on Kotori-chan but you should know Maki-chan doesn’t like sharing. And you want her to teach you, right?”  
  
Leah nodded.   
  
“So you can’t get on her bad side!” Rin exclaimed brightly. “Kotori-chan has the best boobs though, right? Second after Hibiki of course.”  
  
Leah blushed once more and shrugged her shoulders.   
  
TBC  



	49. Chapter 49

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for the comments, hope you enjoy the chapter!

Eli walked into the living room, finding Nozomi sitting on the couch, engrossed in some magazines.    
  
“What are you so giddy about?” She asked dryly, noticing the smile on Nozomi’s face. “What are you reading?”   
  
“Huh?” Nozomi looked up, surprised to see Eli there. “Oh, I’m thinking about travelling after graduation. Well if we ever graduate.”   
  
“Really?”   
  
“Mmhm. With Senpai.” Nozomi answered brightly.    
  
Eli squeezed herself onto the couch next to Nozomi, resisting the urge to ask her best friend if she really needed so many magazines. “Oh now we’re getting to the juicy parts.”   
  
Nozomi raised an eyebrow. Eli’s voice lacked any real emotion. “You’re trying to look for a distraction.”   
  
Eli gave a short, sheepish laugh. “Am I that obvious?” She wasn’t surprised when Nozomi nodded. “I’ve just been thinking about Honoka and well...can you just stick to your relationship, please? Tell me what’s going on with you and Honoka’s future self.”   
  
Nozomi looked down, an uncharacteristically shy smile on her face. “She um...might have said she wants to marry me. In a roundabout way.”   
  
Eli was silent for a moment before she realized what Nozomi had said. “WHAT?!”   
  
“Shhh!” Nozomi exclaimed, looking up quickly. “I don’t want anyone else to know. It’s not going to happen anytime soon but when this is all over she said we should think about it. That she just wants to be with me.”   
  
Eli leaned in and caught Nozomi in a crushing hug. “I’m so happy for you. You deserve to be happy. And so does she.”   
  
Nozomi hugged Eli back, unable to fight back the smile on her face. It seemed like the future might not be so dark after all. She had something worth fighting for. “So do you, you know.” She finally said, drawing back a little. “You deserve to be happy too. Are you...happy with your Honoka?”

  
Eli’s lips drew down into a frown. “I love Honoka. Of course I’m happy with her.”   
  
“But something is wrong.” Nozomi said matter-of-factly. “We may not be dating anymore but I still know when something is bothering you. I still can’t block you out.”   
  
Eli was silent for a moment, staring at Nozomi’s shoulder. “Do you ever think about what it might have been like if we’d never broken up?”   
  
Nozomi was taken aback by the question. “What?”   
  
“If I’d let you take me back after what I did with Future Honoka. After I didn’t believe you.” Eli bit the inside of her cheek, guilt gnawing at her. “Do you think we would still be happy?”   
  
“Yes.” Nozomi answered softly. She gently grasped Eli’s hand. “But it’s not me you’re thinking about, is it?”   
  
Eli shrugged her shoulders. “It was in a way. I was thinking that...when I was with you, I was the only person you were in love with, right? And I only felt that way about you. I really do love Honoka. But it’s hard sometimes, being second best.”   
  
“Honoka-chan loves you.” Nozomi gently pointed out. “You’re not second best to anyone. The way my Honoka talks about her Eli...it’s obvious that she loved her more than anyone else. They’d have done anything for each other.”   
  
“She has Umi too though. I’m not complaining too much because I love Umi as my friend and I like her as more than that but Honoka - my Honoka is always going to love Umi more than she loves me.” Eli sighed and leaned forward. Planting her elbows on her knees she buried her head in her hands. “I know it’s stupid but I miss the feeling of being...alone with someone in a relationship sometimes.”   
  
Nozomi smiled broadly at the explanation. “Then make some time to be alone with her. Do something romantic. Well as romantic as you can, stuck in the house. I’m sure Umi-chan feels the same way about you sometimes. You just need to make some time to be alone with her and some time for all three of you to be together so you can learn how to be...together. All three of you.”   
  
Eli felt a weight lift from her shoulders and she smiled warmly before hugging Nozomi once more. “You’re not going to leave me forever when you go off with Future Honoka, are you?” She joked meekly. “I need you around.”   
  
“I’ll always be here for you.” Nozomi playfully kissed Eli’s cheek and drew away. “What are you waiting for? Go and sweep Honoka-chan off her feet. I know you can do it.”   
  
“Right.” Eli got to her feet, much more optimistic than when she’d first gotten to the living room. She was about to race out of the room when she paused, glancing back to Nozomi. “Nozomi? You know you can talk to me about anything too, right? I feel like lately everyone is using you as some kind of therapist.”   
  
“You’re my friends. You’re not using me.” Nozomi disagreed with a shake of her head. “Thank you, Elichi. If I have a problem you’ll be the first person I come to.”   
  
Eli nodded and satisfied with the answer, rushed out of the room.    
  
\-----

 

Rin was surprised when she woke to a completely dark room. Usually she managed to sleep right through the night, no matter what was on her mind. It took her a moment to figure out what had woken her but she soon noticed that she could hear sniffling and a second later noticed that Hibiki was clinging tightly to her.    
  
“Hibiki?” Rin’s voice came out rough from sleep and she cleared her throat before speaking again. “Are you okay?”   
  
“I don’t want to die.” Hibiki whimpered, her face buried against Rin’s shoulder. “I-I know I deserve it. I killed mama because o-of the ability transfer and I-I know I’m cursed and deserve death but I don’t want to  _ die _ !”   
  
Rin’s eyes widened in surprise. “Y-You’re not cursed, nya! And why would y-” She trailed off, realizing what Hibiki was talking about. “I won’t let Kayo-chin touch you, I promise. She doesn’t hate you, she’s just...sick. She doesn’t know what she’s doing.”   
  
“That  _ thing _ inside her wants to kill me though. It hates me.” Hibiki lifted her head to reveal teary eyes. “All I did was try to talk to her today and she tried to kill me.”   
  
“I won’t let her.” Rin said firmly as she turned onto her side and hugged Hibiki tightly.    
  
Hibiki shook her head. “You can’t stop her, she’s too strong.”   
  
“Yes, I can.” Rin’s voice hardened slightly as she spoke. “I’m going to do whatever it takes to get  _ my _ Kayo-chin back. We’re going to get that thing out of her. The real Kayo-chin would really like you, I promise. You make me happy and she wants me to be happy just like I want her to be.”   
  
Hibiki blinked back her tears. “She hated me as soon as I got here though. It’s not just her parasite that hates me, she does too. Or she doesn’t trust me, at least.”   
  
“She’s just careful, nya.” Rin disagreed with a shake of her head. She hugged Hibiki closer and kissed her forehead. “I won’t let anything happen to you. You have other people protecting you too. Honoka-chan’s future self and Raven-kun.”   
  
“I heard you arguing with your other friend today.” Hibiki mumbled, refusing to meet Rin’s eyes. “Maki. She doesn’t like me either after what I did to her when her girlfriend was missing.”   
  
“Maki-chan is neutral. She’s that way with Raven-kun too and now Leah-chan as well.” Rin argued hurriedly. “She doesn’t like new people, that’s all. Don’t worry, once this is all over Kayo-chin will come around. I promise.”   
  
“Okay.” Hibiki seemed to calm down as Rin patiently stroked her hair. “I’m sorry I woke you.”   
  
Rin gave a gentle laugh at that. “You don’t have to be sorry. You should have woke me sooner.”   
  
“Rin.” Hibiki sounded suddenly serious and Rin looked down in surprise. “Can you...kiss me?”   
  
Rin was silent but she shifted so that she was leaning over Hibiki, looking down at her. She brushed her fingers lightly over Hibiki’s flushed cheek and slowly leaned down until she could press their lips gently together. She let herself linger, feeling Hibiki’s lips moving lightly against her own but finally eased back. “Better?”   
  
“It’s not enough.” Hibiki whispered, noticing her hand had lifted to rest on Rin’s arm.    
  
“O-Okay, um…” Rin trailed off, looking unsure.    
  
“I-It’s fine, I guess I’m a little less innocent...sorry.” Hibiki blushed, averting her eyes from Rin’s once more. “Ugh, stupid Nozomi. Putting ideas in my head.”   
  
Rin tilted her head as she looked down at Hibiki. “Huh?”   
  
Hibiki snuck a glance at Rin, her lips turning up automatically at the confusion on Rin’s face. “I-I want to kiss you forever, Rin. I want to do more than that, I-I want to touch you and feel your skin on mine and...I want you to do the same. You must think I’m perverted but I’ve dreamed of you for so long and after today, I don’t want to miss my chance. Nozomi is right about one thing. I can’t hide my desire. I’m sorry.”   
  
Rin’s face turned a brighter red than Hibiki had ever seen it, visible even in the darkened room. Still, Rin replied smoothly. “Neither can I.”   
  
Hibiki looked away, blushing at the desire in Rin’s eyes. “Uh...um…” Her heart raced in her chest and she struggled to find words.    
  
“Did I say the wrong thing?!” Rin exclaimed hurriedly. “Did I break the mood, nya?! I’m sorry, Hibiki, it’s just I want you like that too and it’s so new and strange and I thought that maybe I should tell you the truth because you said it first a-and I don’t want you to run away!”   
  
“I can’t.” Hibiki said with a small smile. “You’d catch me.”   
  
Rin blushed but when Hibiki broke into laughter she couldn’t help but laugh along with her. Their laughter died down after a moment and Rin reached out, innocently playing with the collar of the shirt Hibiki was wearing. “So um...what do we do now?”   
  
“Um...cuddle?” Hibiki suggested, feeling a little embarrassed at saying that. Still she had learned to enjoy it.   
  
Rin beamed and lay down next to Hibiki, her arm going around her waist. “We should sleep. I have training tomorrow.”   
  
Hibiki hummed in response. “Goodnight, Rin.”   
  
“Goodnight, Hibiki.”   
  
\------   
  
“So why were you in the facility?” Hanayo asked suddenly, her question catching Raven by surprise. “Did you choose to go there or…?”   
  
He stared at her for a moment before he realized what she was doing. She was trying to distract herself. They’d had another close call earlier, when they’d heard Rin and Hibiki passing in the hall. The couple had paused outside of the room for a moment and they’d been able to hear them talking quite clearly. It had incensed Hanayo and for a moment, her eyes had glowed purple until Raven had gripped her hand, hard. He was still holding onto it now, perched on the bed next to her but his grip was lighter now.    
  
He cleared his throat. “No. I was taken when I was younger. Maybe seven or eight. I’m not sure.” His brow furrowed slightly as he tried to remember. “My sister was taken too, at the same time as me.”   
  
“Where is she now?” Hanayo asked curiously, carefully watching his face for any reaction.    
  
“She’s dead. Sonoda had her killed I think. She told me that when they had Kotori locked up.” Raven glanced down at their hands. Her smaller one fit neatly into his larger hand and he took a moment to notice the way her fingers gripped his hand back. “I only stayed there to make sure she was safe. Sonoda said that if I worked for her, Itsuki would be safe..”   
  
“I’m sorry.” Hanayo hoped she sounded sincere. She was but she didn’t trust herself with the parasite inside of her. “Do you have anyone else?”   
  
“My parents are dead. I had an older sister but she’s...I don’t know where she is. She was staying with her dad when me and Itsuki were taken.” Raven explained without hesitation. He gave a humorless laugh after. “When I first got here, I thought I saw her. She looks a lot like your friend, Maki. Or I imagine she would. She had the same color hair.”

 

“I don’t know where my parents are now. I haven’t been able to see them in a while.” Hanayo said softly, figuring she should offer something about herself too. “And I didn’t have any siblings. Rin-chan was the closest thing I... _ is  _ the closest thing I have to a sibling.”   
  
Raven opened his mouth to reply but he was abruptly cut off by the door flying open. He jumped slightly and looked toward it, finding a girl standing in the doorway. He recognized her as the invulnerable girl from the group but he couldn’t pinpoint her name.    
  
“Nico!” Hanayo exclaimed, providing him with his answer. “What are you doing here?”   
  
Nico stepped further into the room, frowning at their joined hands. “Nozomi told me. Well after I cornered her. She said you had your...calm buddy. What’s with the hand holding?”   
  
Raven decided it best for him not to answer and looked to Hanayo, waiting for her to do it instead.    
  
“It calms me down. His ability relaxes me...or something.” Hanayo explained, a little confused herself. She looked to Raven. “Do you know how it works?”   
  
Raven shrugged. “No idea.”   
  
“Right.” Nico paused a few steps away, crossing her arms in front of her chest. “Why didn’t you tell me what was going on?”   
  
“I’ve been here all night. You didn’t even come back to our room.” Hanayo frowned at Nico. “When was I meant to tell you?”   
  
“After you tried to pull that girl’s heart out!” Nico exclaimed, verging on yelling. “You should have come to me THEN, Hanayo!”   
  
“Um, I should really go…” Raven tried to stand up only to be tugged back down by Hanayo.    
  
“Oh no, you’re staying!” Nico glanced briefly toward him but soon turned her attention to Hanayo. “What were you thinking?! I should have been the first person you told!”   
  
“Technically I haven’t  _ told _ anyone…”   
  
“HANAYO!” Nico barked back in response. “It doesn’t matter. You’re supposed to trust me, I’m mean to be your damn…”   
  
“What? Girlfriend?!” Hanayo growled, anger coursing through her. She wasn’t sure it was her own. Usually she didn’t feel anger toward Nico. “How am I supposed to think of you that way when you’re still in love with someone who’s engaged?”   
  


Nico was taken aback by the accusation. “You know this isn’t easy for me! I do like you, Hanayo. I’m trying to move on from her. It’s not like I’m ever going to be with her now that she has Kotori. Why would you even care that I like her?”   
  
Raven cringed. He really shouldn’t be hearing this. “You know Kotori is my friend, right? I should pro-”   
  
“You mean you’re in love with her. You don’t  _ like _ her, you’re in love with her.” Hanayo scowled, gripping the hand holding onto hers as tightly as she could. She was angry and upset but a part of her knew she had to keep control.    
  
“So what?” Nico asked, shaking her head. “I can move on, Hanayo. I’m trying to move on.”   
  
“IT’S NOT GOOD ENOUGH!” Hanayo’s voice rose to a yell, silencing Nico’s next comment. “I want what Rin-chan has! You see it, even if I hate Hibiki, she’s in love with Rin. You’re never going to love me like you love Maki, are you?”   
  
“I-I don’t know.” Nico’s voice weakened.    
  
“Everyone has someone.” Hanayo seemed to calm down too, faced with Nico’s uncertainty. “And all I have is a friend with benefits. I want more.”   
  
“And you don’t think I can give you more.” Nico hesitated for a moment before she walked over to the bed, sitting down on the edge on Hanayo’s other side. She grasped her free hand. “Listen, let’s not argue, okay? I’m trying. I’m really trying to be better for you but you’re right, I am still in love with Maki. I don’t want to be. That has to count for something, right?”   
  
Hanayo shrugged her shoulders.    
  
Raven grimaced at the fact that he was listening to their private conversation. “I’m going to give you two some time alone.” He said, sliding his hand away from Hanayo’s looser grip. “I’ll come back tonight to check on you.”   
  
“Wait, but…” Hanayo sighed as he turned and left the room quickly. She supposed he would be back though, like he said he would. He seemed fairly dependable. “I’m sorry I said that stuff about Maki…”   
  
Nico shrugged. “It’s fine. You were right, I do need to get over her. I’m trying, okay? Just give me some time.”   
  
Hanayo nodded silently.    
  
\----   
  
Leah gritted her teeth as she got to her feet. She wanted to be trained by Maki but the telepath was much stronger than her. Even with Maki holding back Leah was no match for her. “A-Again.”   
  
Maki focused on Leah once more, forcing her way into the younger girl’s head and sending her to her knees. She was about to stop what she was doing when Leah immediately bounced back to her feet. The girl didn’t have to ask her to repeat the attack. Maki did so anyway, focusing on fooling Leah into thinking the room was spinning around her. This time though, Leah fought through it, rejecting the illusion Maki tried to force on her.    
  
“Good.” Maki said with an approving nod, relenting. “Now let’s see if you can block this.”   
  
“W-Why are you attacking me?” Leah asked, out of breath. She leaned over, placing her hands on her knees.    
  
“The first thing you need to learn is how to block.” Maki answered firmly. “You need to expand your mind. If you lose your thinking process your head will be full of peoples’ thoughts. It’s going to be vulnerable to other ability users. Telepaths are supposed to be the highest in the chain. Act like it.”   
  
“Don’t be so hard on her, Maki-chan.” Kotori’s voice sounded from the stairs and both Maki and Leah turned to look in that direction.    
  
“I brought you two some lunch.” Kotori said as she reached the bottom step. She walked toward Maki, kissing her briefly on the way past and placed a tray down on her desk.    
  
Maki growled under her breath as she noticed Leah staring at Kotori’s chest. “ _ Stop staring at her boobs!” _ She exclaimed telepathically, causing Leah to jump.    
  
_ “S-Sorry!” _   
  
Kotori turned toward the two of them, confused when neither of them answered her. The smile that had lingered on her lips slipped away when she noticed they both looked a little awkward. “Oh, did I interrupt something?”   
  
“You’re hot.” Maki pointed out, turning toward her. She didn’t miss the surprise that flashed across Kotori’s face. “She’s a teenager. I feel like Yume-san now…”   
  
Kotori quirked an eyebrow before she noticed the girl in question looked at the floor, her face red right to the tips of her ears. “So I have an admirer. Don’t tease her, Maki-chan.” She stepped toward Leah and curling an arm around her shoulders, drew her close to her side. “I think it’s cute.”   
  
Leah squeaked in surprise while Maki gritted her teeth. “K-Kotori-san!”   
  
“Are you seriously jealous of her Maki-chan?” Kotori grinned at her annoyed looking fiance. “You know I like cute things.”   
  
“I-I’M cute!”   
  
Leah snorted in disbelief, momentarily distracted from Kotori. “Did you really just call  _ yourself _ cute?”   
  
“I think you are, Maki-chan. You’re an adorable sensei.” Kotori disagreed, loosening her grip on Leah. “It just helps that you have an equally adorable student.”   
  
“Equally?!” Maki exclaimed in outrage.    
  
Kotori laughed softly. “She could be like our daughter. Honoka has Yuki, we can adopt Leah-chan, can’t we?”   
  
“WHAT?!” Maki and Leah exclaimed at the same time. It was Maki who continued though. “She has a thing for you. That’s weird, Kotori.”   
  
Kotori fondly rolled her eyes. “I was kidding. I still think it’s cute though.”   
  
Leah smiled stupidly at the comment before she turned to Maki and stuck her tongue out at her.    
  
“Little brat.” Maki muttered under her breath, crossing her arms. “We’ll talk about this later, Kotori. In private.”   
  
Leah rolled her eyes while Kotori just smirked.    
  
“Really?”   
  
Leah didn’t wait to hear the answer to that. She pulled away from Kotori and raised herself to full height. “Give me all you’ve got, Nishikino-sensei. I will learn from you.”   
  
Kotori glanced briefly at Maki before she excused herself and headed toward the stairs, leaving the two to train.    
  
\-------   
  
Chika opened the door of the training room, gasping when she felt a forceful gust of wind that almost knocked her back. Shielding her face with her arm, she walked into the training room only to see another person standing in the middle of it. “HEY!”   
  
The person noticed her and the wind died down immediately. “Sorry, I-I didn’t know anyone else would be here. I’m Kazuno Sarah. I’m with my sister Leah and Ruby and Dia from the other group?”   
  
“Takami Chika.” Chika introduced herself.    
  
Sarah perked up slightly. “You’re the leader of Dia’s group!”   
  
Chika nodded in response. “And you’re the one who destroyed the Hokkaido facility. I’ve heard about you.”   
  
“I prefer to think of it as...liberating the orphans there.” Sarah said with a shrug of her shoulders. “I was hoping to meet you. And the other leader. Um…”   
  
“Honoka-chan.” Chika clarified when Sarah trailed off, frowning. “I think she’s been busy with Yuki recently. That’s her...well she and her girlfriends kind of adopted her.”   
  
“Girlfriends as in plural?” Sarah asked in surprise raising an eyebrow. “Wow. I can’t even get one girlfriend.”   
  
Chika laughed at that. “That’s what I said when I found out! Though I have You-chan now. But Kanan-chan is cute too...”   
  
“Damn, I need to get my own two girls.” Sarah said, smiling broadly. “I mean I’m a leader too so…”   
  
“Mari-chan is single, I think.” Chika said, remembering how Kanan had told her there was nothing going on between her and Mari.    
  
“Um...let’s steer away from that.” Sarah said sheepishly. She was sure there was something between Dia and the blonde. “So what’s your ability?”   
  
Chika narrowed her eyes. “What’s yours?”   
  
Sarah gave a light laugh. “You have to guess, Chika-san.”   
  
“Um…” Chika frowned, trying to remember what Dia had told her. “Aerokinetic?”   
  
Sarah looked smug. “Nope.”   
  
“But the wind…”   
  
“Oh that? Check this out.” Sarah pointed to the ceiling and concentrated intently. The area around them started to become foggy and suddenly a lightning bolt struck between the two of them.    
  
Chika shrieked in surprise. “Uh...Electric?”   
  
“No.” Sarah shook her head and moved her hands up at either side.    
  
Chika’s eyes widened as she felt herself become too hot. “Thermokinetic?”   
  
Sarah shook her head. “Close.”   
  
“Wait, wait...you can control the weather!” Chika waited for a nod before she beamed in victory. “That’s so cool!”   
  
Sarah nonchalantly shrugged her shoulders but she looked a little proud of the fact that she’d managed to impress Chika. “So what’s yours?”   
  
“I can learn abilities. So right now I know...yours because I just watched it. At the minute I also have You-chan’s super strength, Ruby-chan’s sonic waves, Dia-chan’s memory enhance, Eli-chan’s fire ability and Umi-chan’s hyperkinesis. I used to have invisibility and hydrokinesis but well...after taking yours Kotori-chan’s is gone and Dia-chan’s ability wrote over Kanan-chan’s.”   
  
“Wow.” Sarah looked stunned. “So I guess you’re the one everyone talks about, huh? The most powerful ability user.”   
  
“Ah, I don’t know about that.” Chika said with a sheepish shake of her head. “I can’t get passive abilities. Like I wouldn’t be able to take your sister’s ability. Maki-chan is quite powerful. Maybe she’s the strongest.”   
  
“That’s the girl who’s teaching Leah.” Sarah said thoughtfully. She hadn’t met Maki herself yet but Leah seemed excited to be trained by her. “Leah sucks at her ability. For someone who can control all mechanisms of the mind, she sure is clumsy doing it. Hopefully Maki can teach her. What was she like before?”   
  
“Uh...I don’t know a lot about her. But she was a prodigy. She’s a Nishikino.”   
  
“A NISHIKINO?! You’re telling me one of the girl’s here is one of the FOUNDERS grandchild?!”   
  
“Yeah.” Chika said with a light laugh. “We also have a Sonoda.”   
  
Sarah shook her head in shock. “Wha…?”   
  
“Let’s fight, Sarah-san!” Chika said brightly. It had been a while since she had sparred with someone. “I’ll use one ability at a time. And then we can try with all of them.”   
  
“I guess it will be like fighting six different people…” Sarah said thoughtfully. “Could be fun. Let’s do it then.”   
  
Chika beamed in response, feeling lighter than she had before she’d entered the room as she threw herself into the fights to distract herself.    
  
\------   
  
_ “HONOKA!” Eli heard Umi’s yelling and looked up from her father’s body on the floor. It felt like her heart stopped in her chest when she saw Honoka, a knife protruding from her chest. “HONOKA, NO!”  _

 

_ She wanted to move, she wanted to run to Honoka but it was like her feet were glued to the ground. Her body felt icy and she wasn’t sure she was even breathing.  _

 

_ “U-Umi-chan…” Honoka barely managed to gasp out.  _

 

_ “I’m here.” Umi said hurriedly, her eyes brimming with tears. Eli saw her desperately apply pressure to the wound but there was too much blood.  _

 

_ “Y-Yuk…” Honoka trailed off before she could get her words out.  _

 

_ Umi looked back to Honoka. “No, NO!” _

 

_ “Get out of the way!” Nico fell to her knees next to Honoka and shoved Umi to the side. She slid a knife from her belt and holding out her arm, dug it into her wrist. Tearing open Honoka’s shirt she spilled her blood into the girl’s wound. “Come on, come on...shit! Someone get me something to inject her! RIN!”  _

 

_ Nico’s hair blew up with a gust of wind as Rin reached her. She found a needle and syringe being pushed into her hand and took it, jabbing the needle into her arm.  _

 

_ “I’ll do it.” Maki crouched next to Nico and quickly drew her blood before she leaned past her, jabbing the needle into Honoka’s arm. She injected it quickly and tossed the needle to the side.  _

 

_ “Anju, fall back!”  _

 

_ Eli finally spurred herself to move on trembling legs. She fell to her knees next to Umi and grasped her tightly from behind, holding her to her with an arm across her chest.  _ _   
_ _   
_ _ “It’s going to work, right?!” Umi asked desperately, clutching Eli’s arm as tightly as she could. Tears streaked down her cheeks, unrelenting. “NICO!”  _

 

_ Nico waited a moment but when nothing happened she looked to Maki in confusion. It had worked when Umi had needed her blood. “Maki.”  _

 

_ Maki’s lip trembled, her eyes damp as she slumped back. She shook her head. “She’s dead. You can’t bring back the dead.”  _

 

_ Suddenly, the room was deadly silent. Not even Tsubasa and Anju were speaking, nor were they attacking. Eli felt like she’d been punched hard in the stomach. She didn’t feel like she had any breath nor the willpower to breathe even if she could. Honoka was gone. She’d died right in front of her.  _ _   
  
_

_ “No…” Nozomi whispered, stumbling back. Eli vaguely heard her speaking but she couldn’t think beyong the pounding in her ears. “How...if Honoka-chan is dead how are you still here? She...She can’t be dead! Maki-chan, she can’t be! Her future self is still here. She has to be alive!”  _

 

_ “It doesn’t work like that.” Maki rasped. Eli felt Umi collapse forward and her arm fell to her side. “It’s...the timelines have changed. The multiverse…”  _

 

_ “SHUT up!” Nico ordered loudly. She leaned over Honoka, desperately pouring as much blood as she could into the wound. “Damn it, work!”  _

 

_ “Honoka-chan can’t be gone, nya! You have to do something, Maki-chan!”  _

 

_ “I-I can’t…”  _ _   
_ _   
_ _ “DAMN IT!” Nico growled furiously. “What the hell is the use of this ability if I can’t fucking save ANYONE?!”  _ _   
_ _   
_ _ Eli heard Maki respond and the fact that Honoka was dead hit her completely. She would never see her again. She’d never hear her laugh or kiss her again. All because of Anju. She felt a wave of heat wash over her, anger replacing her grief. Numbly she got to her feet and ignoring Maki’s protests, she walked over to Anju, easily knocking Tsubasa out of her way. When she reached Anju she curled a hand around the girl’s throat and squeezed.  _ _   
_ _   
_ _ She didn’t smell the burning of flesh but she felt the girl’s fight leave her, felt the life drain away from her. When Anju stopped screaming she dropped her body.  _ _   
_ _   
_ _ She didn’t know what to do after that. Rage still coursed through her but her grief was back, stronger than ever. Honoka was gone and she wasn’t coming back. Eli wasn’t aware of the conversation around her. She could feel her flesh burning, skin peeling from her arms. It hurt a lot but nothing hurt more than the ache in her chest. Pain was all she could focus on until suddenly her stupr was broken as arms went around her.  _

 

_ “I’m here.” Umi’s voice whispered soothingly. “I’m with you, Eli. Please come back to me. I can’t do this alone. Please.”  _

 

_ “She’s gone.” Eli’s voice was numb, her body still tensed. “What’s the point? Honoka’s dead.”  _

 

_ “I don’t know.” Umi said tearfully, pressing her face into Eli’s shoulder.“She wouldn’t want this. She wouldn’t want you to destroy yourself. And Yuki needs us. I need you. Arisa needs you.”  _

 

_ Eli’s flames disappeared suddenly and then her anger was gone. With an anguished cry, she collapsed forward against Umi, sending them both to their knees. _ _   
_ _   
_ Eli’s eyes snapped open and she shot up into a sitting position in bed, her chest heaving.    
  
“Onee-chan?!” Arisa was next to her, a worried look on her face. “Did you have a nightmare? You were talking in your sleep and crying a-and I couldn’t wake you!”   
  
Eli numbly reached up, feeling tears on her cheeks. “I-I’m fine. I-I have to go.” She was overwhelmed suddenly with the urge to see Honoka. She needed to make sure she was okay. Before she could get out of bed though the door flew open and she looked up to find Honoka standing in the doorway.    
  
“E-Eli-senpai?” Honoka’s voice was small and Eli noticed tears drying on her cheeks. When she found Eli sitting up, Honoka bolted toward her, clambering onto the bed. She threw her arms around Eli’s shoulders and sobbed into her chest. “I-I had a dream, it was so real, I…”

  
Arisa’s brow furrowed as Honoka trailed off. “That’s strange. You had…”   
  
“Arisa, can you go and sleep with Nozomi and Future Honoka for the rest of the night, please?” Eli looked up, an apologetic look on her face. “I’m sorry.”   
  
Arisa sighed but nodded her head. She got out of bed and made her way to the door.    
  
“Knock before you go in.” Eli warned as an afterthought. She didn’t want her sister to end up traumatized after all. She waited until Arisa left before she lay back on the bed, drawing Honoka with her. She remembered her own dream, vividly. “Can you tell me what happened?”   
  
Honoka’s sobbing had subsided somewhat, allowing her to answer. “I-I died and y-you were on fire. I saw your skin peeling when you burned yourself. I-It was horrible.”   
  
Eli’s stomach sank when Honoka replied. She wondered if it was some kind of warning. She held Honoka close and kissed the top of her head, her stomach fluttering with apprehension. “It was just a dream.” She said softly, her voice trembling. She wished it was just a dream but how could it be when they’d both had it? “Nothing’s going to happen to you, I promise.”   
  
\-----   
  
Arisa didn’t pause to knock on Nozomi’s door. She walked right in and closed the door behind her only remembering that she was meant to knock when she was a couple of feet into the room. She stopped in the darkened room. It seemed that Future Honoka and Nozomi were asleep already.    
  
“Um…” She spoke hesitantly, wondering if she should call out to them.    
  
“Arisa-chan?” One of the figures under the blankets moved and Nozomi sat up, squinting at her. “What’s wrong?”   
  
“Ah, Onee-chan told me to come and sleep with you and Kousaka-san.” Arisa answered awkwardly, shifting from foot to foot.    
  
“Stop calling me Kousaka. It’s Honoka.” Honoka grumbled from under the blankets. Her hand emerged and she patted the bed. “Come on, get in.”   
  
Arisa perked up at the invitation and moved quickly to the bed, crawling under the covers between Honoka and Nozomi.    
  


Nozomi settled back down when Arisa was situated. She had just been on the verge of sleep when the door had opened. “Why can’t you sleep with Elichi?”   
  
“She had a nightmare. She was yelling and crying in her sleep.” Arisa frowned as she remembered that. “I tried to wake her up but I couldn’t.”   
  
Nozomi glanced at Honoka who looked troubled. She could tell Honoka wanted to go to Eli but before she could tell her to go ahead, Arisa continued.    
  
“Then Honoka-san came in and said she had a nightmare too. It was odd.” Arisa shrugged her shoulders. “She was crying too. That was when Onee-chan said I should come in here and sleep with you. Uh...I overheard on the way out that Honoka-san had a dream about dying. It’s strange, I think that was what Onee-chan was dreaming about...”   
  
Honoka shared a look with Nozomi. “We have a problem.”   
  
“Problem?” Arisa echoed, worried. “Why? Onee-chan and Honoka-san are okay, aren’t they? It was just a nightmare.”   
  
“Nothing you need to worry about.” Honoka answered. She spoke again though, her gaze fixed on Nozomi. “I think Rin coming back tore the time space continuum. That’s a real problem.”   
  
“What does that mean?” Nozomi asked while Arisa sighed and sank down in the bed.    
  
“The timelines are going to meld. Unless we can offer what it wants.” Honoka noticed the confusion on Nozomi’s face and continued. “Imagine it’s a living being. It has a mind and thoughts but it’s not... _ exactly _ living. It exists to preserve time and fix any...mistakes. So we’d have to offer something to it.”   
  
Nozomi felt her stomach sink in dread. “Like you?”   
  
Honoka glanced down, relieved to find Arisa had dozed off. “Like...my past self. She was meant to die and Riko taking her place wasn’t enough. She’s supposed to be dead, Nozomi. I knew this would be risky but I didn’t think it would get so bad that they both dream of it.”   
  
“But Honoka-chan can’t die.” Nozomi said, her voice shaky. “W-What about you? You came back to save us all. Isn’t that going to cause some kind of tear or something?”   
  
“No, it’s ah...complicated.” Honoka said with a slight wince. “I know you don’t want Honoka to die but imagine my timeline colliding with yours. Or different alternative timelines. Different earths. It would be complete chaos.”   
  
Nozomi looked up. “We can do this. W-What if we offer someone else?”   
  
“Like...Rin?” Honoka murmured, her stomach sinking at the thought. She would never be able to let that happen. Rin was to blame for the situation but Honoka would never let her deal with the consequences. “No. But there might be a way…”   
  
Nozomi looked hopeful. “What? What is it?”   
  
“She isn’t the only Honoka in this timeline.” Honoka pointed out quietly. “It shouldn’t make a difference which of us goes into the continuum.”   
  
Nozomi’s eyes widened. “NO!”   
  
“Shhh!” Honoka hissed as Arisa shifted in her sleep. She sighed when Nozomi’s lip trembled. As much as she wanted to sleep on her idea she knew Nozomi would want to talk about it. She nodded toward the door and made her way out of the room. Nozomi followed her a moment later until they both stood in the hallway, shivering against the cold air. “Nozomi…”   
  
“You can’t do this!” Nozomi grasped Honoka’s hands and stared at her pleadingly. “I’m not going to give you up. Please. Let me be selfish, let me just have ONE thing. There has to be another way.”   
  
“Nozomi, I can’t…” Honoka gasped as the door to her bedroom was suddenly flung open. Arisa sprinted past. “Arisa?!”   
  
“I have to go! It’s Yukiho-chan!” Arisa called over her shoulder. “I can sense Yukiho-chan!”   
  
Nozomi and Honoka shared a look before they took off running after Arisa.    
  
\-----   
  
Yukiho was running through the ruined streets of Akihabara when everything seemed to fade to black. It lasted a second. Yukiho blinked and then everything was back to normal. Or not exactly back to normal. Back to how it had been years ago. She skidded to a halt, feeling Nico run into her back. They had been running after an injured agent, wanting to take him in for questioning.    
  
“Are you...seeing what I’m seeing?”   
  
“Yeah.” Nico responded warily, looking around. Gone were the crumbling, abandoned buildings and the empty streets. Now they found themselves in the middle of the old Akihabara. “What the hell…?”   
  
“Nico-chan, look!” Yukiho grasped Nico’s hand and pointed to the sky.    
  
Nico looked up, seeing a tear that faded away within second. “What the hell?” She repeated, shaking her head. She didn’t know anyone who could cause something like that to happen. “It’s like we’re back in time or something. Before the virus was released…”   
  
Yukiho turned in a slow circle, taking everything in. “It could be an illusion.” She suggested warily. “Maybe Tsubasa found a new ability.”   
  
Nico flinched at the name. She still had nightmares about what Tsubasa, Anju and Erena had done to her friends. “I don’t think so. It feels too real. Hey, you!” She stepped to the right in front of a young man walking down the street. He skidded to a halt, his eyes wide in surprise. “What year is it?”   
  
“Uh...2013!”   
  
“See?” Nico turned to Yukiho, smirking. “You were saying?”   
  
“Yeah, yeah…” Yukiho muttered, rolling her eyes. “But how is this possible?”   
  
“There! Yukiho-chan!”    
  
Yukiho’s eyes widened when she spotted the blonde approaching her. It couldn’t be who she thought it was.    
  
“Arisa-chan, that girl is like eighteen.” Nozomi, who was running with Arisa, just behind her pointed out. Honoka was a couple of steps away.    
  
“No, it’s Yukiho-chan!”   
  
Yukiho gasped as Arisa flung herself into her arms. As stunned as she was she couldn’t help but hug her back, desperately, moisture gathering in the corners of her eyes.    
  
TBC.    



	50. Chapter 50

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for the comments, hope you guys enjoy this chapter!

Honoka and Nico’s eyes met for a moment before Honoka strode forward, grabbing Nico’s wrist with one hand and placing the other on Arisa’s shoulder. She felt Nozomi grab onto her an teleported them to the bedroom she shared with Nozomi.    
  
Suddenly she felt Nico seize her shirt and she was shoved back into a wall, hitting it hard enough to cause her head to spin.    
  
“What the fuck did you do?!” Nico snarled angrily. “I told you to fix this!”   
  
Nozomi stepped forward, ready to jump in but Honoka held up a hand to stop her. “Don’t come near her, Nozomi. She’s not the same Nico-chan you know.”   
  
“Are you  _ crazy?!  _ As if I would do anything to her! _ ” _ Nico growled and finally released Honoka, stepping away. Throwing up her hands in exasperation she stalked over to the window.    
  
“So um...this is the Nico from your future?” Nozomi checked, hoping she was following along with what was happening. “The one that lost all of her friends?”   
  
“Yeah.”   
  
“She doesn’t seem very happy to see you. Even for Nico-chan.” Nozomi observed, surprised that Nico seemed so angry with Honoka.    
  
“Yeah, well I guess someone forgot that they practically forced me to go back in time and didn’t bother trying to come with me.” Honoka said bitterly, earning herself a glare from Nico.    
  
“You told me she was dead.” Yukiho said, suddenly realizing that Honoka shouldn’t even be there.    
  
Nico’s expression changed briefly before she forced herself to look stoic once more. “Well she may as well have been with all the use she was.”   
  
“Watch your mouth.” Nozomi warned angrily, grabbing Honoka’s hand.    
  
“Why aren’t you with Eli anyway?” Nico asked, glancing between the two of them. “Oh no...really? REALLY? You two?! Aren’t you in love with Eli, Honoka?”   
  
Honoka took a step back, her mouth opening but no words coming out. Despite her best efforts memories of her Eli came rushing back to her. Memories she tried to keep from the forefront of her mind. “I…”   
  
“You what?” Nico asked, a sharp edge to her voice. “You changed your mind like you did with Kotori?”   
  
Nozomi felt Honoka grip her hand hard. She didn’t need to look at her girlfriend to know the impact that accusation would have had on her. “I’m warning you, Nico.”   
  
“Warning me?” Nico’s eyes softened slightly as she looked toward Nozomi. “Warning me about what?”   
  
“Honoka-chan and I are together because I love her and she loves me. You don’t get to judge us for our relationship when you don’t know what you’re talking about.” Nozomi said firmly, squeezing Honoka’s hand. “You especially don’t get to talk to her about Elichi and Kotori. Don’t ever think I’ll let you do that.”   
  
Nico shook her head. “Let me? What are you going to do?”   
  
“I can make you hurt. You know I can.” Nozomi glanced at Future Honoka who was staring at the floor.    
  
“I stopped taking my meds a long time ago. I don’t feel anything, Nozomi. Unless she’s…” Nico trailed off, an odd look crossing her face. “Maki is alive here, isn’t she?”   
  
Honoka nodded her head. “She is alive. You’re not going to like it though. Nico, my...my past self isn’t with Kotori-chan.”   
  
“Ah, she finally got her then…” Nico finally smiled, soft and genuine. “At least she’s happy.”   
  
“They’re actually engaged now.” Honoka said quietly. She swallowed thickly and took a small step forward. She couldn’t cower from her past forever. “I’m sorry, Nico-chan. I know I screwed everything up. I was trying so hard to fix everything like you said and I just kept making a mess. I couldn’t...I couldn’t think properly after watching everyone die. And now Maki-chan is with someone else and I know you love her a-and I’m sorry. I really…”   
  
“Honoka, shut up.” Nico’s voice was firm but it wasn’t as cold as it had been a moment ago. “I was out of line, I’m sorry. It’s just these last months have been stressful for me.” She glanced at Yukiho who had guided Arisa away from them to quietly speak to her. “I’m still bitter about you not coming back but I’m glad Maki is happy. I don’t want her to become like ours. What about Umi? What happened to her?”   
  
“She’s still with us. She’s on our side. She always was, she was just...protecting me from Sonoda.” Honoka answered quietly.    
  
“I don’t think you really messed up a lot.” Nico told Honoka with a shake of her head. “I always thought Umi had a reason for the things she did. It pissed me off that she hurt you so badly though. But now you need to answer me, Honoka. What the hell is happening?”   
  
Honoka bit her lip. “Someone else went into the space time continuum and caused a space time distortion.”   
  
“Your past self.” Nico assumed with a roll of her eyes.    
  
“No. Rin-chan. She ran too fast.”   
  
Nico sighed. “So what do we do then?”   
  
“We need to tell the adults the truth. But first we need to get Rin and Hibiki.” Honoka looked at Nozomi for confirmation and the girl nodded.    
  
“Hibiki?”   
  
“She’s...an ability user.” Honoka said carefully. “There are A LOT of people here, Nico. And there’s a lot I have to tell you.”   
  
“Peachy, hit me then.”   
  
“Uh...Rin-chan has a girlfriend. That’s Hibiki. There’s another group called Aqours here. My past self is dating Eli and Umi and they have a kid now. Yukiho is...dead. And…”   
  
“Whoa, what?!” Yukiho turned her attention away from her conversation with Arisa, her eyes wide. The blonde hadn’t told her that. “Did you just say I’m...I’m dead? How? What killed me?”   
  
“You um...died saving Arisa-chan.” Honoka said nervously, glancing at Yukiho. As much as she wanted to grab her younger sister in a fierce hug she was afraid to.    
  
“Oh.” Yukiho glanced down as Arisa hugged her once more. A small smile tugged at her lips. “Good. That’s good, I would have in the future if I’d had the chance…wait, did you say Onee...I mean Honoka has a kid?”   
  
“Yuki. They adopted her when Kotori-chan and her...friend saved her from the facility where Kotori-chan was tortured.” Honoka explained as best she could. “Um...you might want to brace yourself if my past self sees you. Losing you was...well it almost destroyed her.” She quickly turned her attention to Nico. “Stay here. Nobody knows you two are here. I’ll get Rin and Hibiki.”   
  
Nico opened her mouth to reply but Honoka had already teleported away.    
  
Nozomi’s gaze lingered on Nico for a moment before she turned her attention to Yukiho. Arisa was still hugging the girl tightly but after a moment she tilted her head back to look up at her. “I-I’m so sorry I couldn’t do-”   
  
“No, don’t say that.” Yukiho interrupted, shaking her head. “My past self was right to protect you. I love you, Arisa. And I would  _ always _ protect you.”   
  
Arisa sniffled softly. “B-But it was my fault you...she died. I persuaded her to follow Honoka-chan and the others to the facility with me. She thought it was a bad idea, I-I should never have…”   
  
“It’s not your fault.” Yukiho disagreed with a shake of her head as she drew Arisa closer to her.    
  
Honoka teleported back into the room, red-faced with Hibiki who was in the process of tugging her shirt up and Rin.    
  
“Not a word.” Hibiki warned Nozomi who was smirking at her.    
  
“Nico-chan, nyaaa!” Rin exclaimed as she saw Nico standing there. She noticed in surprise that Nico was wearing her hair down. “You’re not our Nico-chan, what are you doing here? Oooh, you have a jacket like Honoka-chan’s!”   
  
“Rin, don’t be so loud.” Honoka looked to Hibiki for help.    
  
Hibiki giggled and grasped Rin’s hand, tugging her back to her side. She felt a little anxious with a clearly different version of Nico and a girl she didn’t recognize in the room. Just as she was starting to wonder who that was, Rin let out a gasp.    
  
“Yukiho-chan?! You’re alive, nya!”   
  
Yukiho smiled and shrugged her shoulders. “Seems like it.”   
  
“We have to tell Honoka-chan, nya!” Rin turned and tried to rush for the door but Honoka stepped in front of her, blocking her path.    
  
“Wait, wait. We need to talk to you first.” Honoka said, planting her hands on Rin’s shoulder. “Just calm down for a minute. I need you to listen to me. Do you remember when you ran back in time after my past self died?”   
  
“Wait, what?!” Nico exclaimed though she was quietened by Honoka raising her hand.    
  
“Yeah.” Rin nodded, glancing between Honoka and Nozomi. “D-Did I cause this, nya…?”   
  
“Well...yes.” Honoka said reluctantly. She felt Rin flinch under her shoulders. “You didn’t know this would happen. You didn’t even mean to travel back but there’s a tear in the continuum now. The...keeper, so to speak of the time continuum is going to be coming for my past self.”   
  
“NO!” Rin exclaimed, her eyes widening suddenly. “No, we can’t to that! I don’t want to see Honoka-chan leave. What if she goes into the time and space continuum and she dies!”   
  
“I’m going to figure that out. I’ll fix this.” Honoka soothed gently, squeezing Rin’s shoulders. She noticed the younger girl trembling under her hands and pulled her into a careful hug. “Honoka’s going to be fine. I know what to do.”   
  
Nozomi gritted her teeth. That wasn’t an option as far as she was concerned.    
  
Nico noticed the look on Nozomi’s face and shook her head, looking to Honoka. “Don’t even think about trying to sacrifice yourself.”   
  
Honoka looked surprised. “How did you…?”    
  
“This is the same shit you pulled with A-Rise. We wouldn’t let you do it then and I’m not going to let you do it now. Neither is she.” Nico nodded at Nozomi who managed a weak smile.    
  
Honoka slowly drew away from Rin who went to Hibiki’s side. “It’s not the same thing and you know it, Nico. We’re not discussing this. Why don’t you go and see Maki-chan? She’s downstairs in the basement.”   
  
“Fine…” Nico rolled her eyes and stalked to the door. “You might want to talk to the others before they see Yukiho.”   
  
With that said Nico left the room, walking down the hallway. Fortunately she managed to make her way downstairs and through the kitchen to the basement without anyone noticing her. It seemed that everyone was in their rooms. It made sense, given it was early in the morning. If she knew Maki as well as she thought she did though, the girl would already be awake. Already working.    
  
She was halfway down the stairs when she heard Maki gasp. She ran down the rest of them, stopping at the bottom in time to see a grinning Kotori flicker into visibility a hand on Maki’s shoulder. She listened as Kotori spoke.    
  
“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to scare you. Well...maybe I did a little. What are you doing anyway?”    
  
Nico noticed as she looked at the two of them that Kotori was wearing just a button down shirt and panties. Obviously she’d hadn’t been awake long.    
  
“Looking at Leah’s readings.” Maki answered. She paused to take a sip of her coffee. She set the cup down on the table after. “I’m trying to figure out how to train her further. Even though she has the hots for you…” She heard Kotori snicker and sighed. “You really get a kick out of this, don’t you?”   
  
“I like knowing I’m yours, Sensei.” Kotori turned Maki’s chair around and sat down, straddling her lap, her arms going loosely around Maki’s shoulders. “Your jealousy turns me on. And must you wear this coat all of the time? I can’t control myself when I see you in it.”   
  
“Kotori…” Maki sighed. She had to get back to work. “Don’t.”   
  
Nico felt a sharp twinge in her chest as despite her protests, Maki’s hands wandered over Kotori’s thighs, squeezing lightly at the supple skin. She cleared her throat, drawing their attention toward her.    
  
“Nico-chan!” Kotori scrambled off of Maki’s lap, awkwardly tugging her shirt down.    
  
“Wait…” Maki, who had turned to look at Nico, narrowed her eyes. “You’re not Nico...are you?” She reached under her desk for the knife she kept there and stood up with it in hand. She reached behind her, grasping for Kotori and drew her close to her back.    
  
“What?” Nico blinked at Maki in surprise.    
  
“I have a connection to everyone in my group.” Maki explained, holding the knife up in front of her in case the girl approached. “I don’t have a connection to you. So who are you?”   
  
Nico eyed the knife. She wasn’t especially intimidated, considering it wouldn’t hurt her. “Would you believe me if I said I’m from the future?”   
  
Kotori’s eyes widened. “What?!”   
  
“Well technically Honoka’s future. The older one.”   
  
“Oh you’ve got to be kidding me!” Maki exclaimed, lowering the knife slightly. “Can’t I just have some time for myself and my fiance. Ugh, what happened this time?!”   
  
“Maki-chan, don’t be rude.” Kotori said playfully before she looked toward Nico. “Let’s go to the living room. I’ll make us some tea.”   
  
Nico shook her head. “I’d prefer to stay out of the way of everyone else. I’m fine here.”   
  
“You kind of failed at doing that. If you hadn’t noticed the situation right now.” Maki grumbled, crossing her arms.    
  
“I wanted to see you. My Maki died three months ago.” Nico said honestly. Her stomach twisted uncomfortably as she realized that to Maki she was just another Nico.    
  
Maki sighed once more and ran her hand over her face. As frustrated as she was she liked to think that her time spent with Future Honoka had made her a little bit more equipped to deal with this kind of situation. “I’m sorry.”   
  
Kotori placed her hand briefly on Maki’s shoulder. “I have to change anyway, Maki-chan. I’ll see you later.” She turned invisible and without another word walked past Nico.    
  
Nico heard footsteps on the stairs, followed by the door opening and closing as Kotori left. “So what’s all this then?”   
  
“Training stuff mostly. For Rin and Leah.”   
  
Nico snorted. “Sounds like you’ve been training Rin a bit too much if she went so fast she managed to go back in time and fuck up the timeline.”   
  
Maki had to think for a moment to make sure she’d heard right. “Wait, Rin did  _ what?” _   
  
“What?” Nico froze in surprise. She had assumed that Maki had known. “Uh...guess Honoka didn’t tell you that.”   
  
Maki groaned in frustration. “Damn it, Rin.”   
  
Nico walked closer to Maki’s desk and leaned against it. “So tell me what else is different here. Do you smoke?”   
  
“No. Only when Kotori is captured.” Maki answered honestly, shaking her head.    
  
Nico smirked at the response. “You make it sound like that happens often.”   
  
“Sonoda took her.” Maki said seriously. “If you saw her without the shirt you’d see the scars. I hate thinking about her getting hurt. I almost lost my mind when that happened.”   
  
“So do I.” Nico murmured, uncomfortable with the idea of Kotori being tortured. She eyed the ring on Maki’s finger but didn’t say anything about it. “So um...what else?”   
  
“Honoka is with Eli and Umi. Actually Honoka fell in love with Umi first and then Eli later. It’s complicated between them I guess but it works.” Maki shrugged cluelessly. She tended not to ask too many questions but the three seemed happy together.    
  
“How did Eli and Nozomi break up? I didn’t think that would ever happen.” Nico looked down, noticing Maki’s coffee was still sitting there.    
  
“Anju.” Maki suddenly looked angry, her eyes darkening. “She impersonated Nozomi and almost molested Kotori. We didn’t know it wasn’t Nozomi so Honoka...the younger Honoka threw Nozomi out of Muse. We all agreed with her. Kotori stayed with me after that.”   
  
“Goddamn morons.” Nico said with an irritated roll of her eyes.    
  
“The older Honoka stood by Nozomi and those two kind of became inseparable. Whenever Honoka had a problem she would always go to Nozomi. The other way around too. Honoka was so closed off when she got here but she opened up to Nozomi.” Maki noticed Nico looking longingly at her coffee and gently pushed it toward her. “So that’s how they got together. Besides, the Honoka and Eli situation happened when Nozomi and Eli were broken up so…”   
  
“Huh?” Nico gratefully took the coffee, listening with rapt attention to Maki’s recap of everything that had happened.    
  
“What? Honoka didn’t tell you? Well I guess she wouldn’t...she slept with Eli when Eli and Nozomi were broken up.”   
  
“Of course she did. Well at least she got to be with Eli once. She really loved her in the future, you know.” Nico told Maki before she took a drink the of coffee. “What else?”   
  
Maki thought for a moment. “Ah...Kotori and I are um...engaged. Rin has a girlfriend. Hanayo has a parasite ability, according to Rin and Nozomi. Oh and uh...Yukiho is dead.”   
  
Nico noticed Maki cringe at that last point. “Yukiho actually came back with me. Well not intentionally, we fell through a tear in the…”   
  
Maki stood up abruptly. “Wait, what? Does Honoka know?!”   
  
“Yes, my Honoka does. Not yours.” Nico explained, setting her empty cup down. They couldn’t get a lot of coffee in her time. It was a luxury.    
  
Maki breathed a sigh of relief. “Oh good. She’s finally getting back to normal after that.”   
  
Nico’s lips turned up slightly. “I’m happy for you. My Maki isn’t this open and talkative. So um...question.”   
  
“Mmhm?” Maki raised an eyebrow.    
  
“Why do you call Kotori Koto-nee? I heard you call her that a couple of times in my timeline but you’d never tell me why.” Nico leaned in, intrigued.    
  
Maki gave a soft laugh and shook her head. “She was my childhood friend. I looked up to her when I was younger, that’s all. Until we couldn’t see each other anymore. Anyway, with the whole Nozomi and Umi thing, my love for her got stronger and she fell in love with me. Even if she was in love with Honoka.”   
  
“Is she still in love with her?” Nico questioned curiously.    
  
“No.” Maki shook her head and smiled broadly. “She chose me over Future Honoka.”   
  
“Right.” Nico smirked and straightened up slightly. “I guess you’re not exactly Honoka’s favourite person then, huh?”   
  
“It’s not really like that.” Maki said honestly. “We get on. We respect each other. She gave me her blessing when I asked Kotori to marry me.”   
  
Nico flinched slightly. She wasn’t sure she could get used to that. “So what’s my past self doing then?”   
  
“I’m not sure.” Maki tried to think about what Nico had been doing lately but she came up blank. “Um...you have something going on with Hanayo. I think it’s just friends with benefits though.”   
  
Nico gave a dark laugh. “Nice to know that’s still all I’m good for. Anyway, it’s...nice to see you alive again, Maki. I’m going to go and check this place out. I’ll talk to you later maybe.”   
  
“R-Right.” Dumbfounded, Maki watched as Nico turned and left the basement.    
  
\----   
  
Kotori was in the kitchen making tea though her mind was elsewhere. She couldn’t help but feel a little annoyed with Future Nico for interrupting her and Maki. She’d been looking forward to being alone with her fiance when Nico had burst in. It was hard enough with her mom in the way, always trying to seperate them.    
  
She was about to take a careful sip of her steaming hot tea when she heard footsteps behind her. She automatically turned to see who was coming. Since she’d been taken in the yard after ignoring such a noise she couldn’t ignore it now.    
  
Her face fell as she saw Nozomi walk into the kitchen with Yukiho at her side. She felt her limbs go limp, the cup in her hand slipping from her grip. It smashed at her feet and tea splashed against the light jeans she’d just put on. “Y-Yukiho-chan?”   
  
Yukiho smiled softly at Kotori. “Hey, Kotori-san.”   
  
“Um...y-you’re alive. And you’ve grown.” Kotori managed to force out, still shocked. “You came back with Nico-chan?”   
  
Yukiho nodded in response. “Um, yeah. I’m not sure how long we’ll be staying though.”   
  
“Have you seen Honoka yet?” Kotori crossed her arms in front of her chest when Yukiho shrugged sheepishly. “Go and find her. She’s your sister. You must want to see her.”   
  
“I do.” Yukiho looked to Nozomi who hesitated before shaking her head.    
  
“It’s not a good idea, at least not on your own. Let me go with you.” Nozomi advised quietly. “After your past self died, Honoka was...she didn’t cope with it very well and she’s just getting back on her feet.”   
  
Yukiho nodded in response. She was relieved that she would get to see Honoka at least. “Got it.” She noticed Kotori looking at Nozomi like she wanted to say something but couldn’t and took that as her cue to leave. “Um, where is the bathroom?”   
  
Kotori breathed a sigh of relief as Nozomi pointed out the bathroom to Yukiho who left them alone.    
  
“Oh let me help you with this glass.” Nozomi said as she turned back to Kotori and noticed the glass at her feet. “Stand still, I don’t want you to cut yourself.”   
  
“R-Right.” Kotori stood as still as she could as Nozomi looked for something to sweep up the glass. She watched as Nozomi crouched in front of her, sweeping the glass onto the small dustpan in her hand. “Thanks. Hey, Nozomi. Does Nico-chan seem a little strange to you?”   
  
“Not really strange, just different to our Nico-chan.” Nozomi glanced up at Kotori, noticing the nervous look on the girl’s face. “You don’t have to worry. Maki-chan isn’t going anywhere. She loves you, I mean the two of you are getting married.”   
  
Kotori managed a smile at that. “I know it’s silly, I just think sometimes...I’m lucky to have her and I don’t want to lose her. She makes me so happy and even though she seems absorbed in her work she would always stop for me. She enjoys my company and she’d do the craziest things, just for me. And sometimes when we’re not downstairs, when we’re in my room, she…” She trailed off, noticing Nozomi quirk an eyebrow. “Not just that! We cuddle and she would look at me with the most loving eyes. It makes my heart race. I would do anything for her. I would’ve probably lost my mind if she’d been the one taken. So I just don’t want to lose her. I don’t even want to risk it. How can I when I have something like that?”   
  
Nozomi smiled sadly and placed her hand on Kotori’s shoulder. “You shouldn’t. You should hold onto it for as long as you can, Kotori-chan. No matter what happens.”   
  
“The moment she proposed, all beat up and giving me that stupid grin, I knew I couldn’t live without her. And...I think she feels the same way about me.” Kotori couldn’t help but smile at the memory. It was one she held dear.    
  
“Hold onto her, Kotori. Even with this Nico here she only has eyes for you.” Nozomi said softly, her chest tight as she spoke. “You’re lucky to have her. You’re lucky to have something so...normal and easy. You’re…” She realized she was saying too much, focusing on her own problems and trailed off. “Well nevermind. I’m sure you know already. I just wanted to say...we can’t all have what you have with Maki-chan and have it last. You should treasure it.”   
  
“Nozomi-chan.” Kotori caught Nozomi’s hand as the older girl turned to walk away. “Maybe we could have some tea and talk about what’s bothering you? You don’t have to be the one to help us all of the time you know. Sometimes we want to help you too.”   
  
Nozomi bit her lip and nodded her head. “Okay.”   
  
\-----   
  
Yukiho snuck down the hallway to the room on the far right, hoping she wasn’t about to walk in on someone she didn’t know again. She’d tried a couple of doors already. The first room had been empty, the second time she’d walked in on a girl with a hair of similar color to Honoka’s, making out with another girl. Yukiho hadn’t had time to catch their names before she’d apologized and slammed the door shut once more.    
  
The second time, thankfully, wasn’t so bad. She’d walked in on Rin, Hibiki and a young man she didn’t recognize. They were only talking, unlike the other couple.    
  
“Yukiho-chan!” Rin exclaimed when she saw her. “What’s wrong? Were you looking for me?”   
  
“No, I’m um…” Yukiho was about to lie but figured there was no point. She sighed and stepped a little further into the bedroom. “I’m looking for Honoka. Do you know where she is?”   
  
“Um…” Rin shared an awkward look with Hibiki. “Yeah, I know where Honoka-chan’s room is.”   
  
“Well...can you tell me?” Yukiho frowned as Rin looked away. “Is there a reason everyone wants to keep me from my sister?”   
  
“I-It’s not that! I don’t want to keep you from her, I just...Nozomi-chan said that you should wait. She told me she doesn’t want to get Honoka-chan’s hopes up in case you just leave again. I really want you to see her. I do. But Nozomi and Honoka-chan’s future self are already angry with me.”   
  
Raven looked between the two of them and slowly got to her feet. “I know where her room is. I can take you if you want.”   
  
Yukiho looked at the young man, relieved that someone seemed to want to help. “Great, thanks.” She cast an annoyed look at Rin before she stepped out of the room, waiting for him to join her. When he did he closed the door behind him.    
  
“Uh...it’s this way. I’m Raven by the way.” Raven explained with a small smile as he started down the corridor. “You must be um...Yukiho, Honoka’s younger sister. Kotori told me you’d died though?”   
  
“I’m from the future. In another timeline.” Yukiho answered with a shrug of her shoulders. “I guess it’s complicated.”   
  
“Oh so you’re not their Yukiho, you’re the other Honoka’s Yukiho.” Raven said, nodding to himself. He looked over at her noticing she was a little taller than him. Out of curiosity he glanced down at her feet, noticing she was wearing boots. He wondered vaguely why she hadn’t taken them off yet but shrugged it off. He supposed without the boots, they would be around the same height.    
  
“You could say that. Me and Honoka are pretty distant but I just want to see her if that makes any sense.” Yukiho looked at him as he nodded in response. Something about his willingness to help her reminded her of her boyfriend from the future. Her dead boyfriend, she remember, cringing.    
  
It took her a moment but she realized he was staring at her. “What?”   
  
“Nothing.” Raven looked away, blushing. Thankfully they had finally reached the door. “Ah, here we are. If you need me for anything else I’m usually with Rin or Kotori. Or in my room. Especially if you need to do something the others aren’t allowed to. I don’t mind helping.”   
  
“Thank you.” Yukiho said with a small smile as she watched him. The way he shrugged and averted his eyes was cute, she thought to herself. “I’ll see you later, Raven.”   
  
“Ah, yeah.” Raven nodded and turned to walk away, leaving her standing there. At the end of the hallway he turned around and noticing her still watching him, offered an awkward wave. Yukiho smiled and lifted her hand in response before he disappeared around the corner.    
  
Turning back to the door, she took a deep breath before she raised her hand and knocked. It seemed like minutes until the door opened but in fact it was only a few seconds. She recognized Eli instantly while the blonde herself visibly did a double-take.    
  
“Who is it, Eli-senpai?” Honoka’s voice called from inside of the room.    
  
Eli’s hand went up to grasp the front of Yukiho’s shirt and she stepped out of the room, pulling the door closed behind her with her free hand.    
  
Yukiho’s eyes widened as she found Eli walking her quickly backwards until her back hit the wall. She gasped loudly. “Eli-san…”   
  
“Drop the act, Anju.” Eli growled, drawing her knife from her belt. She was reminded of the dream she’d had, of Anju killing Honoka. “It’s not gonna work.”   
  
“I-I’m not Anju!” Yukiho exclaimed, wincing as the blade of the knife was pressed to her neck. “I’m Yukiho, I’m from the future. The other Honoka’s future! Damn it, put me down!”   
  
Eli went up in flames and Yukiho quickly reached down, popping open the lid on the vial of water she kept on her belt. Thankfully she didn’t need a lot to generate a large amount. She focused on the water and suddenly water fell directly onto Eli’s head, soaking her.    
  
Eli spluttered, dropping her knife in surprise as she fell back. “What the HELL? You...wait, you can’t imitate other people’s abilities, how did you do that?!”   
  
“I told you, I’m…” Yukiho trailed off as the door behind Eli opened and Honoka herself stepped out into the hallway.    
  
“Eli-senpai, wha…?” Honoka gasped sharply at the sight of Yukiho, her hands flying to her mouth. “Y-Yukiho?”   
  
Yukiho opened her mouth to reply but then Honoka was rushing toward her, hugging her tightly. She hugged her older sister back, surprised by the exuberant embrace. “Um, I’m...I’m not really your Yukiho.”   
  
“What?” Honoka drew away, her eyes glistening with tears as she looked Yukiho over. “Wait, your hair is long.” She noticed as well that Yukiho had a bust and that she was around her height. “H-How old are you?”   
  
“Eighteen. I’m from the other Honoka’s future.” Yukiho explained with a shrug of her shoulders. “We got dragged over here somehow. Me and Nico-senpai. It’s complicated.”   
  
“You’re older than me by two years then.” Honoka slowly let go of Yukiho and wiped at her eyes. “So...you’re not my Yukiho.”   
  
Yukiho grimly shook her head. “I’m sorry. I should have done what Nozomi said and stayed away but I wanted to see you. I don’t know why, I just…”   
  
“It’s okay.” Honoka said though her voice was tight with emotion as she wiped her eyes once more. The tears just seemed to keep on coming though. This Yukiho standing in front of her served as a reminder that her Yukiho would never grow up.    
  
“Hey.” Eli gently wrapped an arm around Honoka’s shoulders and drew her close to her while glaring at Yukiho.    
  
“You’re still my sister.” Yukiho said, her stomach twisting with guilt. She remember how devastated she had been when she’d heard that Honoka had died. She was sure Honoka felt the same way. “I’m just a bit older. I’m still me.”   
  
Honoka sniffled softly and blinked away her tears. “Th-Then should I call you Onee-chan?”   
  
“What?!” Yukiho’s eyes widened. “No, d-don’t be so embarrassing.” She couldn’t help but smile as Honoka laughed tearfully. “So I hear I have a niece now?”   
  
“Yuki, yeah. Me and Eli-senpai and Umi-chan kind of adopted her.” Honoka said, drawing away from Eli. She grabbed Yukiho’s hand, tugging her forward. “Come on, you have to meet her!”   
  
Eli watched with a frown as Honoka tugged Yukiho into their bedroom. She could tell this wasn’t going to end well.   
  
\-----   
  
“What do you think she needs to talk to you about?” Maki asked worriedly, her voice low as she stopped with Kotori outside of the door to Kotori’s mom’s office.    
  
Kotori shrugged her shoulders. “Let’s just get this over with, Maki-chan.”   
  
Maki sighed and nodded in response. She hadn’t been asked to come herself but she’d wanted to be there for Kotori in case there was anything wrong. She figured that maybe Yume had some bad news to deliver or something like that.    
  
Kotori let herself into her mom’s office after knocking and approached the desk with Maki at her side.    
  
Yume looked up, her expression souring at the sight of Maki. “Oh, Maki. You don’t need to be here.”   
  
“I want her here.” Kotori said quickly, grasping Maki’s hand. “Whatever you want to say to me you can say in front of her.”   
  
“I see.” Yume said dryly as she stood up from her desk. “I’ve been hearing some rumors around the house recently. About an ‘engagement’.”   
  
Maki winced at the anger in Yume’s voice.    
  
“I wanted to let you know that it’s not going to happen. You don’t have my blessing.”   
  
Kotori gritted her teeth. She’d figured it would be something like this. “You think I give a crap about your blessing after the stuff you pulled when we were young?”   
  
Yume opened her mouth, ready to retort but quickly forced herself to calm down. “You’re sixteen. Until you’re twenty years old you can’t get married without parental consent. As I said, that’s not something I’ll give you.”   
  
Maki swallowed thickly and glanced at Kotori. “M-Minami-san, I love your daughter. I would never…”   
  
“QUIET!”   
  
“DON’T TALK TO HER LIKE THAT!” Kotori yanked her hand from Maki’s and approached the desk until she was standing in front of it, practically leaning over it. “I will marry Maki-chan someday. We didn’t say it would be now but it will happen.”   
  
“You will  _ not _ be together under my roof. You’ll certainly not sleep in the same bed. It’s inappropriate.” Yume accused, her eyes fiery with anger. “I’m going to reallocate the rooms tomorrow. If we’re going to have this many people living here I’d like to know where they are.”   
  
“You can’t do that!” Kotori cried out in outrage, slamming her hands down on the table. “I have to stay with Maki-chan, I can’t sleep in a room with someone else. This is RIDICULOUS!”   
  
“Kotori, come on.” Maki took Kotori’s hand once more and shot a dark glare at Yume. “Let’s talk outside. We’ll figure it out, I promise.”   
  
“Why are you doing this?” Kotori looked at her mom with tears in her eyes but she still looked furious too. When Yume didn’t reply she let Maki tug her out of the room.    
  
Once they were outside, Maki tugged Kotori into her arms, hugging her tightly.    
  
“I hate being here with her.” Kotori sniffled into Maki’s shoulder. “She can’t split us up! I-I won’t be able to sleep if you’re not there.”   
  
“Me either.” Maki mumbled, closing her eyes. She didn’t care that they were standing in the middle of the hallway nor did she have any desire to pull away. “We’ll figure something out. Besides, maybe we’re not the only couple she’s planning to split up when she changes everyone’s rooms. What about Honoka, Eli and Umi or Honoka’s future self and Nozomi? They...” She was cut off as Kotori drew back and kissed her though she quickly returned the kiss, gripping Kotori tighter.    
  
“I want you.” Kotori mumbled against Maki’s lips. “I need you right now, no more interruptions. If she’s going to split us up, I want to be with you once more before it happens.”   
  
“Okay.” Maki breathed before she kissed Kotori again, deep and passionate. She remembered that they were outside of Yume’s door just as Kotori pulled her down the hall to their room. Maki shut and locked the door behind them as Kotori pulled off her lab coat.   
  
\-----   
  
“Finally! I need to talk to you! Where have you been?!”   
  
Honoka had been jogging laps around Kotori’s backyard when she heard Maki’s exasperated tone. She stopped short, her breathing a little heavier than usual. “What? I’ve been here for the past hour. Why? What’s wrong?”   
  
“Kotori’s mother is what’s wrong!” Maki exclaimed as she made her way off the porch and walked over to Future Honoka. “I need you to do something for me. And Kotori. But I don’t know if you’ll do it.”   
  
“A favor for two of my favorite people?” Honoka asked with a teasing grin. She wiped a sheen of sweat from her forehead with the sleeve of her hoodie. “Of course I’ll do it. What is it?”   
  
“I need you to teleport us back to the apartment we were staying at a couple of months back and leave us there.” Maki blurted out, figuring there was no better way to put it.    
  
Future Honoka raised an eyebrow in surprise. “What the hell did Minami do?”   
  
“She told us we can’t be together, that she’s going to keep us separated from now on.” Maki said, her tone clipped with anger. “She made Kotori cry, damn it. I don’t know why she has to be like this. I wouldn’t do  _ anything _ to hurt Kotori! Please, you have to help us get out.”   
  
“Y-You know it’s dangerous what you’re asking. Not just for you but for all of us.” Honoka said awkwardly. She did want to help Maki. The desperation on the girl’s face caused her chest to ache. “Maybe it won’t be too bad.”   
  
“I can’t sleep without her and you know it!” Maki snapped angrily before softening. “I-I’m sorry but Yume-san is going to split us up. BREAK us up if she has her way. That can’t happen. We need your help, Honoka. Please.”   
  
Honoka grimaced. “Look, let’s just try one night, okay? It’s not going to kill you to be apart from her for  _ one _ night!”   
  
“I haven’t spent the night away from her since she was taken by Sonoda!” Maki protested loudly, frustration audible in her tone. “And she hasn’t spent the night alone since then. She won’t be able to sleep if I’m not there, she said so herself.”   
  
Honoka took a deep breath and moved toward Maki, planting her hands on her shoulders. She could see frustration and panic in the girl’s eyes. “Calm down, Maki-chan. I’m trying to help you but you’re freaking out. You know this isn’t the way to do it. Just give me some time to think. I’m going to do something about this, I promise.”   
  
“If Kotori doesn’t like this after one night, we’re doing it.” Maki warned, shrugging Honoka’s hands off.    
  
Honoka huffed out a sigh and rubbed her temples as Maki turned to walk away from her.    
\-----   
  
“I’m sorry this is so awkward.” Kotori apologized as she hovered next to the bed. She wasn’t sure whether she even really wanted to get in. “You didn’t even know my name until about an hour ago and now we’re sharing a bed…” She groaned and covered her face with her hands. “My mom is crazy.”   
  
“It’s...fine.” Dia said reluctantly from the other side of the bed. “But just so you know if you try to do anything to me while I’m sleeping, I’m trained in Krav Maga.”   
  
“W-What? I-I’m not some kind of pervert!” Kotori exclaimed, red-faced. “A-And I have a fiance. Whether my mother likes it or not…”   
  
Dia stared at Kotori for a long moment. “I meant if you tried to kill me. But that too, I suppose. A-Anyway, I’m going to sleep.”   
  
Kotori cursed herself as Dia got into bed. She reluctantly turned the light off and slid into the bed, making sure to stay as close to the edge as she could. She tried to sleep but all she could think about was that she hoped she wouldn’t instinctively roll toward the other person in the bed while she was sleeping, thinking it was Maki. That would be humiliating.    
  
Finally she managed to doze off only for her dreams to be plagued with images of Sonoda’s face, her mind filled with the sound of her girlfriend’s screams as Maki took her place in that tiny, dirty cell. She woke up screaming and bolted upright, looking to the other side of the bed. Maki wasn’t there, but Dia was, looking at her in concern.    
  
“I-I have to...I’m sorry.” Kotori said tearfully as she stumbled out of bed. She hurried for the door, tears blurring her vision and yanked it open. She paused in the hallway. As much as she wanted to go to Maki she knew she couldn’t. Sarah was with her. She thought of Honoka and Umi next but she didn’t want to scare Yuki. Finally she found her last option and stumbled down the hallway to Future Honoka and Nozomi’s room. She burst into the room, not bothering to knock and Future Honoka bolted upright in the bed, reaching for the knife she kept tucked between the matress and the frame of the bed.    
  
“Kotori?” Future Honoka paused as she noticed who was standing in the doorway. “What’s going on?”   
  
“I-I didn’t know where else to go.” Kotori noticed Honoka gesture her over and she rushed toward the bed, throwing her arms around Future Honoka’s neck. “I-I want Maki-chan. I want her now b-but…”   
  
“Shhh.” Honoka soothed gently, stroking Kotori’s hair It had been a long time since she’d seen the girl so worked up. She figured the last time must have been when ‘Nozomi’ had attacked her. She noticed Nozomi herself sit up next to her, groggily rubbing her eyes. When Nozomi looked to her, she shook her head, silently telling her she didn’t know what was wrong. “Nozomi, stay with her. I’m going to get Maki.”   
  
Nozomi nodded and watched as Honoka teleported away, accidentally leaving Kotori to fall forward. Thankfully Nozomi was there to catch her and take Honoka’s place. A few minutes passed, during which Kotori continued to cry softly into her shoulder until Honoka teleported back with a wide awake redhead, holding onto her laptop. “I see you haven’t been sleeping either.” Nozomi remarked as she watched Honoka take the laptop and push Maki toward Kotori.    
  
Maki ignored her and sank down on the bed instead. She placed her hand gently on Kotori’s back. “Kotori?”   
  
Kotori turned to her, her eyes filled with tears. When she saw Maki she dove into her arms.    
  
Nozomi slowly got up from the bed and crossed to Honoka. “Let’s let them stay in here, okay? We can take the futon.”   
  
Future Honoka smiled and rolled her eyes. “Yeah, yeah.” She muttered good-naturedly as she went to get the futon from the closet.    
  
Nozomi turned her attention to Kotori and Maki and watched as Maki gently calmed Kotori down. She wasn’t sure what had happened but she could feel how terrified Kotori had been.    
  
“Nothing’s going to happen to me.” Maki whispered as she drew back, cupping Kotori’s face in her hands. She kissed her softly, feeling Kotori’s lips trembling beneath her own. “Let’s get some sleep and we’ll figure this out tomorrow, okay?”   
  
Kotori sniffled softly. “You didn’t sleep.”   
  
“You’re the only person who can persuade me to.” Maki murmured, brushing her fingers over Kotori’s cheek. “Let’s get some sleep and we’ll sort this out tomorrow, okay? It’ll be okay.”   
  
Nozomi looked away, realizing she’d been listening intently. Honoka on the other hand, had finished setting up the futon and stepped forward. “We’ll take the futon. You two can have the bed.”   
  
“We can’t do that, it’s your bed.” Maki argued, looking over at Honoka.    
  
“No arguments. We’re older.” Honoka declared with a tone of finality. “Right, Nozomi?”   
  
“Right. Get some sleep.” Nozomi waited until Maki and Kotori nodded before she climbed into the futon on the floor with Honoka. She felt strong arms go around her waist and sighed softly at the sudden warmth. “You’re gonna fix it, right?”   
  
“Of course.”   
  
\----

 

“Huh, so this place hasn’t been trashed yet.” Future Erena remarked as she glanced around the inside of Sonoda Kasumi’s office. She noticed the blood on the walls. It seemed like the place had been deserted abruptly.    
  
“So it’s true. The three of you...or  _ us _ are really here.”   
  
The three girls from the future turned at the sound of Anju’s voice only to find their past counterparts standing in the doorway, staring at them. Tsubasa took a moment to look her past self over, smirking in amusement. She hadn’t imagined anything like this would happen but she supposed a lot could be accomplished by going back to the past. “It sounds like you were already aware we had come back.”   
  
“I felt the shift in time because of my time travel ability. Besides that, my telepathy allowed me to hear your thoughts as soon as you got here.” Past Tsubasa remarked, a little smug.    
  
“You have more than one ability.” The look on Future Tsubasa’s face was a mix of longing, anger and pride. “Good.”   
  
“Seems like there’s nothing keeping us from taking out the rebels now.” Future Anju remarked vindictively. “With her abilities we could kill them all right now.”   
  
Future Erena shook her head. “We don’t need them. We killed Muse already, when they were much stronger than the current Muse.”   
  
“Don’t drag us into this.” Past Erena warned, a little unnerved by the cold look in her future self’s eyes.   
  
Tsubasa shook her head in amusement and glanced toward the desk in the room. “You killed Sonoda already then. Bravo.”   
  
“That’s right.” Past Anju finally spoke up, her arms crossed in front of her chest. “And there’s nothing left to keep us from going after those Muse members either.”   
  
“What’s the hurry though?” Future Anju countered the observation from her past self. “We should have some fun with them first, if we know it’s going to be so easy to kill them.”   
  
Past Tsubasa sighed and lifted her hand to her head. “Enough, everyone!” She ordered loudly. “Erena is right. Don’t drag us into this. Anju, don’t cause any shit. I’m serious, I just wanted to get Erena. We can forge our own path, we shouldn’t care about Muse.”   
  
“Are you serious?” Past Anju asked in annoyance while her future self growled under her breath.    
  
Tsubasa met Anju’s eyes. “DON’T cross me.” She turned to her future self who looked somewhat amused. “You. I’m never going to become you. Now get out.”   
  
Past Erena did her best to push back a smile. It seemed like the old Tsubasa was still inside of her best friend after all.    
  
Future Anju opened her mouth to argue but Future Tsubasa held up a hand, silencing her. “Leave them. They’ll see sense soon enough. Let’s go.” She moved to leave the room but paused when she reached her past self. “All of that power and you’re still fighting it. Impressive. Or maybe foolish.” She cackled lightly. “Soon enough it’ll take over completely. You can’t fight the whispers of power.”   
  
“I can TRY.” Past Tsubasa growled. “I already scarred someone because of what I am. At least now I can take abilities without killing people. I don’t have to become like you.”   
  
“Whatever you say.” Future Tsubasa remarked as she left the room with Future Erena and Future Anju.    
  
Past Anju turned to Tsubasa in disbelief. “But what about…?!”   
  
“NOT ANOTHER WORD!” Tsubasa ordered loudly. “Get out. Follow them and make sure they leave. GO!”   
  
She waited until Anju had angrily left the room before she gave into the sudden weakness in her legs. She stumbled to her knees, sweat beading on her forehead. “Who the hell fucked up the timelines? Is Kousaka affected…?”   
  
Erena crouched down next to Tsubasa. “Affected?”   
  
Tsubasa bit her lip. “I had a dream about the other timeline last night but I thought it might be nothing until...I think it’s only affecting me and Kousaka. The people linked to the time space continuum.”   
  
Erena placed a hand lightly on Tsubasa’s arm. “Tsu, what do we do?”   
  
Tsubasa growled low in her throat. “I think I’m gonna have to talk to the damn future girl.”   
  


\----   
  
Yume was used to people visiting her office without notice. Sometimes Takashi would stop by to talk and other times the teenagers in the house had certain things they wanted to run by her. Nobody in the house however had the audacity to storm into her office without knocking, opening the door so violently that it slammed against the wall. Nobody besides Rei, that was.    
  
She stood abruptly, preparing herself for Rei’s fury but it wasn’t the fiery redhead. It was Future Honoka, storming toward her desk. Yume was too stunned to speak so Honoka had the chance to speak first.    
  
“What the hell do you think you’re doing to Kotori and Maki?!”   
  
Yume opened and closed her mouth a couple of times before she finally managed to speak. “It’s none of your business.”   
  
“Kotori-chan is my best friend...was my best friend.” Honoka paused for a moment, a frown of troubled confusion forming on her face. “Whatever. What’s your problem anyway? Maki-chan makes Kotori-chan happy. They’re good for each other.”   
  
Yume crossed her arms in front of her chest. “A month ago you wanted to break them up so you could be with Kotori. And now you support the two of them?”   
  
“Of course I do, they’re perfect for each other!” Honoka exclaimed loudly. “Maki-chan is far better for Kotori than I could ever be. I’m too...indecisive. Maki-chan knows what she wants and she isn’t afraid to  _ get it _ . Kotori-chan was always a follower, always indecisive with her actions. With Maki-chan she's grown confidence and independence but that doesn't mean she doesn't need her. With the shit she went through she deserves someone as loyal as Maki. Not someone who would turn to another person. I TREATED MY KOTORI-CHAN TERRIBLY, you don't want me or my past self to be with her.”   
  
“I don’t support their relationship and I’m Kotori’s mother.” Yume answered coldly. “She needs to respect the decision I’ve made and the rules I’ve laid out for them.”   
  
Honoka growled in annoyance. “If you split them up, they’ll leave. They already asked me to take them somewhere they can be together. I  _ will _ take them if you try to split the two of them up.”   
  
“You can’t do that, they’ll become vulnerable!”   
  
“EXACTLY!” Honoka’s voice briefly raised to a yell before she quieted down again. “Think! Rei-san will kill you if she finds out that you drove them away. She supports them, why can’t you?!”   
  
“Rei-chan has always wanted to see the two of them together again.” Yume rolled her eyes skyward and tried to calm herself down. “Damn it. Fine. But NO sex. That’s my only compromise.”   
  
Honoka threw up her hands in disbelief. “Oh for fuck sake, they’re teenagers!”   
  
“NO SEX.” Yume repeated loudly.    
  
“Fine!” Honoka sighed in exasperation. She turned and walked to the door only to pause in the doorway. “Making out is still fine though, right?”   
  
“OUT!” Yume ordered, pointing to the door.    
  
Honoka left the room and made her way down the hallway to Kotori’s room. She knocked on the door and waited for Kotori to call out for her to come into the room before she entered. She found them sitting on the bed, both looking equally worried.    
  
“Yume-san says you can stay together but sex is banned.” Honoka reported back. She noticed Kotori frown while Maki looked relieved.    
  
“No sex? That’s all?” Maki checked hopefully. “I know I’ll be able to control myself but…”   
  
“Kotori is insatiable.” Honoka said as the same time as Maki.    
  
“HEY!” Kotori exclaimed indignantly. “I-I just like it, okay?!”   
  
“Even when I’m exhausted you still make me go another round because you’re not satisfied.” Maki bluntly pointed out.    
  
“OKAY, ENOUGH! BOTH OF YOU!” Kotori exclaimed hurriedly before Honoka had a chance to say anything in reply. “E-Eli-chan is just as bad, if not worse than me. And Honoka-chan too!”   
  
“Me?” Honoka frowned in confusion. “That’s Nozomi…”   
  
“Your past self!” Kotori sighed loudly as Honoka grinned at her. “You’re just messing with me.”   
  
“I’m not!” Honoka sat down on the bed and curled an arm around Kotori’s shoulders, hugging her from the side. “You just have to masturbate more often and give Maki-chan a break.”   
  
“Honoka!” Kotori lightly shoved Honoka away and the older girl got to her feet, laughing. Kotori felt her lips turn upwards at the sound. She was glad Honoka was happier now. “Thank you for talking to her.”   
  
Honoka shrugged her shoulders. “It’s fine.”   
  
“You seem happier now.” Kotori remarked thoughtfully as she looked Honoka over. “Did something happen?”   
  
“I’m just trying to accept things as they are.” Honoka said with a small smile. “Right now I have Nozomi, I have my friends and I’m alive. Who knows when things could change? I’m going to make the most of things the way they are now.”   
  
“Things could change?” Maki echoed slowly, narrowing her eyes at Honoka. “Is that your way of trying to tell us something?”   
  
Honoka shook her head and patted Maki’s shoulder. “Don’t worry so much, Maki-chan. Just be happy that you get to stay with your girlfriend. I’m going to get back to Nozomi. I’ll see you two later.”   
  
“Did she leave in a hurry or am I imagining things?” Maki murmured to Kotori when Honoka teleported away.    
  
“No, she definitely did.” Kotori sighed and leaned into Maki’s side. “Maybe we should figure out what’s wrong and try to help her. She’s helped us a lot.”   
  
“Mmhm.” Maki nodded in agreement and turned her head, kissing the top of Kotori’s.    
  
TBC   
  
  



	51. Chapter 51

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys, here’s the next chapter of Let It Burn. Sorry it took so long but I hope you enjoy!
> 
> Warning(s): Angst, violence, sexual scenes possibly.

Ruby wasn’t entirely comfortable with the fact that she was just allowed to walk around the house whenever she wanted. It didn’t seem right, given that she was just a guest. But Yume had insisted that she should be as comfortable there as she wanted. The woman had seemed a little bit annoyed that so many new people had moved in but she genuinely seemed to care that the small group was safe. Ruby had found that she liked the woman a lot.    
  
She was reaching up into the cupboard to get some tea, standing on her tiptoes when she heard footsteps behind them. Her fingers had only just grazed the small box so she ignored the person approaching until they were right behind her. She saw a hand join hers, grabbing the box of tea.    
  
“Here.” Kanan said with a small smile as she placed the box down on the counter.    
  
Ruby scowled. “I don’t want it anymore.” She turned away and went to the fridge instead, intending to get some water.    
  
Kanan sighed heavily. “So you’re still pissed at me.”   
  
“You hurt Onee-chan.” Ruby said through gritted teeth as she took out a bottle of water. “You’re lucky I’m only p-pissed at you. I could do what you did to Onee-chan.”   
  
“Yeah, yeah.” Kanan sighed at the response. “Well I guess it’s nice to see that some things don’t change. I’ll be going then.”   
  
She was about to leave when Ruby called out to her, stopping her in her tracks. “Why did you do it? O-Onee-chan didn’t do anything to you. She cared about you and Mari-san.”   
  
Kanan closed her eyes. Ruby would never be able to understand. “It’s just complicated, Ruby. You wouldn’t understand.”   
  
“I’M NOT A KID ANYMORE!” Ruby exploded, her voice rising with anger. “Y-Yoshiko-chan is dead! I had to watch agents KILL her and take Hanamaru-chan! I-I’m not a stupid kid, alright!? Just tell me!”   
  
Kanan sighed and turned to Ruby. “Alright, if you want to know...Mari has a parasite ability which means she can’t control herself sometimes. The parasite controlled her to force her to control my body. And it made me beat your sister up. That’s what happened. I tried to fight it but it was too strong. It WASN’T ME, Ruby!”   
  
“S-So it was Mari-san’s ability…” Ruby paled at the thought, her anger fading. “B-But then why did you run away? You weren’t meant to go with Chika-chan…”   
  
“Because I couldn’t look at her. It wasn’t me but I still remember hurting her.” Kanan took a deep breath and forced herself to relax. “I’m sorry, Ruby. I should have told you before but I couldn’t. I couldn’t look at you either.”   
  
Ruby was silent for a few moments, letting what Kanan had said sink in. “So you just let me hate you?”   
  
“Well I knew you were mad at me but I was hoping you didn’t hate me…” Kanan muttered, watching Ruby for any sign of anger. “But yeah, I guess. I didn’t want you to hate Mari. It’s not her fault, you know? She can’t help what her ability is, it’s like a disease or something.”   
  
“You hurt Onee-chan. Both of you.” Ruby argued though her voice was much meeker than it had been.    
  
“Ruby, if I had been in control I would have rather hurt myself twice as much as I hurt Dia. I would never want to hurt either of you.” Kanan said, pleading with Ruby to listen to her. She stepped forward, reaching out but Ruby flinched away. “Ruby, you have to believe me. Please.”   
  
Ruby stared back at Kanan, her eyes laced with tears.    
  
Kanan felt her stomach plummet at the betrayed look on Ruby’s face. “Dia is my best friend, Ruby. We’ve been friends since I can remember. A-And I’ve known you since you were  _ three _ . You’re like a sister to me too. How can you think I’d want to hurt either of you?!”   
  
“You should have told me.” Ruby accused, her voice trembling. “You should have ALL told me! I had to watch Onee-chan struggle. She could hardly do anything herself, do you know what that was like for her? FOR ME?!”   
  
“I know, I-I’m sorry.” Kanan closed her eyes for a moment, trying to compose herself. She remember what a state Dia had been in when she’d finally regained control of herself. Broken ribs, a fractured wrist, a shattered collarbone on her right, not to mention the cuts and bruises she’d sustained. And of course Ruby had had to walk in on that. “You don’t know how much I hate myself for doing that to her.”   
  
“B-But you didn’t do it, it was Mari-san!” Ruby gripped her head, feeling it begin to throb. “I-I need some time to think about this. I-I can’t...I can’t look at you right now.”   
  
“Ruby.” Kanan took a step forward, watching helplessly as Ruby turned on her heel and left the room. She growled in frustration and kicked out at the counter next to her. “DAMN IT!”   
  
\----   
  


Nico walked up the stairs to the bedroom she shared with Hanayo, invigorated by the training session she’d just had with Future Honoka. She hadn’t managed to take the older girl down but she was sure that she was getting better at countering the girl’s attacks. She’d done well, considering how much steam it seemed that Honoka had needed to let off that day.    
  
Honoka had seemed upset about something, leaving Nico to wonder if there was something wrong with her and Nozomi. That seemed to be the only thing that could wind Honoka up so much lately. She hadn’t asked though. She didn’t feel like she was close enough to Honoka to ask. Besides that, something about the girl unnerved her, even now.    
  
She opened the door to her bedroom and paused when she found Hanayo lying on the bed. Raven was crouched next to her, stroking her hair.    
  
Raven looked up, his eyes widening at the sight of Nico. “I didn’t do anything! She had another um...episode earlier and I was just calming her down, that’s all. She passed out a while ago, I-I don’t think she’s going to wake up for a few hours. Not that I was doing anything or was going to do anything. I-I wouldn’t do anything, I swear.”   
  
“Riiiight.” Nico drawled, closing the door behind her. The panic on his face was amusing, she noticed as she walked into the room. She sat down on the edge of the bed, gently gripping Hanayo’s hand. “What happened?”   
  
“I think she just got frustrated at the situation and then she was thinking of Rin and Hibiki and it just set her off.” Raven explained with a shrug of his shoulders, calming down a little. “She was okay when she fell asleep.”   
  
“Easy there, 007. I’m not here to interrogate you.”    
  
“Right.”   
  
Nico sighed and leaned back, looking up at the ceiling.    
  
Raven watched her, noticing how while her figure looked small, she still looked strong. “So um...what’s it like? Being immortal?”   
  
Nico thought about that for a moment before she answered. “Numb.”   
  
“You know...I can enhance senses. That’s my ability.” Raven said, hoping she wouldn’t question him further about that and bring up what had happened with Kotori. Everyone seemed to do that when they found out his ability. “I can probably enhance yours like I did for Chika. Maybe I’ll be the only one that would cause you to feel but it’s worth a shot, right?”   
  
Nico eyed him for a moment. “Alright, touch me.”   
  
“H-Huh?!”   
  
“Idiot.” Nico sighed and got up, walking around the bed to sit next to him. “Use your ability on my body and enhance my senses or whatever. I doubt it’ll work but go for it. It won’t do anything or make me feel.”   
  
“Right, um...where do you want me to touch you?” Raven blushed as soon as the words left his mouth. “N-Nevermind. Stupid question. Here…” He reached out about to place his hand on her shoulder when she spoke sarcastically.    
  
“How about my chest?”   
  
It was clear from her tone that she was being sarcastic but he instinctively looked down.    
  
“I didn’t say you could look!”   
  
“Right, sorry!” Raven’s gaze jerked back up to hers and he placed his hand on her shoulder. He closed his eyes, focusing his ability and a moment later heard her gasp softly. “Is it working?”   
  
“I can...feel your hand.” Nico said, sounding shocked at the thought. “It’s warm. Heavy. Squeeze it.”   
  
Raven opened his eyes to look at her, seeing she was staring down at his hand. He focused and squeezed her shoulder only for her to moan at the feeling on her overly sensitive skin. He quickly pulled away.    
  
Nico touched her shoulder where his hand had just been. “Will this work with Hanayo?” She asked hopefully. “Will I be able to feel her like this? Her lips too? Physically?”   
  
“Uh...well yeah though I would need to be fairly close.” Raven said, blushing at the thought. “Not that I want to be! It’ll just fade if I go too far away.”   
  
“Right. Don’t go anywhere.” Nico turned back to Hanayo and moved onto the bed, crouching next to her just as Raven had earlier. “She looks so calm. I wish it was me who made her that way...like Shirayuki. Maybe a kiss will wake her up?”   
  
Raven watched in silence as Nico gently caressed Hanayo’s cheek.    
  
Slowly, Nico leaned down, pressing her lips to Hanayo’s. It was soft and warm, much warmer than she was used to feeling when she kissed Hanayo. Her lips tingled at the brush of their lips together and she kissed Hanayo again, slowly, focusing on the warmth.    
  
Hanayo’s eyelids fluttered as Nico drew back. “Nico-chan…”   
  
“I can feel you.” Nico whispered, her lips brushing gently against Hanayo’s as she spoke. “Your lips are so soft. And warm…”   
  
Hanayo smiled wearily and reached up, brushing her fingers gently against Nico’s cheek before her arms went around the girls back and she pulled her down into a loose hug. “You’re here.”   
  
“I’m here.” Nico mumbled, her heart thudding against her chest at the feeling of Hanayo’s warmth.    
  
“So am I.”   
  
“Raven-kun!” Hanayo jerked up slightly, surprised to hear him speak. “W-What…?”   
  
Nico blushed. “Ignore him. He’s just helping me out by um...enhancing my senses for me. He says he needs to be here to do it but honestly, I think he just wanted to watch us make out.”   
  
“Hey!” Raven protested as Hanayo giggled in response. He huffed, his face red. “I did not. B-Besides if we’re talking about being indecent, you’re the one who made a weird noise when I squeezed your shoulder.”   
  
“Hmm?” Hanayo raised an eyebrow. “Is Nico-chan sensitive with her new feelings?”   
  
“N-No!”   
  
“I wonder if I should bite you.” Hanayo whispered, her lips moving to Nico’s neck, gently brushing against her skin.    
  
“Hey guy over here!” Raven exclaimed quickly, his eyes widening. “You’re not alone!”   
  
“Even if you get an awkward boner you stay right there.” Hanayo called to him. “I want to bite Nico-chan, I want to hear my name in her voice…”   
  
Nico swallowed thickly. “M-Maybe just gently at first. Don’t draw blood this time.”   
  
“THIS time!?” Raven exclaimed in surprise. “H-Hanayo, I thought you were…”   
  
“Innocent?” Hanayo smirked, rolling her eyes. “You’ve got the wrong idea, Raven-kun.” She leaned down, licking a line up Nico’s neck.    
  
Nico whimpered at the feeling, tilting her head to the right to let Hanayo continued. “H-Hanayo…”   
  
Raven turned away from them to avoid any awkwardness. “Damn it…”   
  
Nico gasped loudly as Hanayo’s teeth scraped against her neck. “H-Hanayo...ah…”   
  
“Does this satisfy you?” Hanayo mumbled, her hands slipping under Nico’s shirt. They roamed up, fingers skimming over Nico’s breasts.    
  
“Mmhm!”    
  
Raven covered his ears, his blush intensifying. “Um...maybe I should…”   
  
“Please stay.” Hanayo said suddenly, her tone pleading. “I want Nico-chan to feel me. I need her to know how much I like her. I don’t want Nico-chan to think I’m just using her. Please don’t go anywhere.”   
  
Raven turned to look at them in time to see Nico tuck her face into Hanayo’s shoulder, her shoulders trembling. “Right. If you want. I can wait outside. It should be fine.”   
  
He waited for a nod before he quickly fled the room.    
  
Hanayo gently stroked Nico’s back, trying to soothe her. “I’m here. Don’t be scared of me. Don’t think I’m just using you…”   
  
Nico hiccuped on a sob. Not even her feelings for Maki could overshadow the feeling and gentleness of Hanayo’s touch.   
  
“Hanayo…”   
  
“I’m here, Nico-chan.” Hanayo gently stroked Nico’s hair until the girl started to relax. “I’m always going to be here, okay?”   
  
Nico nodded, hugging Hanayo tightly. “I believe you.”   
  
Hanayo smiled softly in response. She could feel how much Nico craved her warmth and her touch. She felt completely at ease knowing that Nico did like her, want her, maybe even love her.    
  
Nico slowly drew back and looked into Hanayo’s eyes. “I really really want this to work, Hanayo. I was serious when I told you that. I want to be with you. I don’t want to be a friends with benefits thing, I just...I want to be your girlfriend. I want what Kotori, Honoka and even Nozomi have. I want to be with you. Please, I don’t want to be alone anymore. I like being with you. You make me calm and sure of myself. You make me do things that I would never do since I got this ability. I-I know one day you’ll die and we all know I’ll be stuck living but...I want to be with you until you grow old. Please. I want...I want to feel love. And to be loved.”   
  
Hanayo blinked back tears as Nico finished speaking. “I want that too, Nico-chan.” She pressed her lips gently to Nico’s. “I really really care about you.”   
  
“You...you do?” Nico asked unsurely.    
  
“I do. Ever since that time in the facility. I started to feel stronger feelings for you then.” Hanayo said sincerely.    
  
“Same for me...so much. But it’s so much stronger. I just want to be close to your body.” Nico admitted softly. “I was so curious to feel you like this with my senses working properly and….”   
  
“Shh, it’s okay.” Hanayo gently guided Nico down, kissing her passionately.    
  
\-----   
  
“Do you need me for anything else?” Raven asked as he glanced over at the two of them. He was glad he’d been able to help, at least temporarily.    
  
“No, it’s fine. Thank you for staying. I know that was probably awkward.” Hanayo said with a grateful smile. “But we appreciate it. It means a lot to us, right Nico-chan?”   
  
Nico nodded. “I’m sorry you had to see me in such a pathetic state.”   
  
“Hey there’s nothing wrong with having feelings.” Hanayo tugged Nico to her, hugging her gently.    
  
“O-Okay…” Nico mumbled. “Just don’t tell Future Honoka.”   
  
“What? Why would I tell her how adorable you are?” Hanayo smiled softly and kissed Nico’s cheek. “For my eyes only, Nico-chan.”   
  
Nico blushed at the response.    
  
“Anyway, thank you for staying. Again.” Hanayo said, giving him a brief hug before she drew away.    
  
“Ah, i-it’s fine. I guess.” Raven bluseed, even more so when Nico hugged him too. It was brief and she seemed fairly embarrassed about it but she did it nonetheless. “I’ll see you two later. Maybe.”    
  
“I’ll come and find you if Nico-chan needs some enhancing.” Hanayo teased as he got up, walking to the door.    
  
“I’m never going to live this down, am I?” Raven sighed as he opened the door.    
  
“Nope.” Hanayo smirked as he glared at her over his shoulder before leaving. “Neither of you will.”   
  
\----   
  
“You need to concentrate.” Maki ordered as Leah staggered, clutching her head.  “You managed to fight off my last attacks, you just need to focus more to fight these off. Are you ready?”   
  
“Wait, wait…” Leah held up her hand, still feeling a little woozy. Maki’s attacks were much stronger now but she got the impression the redhead still wasn’t going all out. She straightened up, taking a deep breath.  “I’m ready!”   
  
“Don’t you think you’re being a bit hard on her, Maki-chan?” Kotori, who was sitting at Maki’s desk asked skeptically. “She’s just a kid.”   
  
“Kotori-senpai!” Leah complained, turning to frown at Kotori. “I’m not a kid.”   
  
“Alright, alright.” Kotori chuckled under her breath, causing Maki-chan to roll her eyes. “What? She’s cute! She even calls me senpai!”   
  
Maki stared at Kotori for a long moment before she sighed and shook her head. “Alright, let’s take a break. We’ve been trying to do this all afternoon. I need to take a break anyway.”   
  
“What?!” Leah exclaimed in surprise. “But I almost had it! And I need to learn to control my ability if I’m going to protect myself and Nee-sama!”   
  
“Yeah well you need to eat something too otherwise you’re not going to have the chance. Besides, I need to spend some time with my fiance.” Maki sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose in exasperation when Leah pouted at her. “We’ll continue tomorrow morning.  _ Not _ all day!”   
  
Leah still didn’t look too happy about that. “But…”   
  
“Just take it.” Kotori advised, lightly placing her hand on Leah’s shoulder. “You’re not going to get a better offer. Besides you don’t want to overwork yourself, you’ll get sick.”   
  
Maki watched as Leah blushed in response and hurriedly nodded her head.    
  
“O-Okay! I’ll see you later, Kotori-senpai!” Leah exclaimed before she turned and left the basement, taking the stairs two at a time.    
  
“That girl and her crush on you.” Maki muttered with a roll of her eyes. She stared at Kotori. “You shouldn’t encourage her.”   
  
“I’m just being friendly!” Kotori protested. “Besides, I’m happily engaged and she knows that. Nobody is better for me than Maki-chan.”   
  
Maki blushed at the response and briefly averted her eyes, struggling to contain a smile. “Well still, I’d prefer if she didn’t fawn over you all of the time.”    
  
Kotori walked over to Maki, slipping her arms around her waist. “Well you could always fawn over me instead. You have some time now, don’t you?” She leaned in, pressing her lips gently to Maki’s neck. “Well could go to bed early.”   
  
“Yeah.” Maki mumbled in agreement, allowing her eyes to flit closed. Taking a night away from her work wouldn’t hurt, she supposed. “Let’s go.”   
\------   
  
Nozomi looked up as the door to her bedroom opened. The room was only lit by a lamp next to the bed so it took her a moment to realize it was Honoka who had stepped into the room. “Where have you been?”   
  
“Trying to deal with this mess.” Future Honoka answered wearily as she closed the door behind her. She approached the bed and fell down onto it, face first. She hummed in satisfaction when her head finally hit the pillow. “I’m exhausted.”   
  
She reached out and felt around for Nozomi, finally finding her hand. “Come here.”   
  
Nozomi let Honoka grasp her hand and pull her close though she did so with a sigh. She curled her arm around her girlfriend’s waist. “You’re not going to sleep, are you?”   
  
Honoka grimaced at the question. She knew why Nozomi was asking it. “Um...I was planning to. I guess I’m not going to be though.”   
  
“We need to talk.” Nozomi said, leaning back slightly. “You need to let me talk and you need to listen to me. I’ve been trying to talk to you all day and you’ve been avoiding me.”   
  
“Why would I avoid you?” Honoka sighed and slowly sat up, causing Nozomi’s arm to fall from her waist. “Okay, I’m listening.”   
  
Nozomi looked down at her lap. She had thought about what she was going to say to Honoka so much throughout the day but now that she was sitting in front of her she had no idea what she should be saying.    
  
She took a deep breath, trying to dull the ache in her chest and settled for being honest. “I can’t lose you.”   
  
Honoka averted her eyes. She’d known the conversation was coming since she’d made the suggestion that she take her past self’s place in the continuum but she hadn’t been looking forward to it.    
  
“I love you.” Nozomi continued softly, her eyes lingering on Honoka’s face. “I love you so much, Senpai. How don’t you understand that? I’m in love love with  _ you _ , I want to spend my life with you.”   
  
“Of course I understand that.” Honoka gritted her teeth and looked back to Nozomi, her eyes laced with tears. “I feel exactly the same way as you. You don’t think I’d rather stay with you then throw myself into that damn continuum? If I don’t go you lose Honoka o-or Rin! How am I meant to let that happen? You love her just as much as you lo-”   
  
“No, I don’t.” Nozomi cut in sharply. She felt a twinge of guilt at the admission. She did love Honoka, not in the same way she loved her Honoka but she loved her anyway. As one of her closest friends. “I have to be honest. Honoka-chan saved us. She saved us all in a way but I don’t love anyone as much as I love you.”   
  
Honoka closed her eyes for a few seconds, trying to swallow against the lump in her throat. “I think...maybe right now I feel the same way.” She opened her eyes to look at her girlfriend. “I would choose you over anyone. Even…”   
  
“Then why?” Nozomi grasped Honoka’s hand tightly, pleading with her. “Why won’t you just give up this sacrificing crap and stay with me?!”   
  
“Because it’s not the right thing to do.” Honoka shuffled forward and pressed her forehead to Nozomi’s. “I want to be better. For you. You make me want to be a better person. You know this is the right thing to do. I don’t even belong here.”   
  
Nozomi whimpered softly at the comment. “You belong with me. That’s all that matters.”   
  
“I know.” Honoka whispered, lifting her hand to Nozomi’s cheek. “And I’ll fight like hell to make sure that future I talked about happens but if this is how it has to be…”   
  
“I’ll go with you.” Nozomi sniffled softly, tears spilling down her cheeks. “I want to be with you no matter what. If you go into that continuum you’re going in with me at your side. I’m never going to leave you.”   
  
Honoka smiled sadly. She would never let that happen. She wanted Nozomi to have a life even if it was with someone else. “That’s...pretty romantic. But you know I’d never let that happen.”   
  
“I’ll convince you.” Nozomi said determinedly. “And if I can’t, well just try to stop me. Where you go, I go.”   
  
Honoka leaned in and kissed Nozomi hard, tears squeezing themselves from the corners of her eyes. She pulled back for a breath only to kiss the girl again. Finally she pulled back, hurriedly wiping her face. “Ugh, you’ve gone and made me cry now. Damn it. So much for my reputation.”    
  
She slipped off the bed, leaving Nozomi to swipe her own tears away. “I think it’s sweet.”   
  
Honoka turned to face Nozomi. “You would say that.” She stepped toward the bed, about to crawl in beside Nozomi when she felt a shift right next to her and saw Nozomi’s eyes widen. She barely had time to glance to her right before Tsubasa was gripping her arm.    
  
Nozomi had just enough time to work out was going to happen. She threw herself forward, grabbing onto Honoka’s hand and Tsubasa’s shirt just as Tsubasa teleported away.    
  
A few seconds later she landed on the floor with a grunt of pain, the bed having disappeared from beneath her.    
  
“Nozomi!”    
  
Nozomi felt hands grip her arms and suddenly she was hauled to her feet. She noticed the person pulling her up was Honoka just before the hands holding her pushed her back so that she was standing behind Honoka instead of at her side.    
  
“Thought you were just gonna get the future girl.” Anju said in amusement from where she was leaning back against the desk. “Not that I see why we don’t just get it over with and kill her right here.”   
  
“What the hell do you want, Tsubasa?!” Honoka growled, pressing back against Nozomi to force her to back up a little bit. She wanted to put as much space between herself and ARise as possible. As much as she hated to admit it the sight of them still ignited terror within her.    
  
She grabbed Nozomi’s hand, trying to teleport them away but she was shocked to find it didn’t work.    
  
“Trying to leave?” Tsubasa asked, a smirk tugging at her lips. “Ability dampener. Don’t worry, it only affects you.”   
  
Honoka frowned in confusion. She didn’t even know how that was possible. “What the hell do you want then?” She repeated, still gripping Nozomi’s hand.    
  
She noticed Erena sitting behind the desk, noticing the girl still looked a bit weak. She hoped it would be enough to give them the upperhand. They had no chance against Tsubasa but if she could get hold of Erena she could use her as leverage maybe.    
  
“We have a common enemy.” Tsubasa said, suddenly turning serious. “My future self is here along with their future selves. We need to stop her before she destroys everything.”   
  
Behind her, Anju scoffed. Tsubasa was becoming weak. She was letting her emotions get to her. Her gaze shifted to Erena. Without Erena, there would be nothing keeping Tsubasa from her potential. “Rest assured I’m still going to destroy you after. Especially you, empath. You’re fun to screw with.”   
  
Nozomi glared hard at Anju, her grip on Honoka’s hand vice like but she didn’t reply. There was no point in trying it.    
  
“All I want is to fix the timeline.” Tsubasa interjected. She paused at the sight of Nozomi and Honoka’s clenched hands. “Though Anju may have a point. We’ll need leverage if you’re going to help us. Clearly you need some persuading.”   
  
She disappeared in a flash and Honoka felt Nozomi being dragged away from her a second before Tsubasa reappeared in front of her. She was holding Nozomi to her, a knife to the girl’s throat.    
  
Honoka lurched forward, feeling her heart skip a beat in her chest, only to stop when Tsubasa pressed the knife closer to Nozomi’s throat.    
  
“Ah, ah, ah.” Tsubasa’s eyes glowed brightly. “One wrong move and I’ll slit her throat.”   
  
Honoka’s head filled with images of Umi clutching at her throat, choking on blood as it seeped through her fingers and past her lips too.    
  
“On your knees, Kousaka. Hands behind your head.” Tsubasa ordered, taking pleasure in the panicked look on Honoka’s face. A part of her knew that she needed to calm down but the parasite was taking over. When Honoka didn’t move she pressed the knife closer to Nozomi’s neck, enough to make a shallow cut. “NOW!”   
  
“Alright, alright!” Honoka lowered herself to her knees and interlocked her fingers behind her head. Her eyes locked with Nozomi’s. “It’s okay. You’re going to be fine, Nozomi.”   
  
“Senpai.” Nozomi choked, barely able to breathe. The knife was pressed so close to her neck that she knew if Tsubasa dragged it along it would slit her throat.    
  
Erena moved to get up, aware that she’d be able to calm Tsubasa down but Anju grabbed her by the shoulders, forcing her to sit. “Let it play out.”   
  
“Clearly you’re not going to give me anything willingly.” Tsubasa reasoned, her eyes returning to normal for a moment. “Tell me everything you know about what’s happening.”   
  
“Don’t tell her anyth-” Nozomi trailed off with a gasp as the knife was pressed closer to her throat.    
  
Honoka gritted her teeth at the sight of blood trailing down Nozomi’s throat. “Rin went back in time to undo you killing my past self. That’s what’s caused the tear in the continuum and now the other timelines are leaking through into this one. That’s all I know.”   
  
“How do I stop it?” Tsubasa asked bluntly.    
  
“Honoka, don’t.” Nozomi winced, her chest seized with panic.    
  
“I would have to die or go into the continuum to balance things out. But I don’t even know if that would work.” Honoka blurted out, her eyes still locked with Nozomi’s. “Look you can do what you want with me, just let her go. She has nothing to do with this. Please.”   
  
“Please.” Anjo echoed, scoffing to herself. “I thought you said this one was powerful.”   
  
“Everyone has a weakness.” Tsubasa glanced over at Erena who was watching her with worry written across her face. She turned back to Honoka with a thoughtful look on her face. “I think I’ll keep hold of yours for now. For insurance.”   
  
Anju’s eyes lit up at the possibilities. If they had Nozomi they could force Honoka to do whatever they wanted. That much was obvious from the fact that Honoka was on her knees.    
  
“No, you can’t!” Honoka’s voice grew louder in alarm, icy fear running down her spine. “You can have me, you don’t need her. It’s not even as though her ability will be any use to you, right? If you let her go I’ll do whatever you want.”   
  
“Whatever we want.” Anju echoed, walking closer to Honoka. She stopped down in front of her to look into her eyes. “Turning against your teammates? If we spare your...friend, you’ll turn against them?”   
  
“Whatever you want.” Honoka confirmed shakily. “Anything.”   
  
“What are you saying?” Nozomi choked out, her eyes wide as she stared at Honoka.    
  
Honoka’s eyes locked briefly with Nozomi’s before a flash of what looked like lightning flew past her, tearing Nozomi from Tsubasa’s arms. Honoka had just enough time to feel relieved before she felt someone grab her too. She squeezed her eyes shut and a matter of seconds later opened them to find herself safely back in the basement of Kotori’s house.   
  
“What happened?!” Rin exclaimed in alarm. “Hibiki told me I had to go and get you. That you’d been taken by A-Rise.”   
  
Future Honoka ignored her, turning to Nozomi just as the girl rushed into her arms. She hugged her tightly, oblivious to the stares of Maki, Rin, Hibiki and Nico. “You’re alright.” She drew back, cupping Nozomi’s face in her hands and looked at her neck. It was bleeding but not badly, it was just a thin cut. “I thought she was going to…”   
  
Maki looked away awkwardly as Honoka choked briefly on emotion. It wasn’t often any of them had the chance to see Future Honoka get upset. She could count the number of times she’d seen it on one hand and it was usually related to Kotori.     
  
“I’m okay.” Nozomi soothed gently, gripping Honoka’s wrist. She still felt a little shaken but she was fine physically.    
  
Honoka slowly drew away only to turn to Rin and Hibiki, throwing her arms tightly around them. “Thank you.” She whispered to them before she drew away, her arms falling to her side. She felt Nozomi grip her hand and flashed her a small smile in response.    
  
“So what happened?” Nico asked bluntly, looking between the two of them. “What the hell did Tsubasa even want with you?”   
  
Honoka frowned at the question. It wasn’t really one she could answer truthfully. “She wanted help, I think. Something’s happening with the timeline because of...well the other timelines are seeping into this one and we need to fix it. And um...apparently future A-Rise are here.”   
  
“What?!” Maki, who had crossed to her desk to get a first aid kit exclaimed as she made her way over with it in her hands. “I knew something was going on!”   
  
“They’ll be coming back.” Nozomi said with a slight wince as Maki started to clean the wound on her neck with an antiseptic wipe. “We need to be ready for them.”   
  
“We will, nya.” Rin said confidently, nodding to herself. They had managed last time, she was sure they’d be able to handle themselves this time too.    
  
\----   
  
Tsubasa rounded on Anju as soon as Rin left with Honoka and Nozomi. “Why must you always ruin everything?!”   
  
“ME?!” Anju exclaimed in response, pressing her hand to her chest.    
  
“I want to do this calmly!” Tsubasa retorted angrily. “But of course you ducking encouraged my goddamn split personality and triggered the parasite!”   
  
“Of course I did.” Anju scowled. “You have so much potential and you’re ignoring it! You should just give into it. It’s nothing to be afraid of.”   
  
“Stop it!” Erena threw out a hand, binding Anju’s hands behind her back with shadows. “Stop messing with her head. We could have had true allies for once, Anju!”   
  
“Allies?!” Anju growled, struggling against her binds. “With them?!”   
  
“Stopping our reckless future selves is more important.” Tsubasa pointed out with a shake of her head. “They’ll end up destroying everything.”   
  
“Tsubasa’s right.” Erena shared a look with Tsubasa before she glanced back to Anju. “You’ve done nothing more than complicate speaking with the future version of Kousaka. Like it or not we needed her help with this. I know you want to destroy them but it has to wait until after.”   
  
“Yeah, yeah.” Anju grumbled, finally falling still. “Fine, I get it, okay? Just let me go!”   
  
Erena waited for a nod from Tsubasa before she released her hold on Anju. “We need to find a way to speak with Kousaka again.”   
  
“We’ll figure it out.” Tsubasa said, clearly trying to comfort Erena. “Somehow.”   
  
Anju turned away and rolled her eyes at them. They really were weak. She was starting to think she needed to join a more serious team. She smirked to herself as she thought of future ARise. Maybe they were her answer.    
  


\----

 

Hibiki played with the hem of the shirt she was wearing as she waited for Rin to get back from the kitchen. The girl had stated that if she was going to continue with what they were doing she’d have to eat something, considering the fact that her metabolism was a lot faster than other people’s.    
  
Hibiki blushed and looked down at her bare legs. She hadn’t planned to go so far with Rin but they’d let it happen naturally and she didn’t regret it. Far from it, in fact. She had wanted to be more intimate with Rin for a while now.    
  
She looked up sharply as the door flew open, expecting to see Rin walk into the room. Instead she found herself face to face with Hanayo. She quickly grabbed a pillow to cover herself though she knew Hanayo couldn’t see anything. The shirt she was wearing reached the top of her thighs, thankfully.    
  
“Don’t you knock?!” She exclaimed, her face bright red.    
  
Hanayo grimaced at the sight of Hibiki sitting there with messy hair, barely wearing any clothing and with swollen lips. She clenched her hand into a fist, trying to use the pain of her nails digging into her palm to keep herself calm. It barely worked. “Where is Rin-chan? What the hell did you do?!”   
  
“ME?!” Hibiki exclaimed in disbelief, her eyes widening. “I’m the one with my clothes off! I don’t like rushing things, I mean...you do know she’s impulsive, right? I don’t regret it either, since...well nevermind.” She sighed and shook her head. Hanayo could never understand. It didn’t matter what she said, Hanayo would always be against her being with Rin. “W-we’re dating and she’s my age. We’re teenagers. RIn isn’t naive. She...argh, this is too embarrassing.”   
  
“Hibiki?!”   
  
Hanayo turned to see Rin standing in the doorway, wearing a sports bra and loose sweats, a protein bar held in one hand and a bottle of water in the other.    
  
“You...stop looking so smug, damn it!” Hibiki glared halfheartedly at Rin. “Hot shot…”   
  
“I am a hot shot, hmm?” Rin smirked, seemingly not even noticing Hanayo standing there.    
  
“You want me to start calling you twinkle toes again?”   
  
“I like that nickname too. Princess.”   
  
“Fuck you!”   
  
“You already did. Well kind of. You were too embarrassed to go down there.”   
  
“RIN!” Hibiki’s face turned red at the retort from Rin.    
  
“Wait…” Hanayo looked between the two of them in confusion. “So you didn’t touch her.”   
  
“Course not, Kayo-chin.” Rin answered with a small smile, turning her attention to her best friend. “I did most of it. She’s a total...what does Kotori-chan call it? Oh, pillow princess!”   
  
Hibiki groaned into her hands. “My image is ruined.”   
  
“Nah, it got even better.” Unable to resist, Rin used her speed to get across the room, tackling Hibiki onto the bed and earning herself a shriek of surprise. She gently kissed her girlfriend’s lips. “It’s cute.”   
  
“W-What the hell is going on?!” Hanayo finally exclaimed, startling Rin into bolting upright. “Rin-chan, this isn’t like you?!”   
  
“Eh?!” Rin frowned in confusion. “I’ve always joked around, how is it not like me…?”   
  
“Hibiki’s changed you.” Hanayo said, her voice growing cold.    
  
Rin glanced at Hibiki as the girl crawled further onto the bed, folding her legs beneath her. “But I’m the same...I still feel the same.”   
  
Hibiki eyed Hanayo in concern, thinking back to the day in the training room. She had felt like Hanayo was going to kill her then. She knew the girl could easily do so if they had to fight one on one. Without Rin there she was helpless.    
  
“You’re NOT!” Hanayo replied loudly, shaking her head. “She’s changing you, why can’t you see that? Ever since she got here you haven’t been acting like yourself and now you’re...you’re having sex? With HER?!”   
  
“Hey.” Rin frowned, offended by the way Hanayo had referred to her girlfriend. “She has a name. And I’m doing that with her because I want to. I can make my own decisions, I don’t have to ask anyone else.”   
  
“Rin.” Hibiki murmured in warning, noticing Hanayo’s eyes glow for just a second before it faded.    
  
“I’m not gonna walk on eggshells around you even with this damn parasite.” Rin growled, pointedly not acknowledging the warning. She wasn’t going to let anyone treat Hibiki the way Hanayo was. “If you need to lash out, lash out at me, not my damn girlfriend. You’re my best friend, Hanayo, but you haven’t been acting like it!  _ You’re _ the one that’s changed, not me!”   
  
Hanayo gritted her teeth, a familiar fury coursing through her. “You weren’t like this before  _ she _ got here. If she’d never come everything would be fine!”   
  
“You mean you want things to go back to when everyone had someone and I was alone!” Rin exclaimed, her own face flushing with anger now. “If it wasn’t for Hibiki I would still…”   
  
“Rin.” Hibiki interrupted, placing her hand on Rin’s shoulder. When her girlfriend looked at her she shook her head.    
  
Rin bit her lip. She couldn’t tell the truth, not when she knew what tampering with time could do.    
  
“I would still be freaking out.” She finished, turning back to Hanayo.    
  
“What?!”    
  
“Nevermind…” Rin sighed, lowering her head. She could never explain to Hanayo that Hibiki had kept her calm and in doing so might have saved Honoka’s life just as much as she had. “I told you we’re connected. Her ability is connected to mine.”   
  
“And Rin’s to mine.” Hibiki said quietly. Her attention was drawn to the door when someone else walked in. Her relief was short lived though when she recognized the girl as Future Nico.    
  
Nico glanced between the three of them wondering what she had walked in on. She’d just wanted to talk to Rin about their plan. Her eyes lingered on the girl in the white shirt sitting on the bed. She had been with Rin earlier but Nico hadn’t paid much attention to her. “Wait...you’re Hibiki, right?”   
  
She hadn’t recognized her earlier because her hair was different. In the future, where Hibiki had gone by the name Oracle, she had midnight black hair. Not faded blonde like it was now. “You look different…”   
  
“Huh?”   
  
Nico looked away, remembering the mission that had killed the girl. Hibiki had been killed by agents in an ambush. Rin, who was Hibiki’s partner at the time had been depressed for months after Hibiki had been shot.    
  
“So um...you know me?” Hibiki asked hesitantly. “From...the future?”   
  
“Something like that. Just from a couple of missions, nothing important.” Nico said, shaking her head.    
  
_ “Nico-chan, do you ever want something but you’re afraid to get it?”  _ _   
_ _   
_ _ At the sound of Rin’s question Nico paused in hitting the wing chun dummy, her brow furrowed. “Is this about food again?” _ _   
_ _   
_ _ “Oracle confuses me…” Rin admitted sheepishly.  _ _   
_ _   
_ _ Nico snorted out a laugh. “It took you three years to finally notice someone…” _ _   
_ _   
_ _ “Shut up!” _ _   
_ _   
_ _ “Look.” Nico turned to Rin. “Ask her out AFTER the mission is over. We need to get her painting to the nearest squadron first and we don’t want any distractions. It’s only a day. Just remember to do your job tomorrow and protect her, hero. Run to her, Rin. You have to take the chance.” _ _   
_ _   
_ Hanayo stared at Nico through wide eyes, the distraction causing her anger to fade. “You...look the same…”   
  
“Immortality is a bitch.” Nico quipped with a shrug of her shoulders.    
  
“Your hair is down though.” Hanayo took a step forward and reached her hand out, curiously brushing her fingers over Nico’s cheek to her hair. She paused when Nico stared at her blankly. “You don’t feel anything, do you?”   
  
“Of course I don’t. Thanks for the reminder though.” Nico stepped to the side to avoid Hanayo’s hand. “So are you helping with the tech stuff, like in the future?”   
  
“Of course. I have to be useful somehow.” Hanayo lowered her hand back to her side.    
  
“I should warn you…” Nico lowered her voice. “Don’t screw with me or my past self. I’m serious.”   
  
Hanayo swallowed thickly. “I like your past self very much.”   
  
“You’re only using her.” Nico disagreed sharply. “I guess even in the past I’m only good to fuck.”   
  
Hanayo gritted her teeth. “You don’t understand our relationship.”   
  
Nico nodded toward Rin and Hibiki who were listening in silence. “The same could be said about those two. You don’t understand them. I don’t understand you and me.”   
  
Hanayo clenched her hands at her sides. “You’re pissing me off. You have no idea how your past self thinks. She’s not going to just sit around and wait for Maki-chan to glance in her direction. She’s better than that.”   
  
“You don’t know what you’re talking about. You don’t understand Maki’s future self.”   
  
“Neither did you, I’m betting!”    
  
Nico shook her head. “I always knew she loved Kotori. I always  _ protected _ her from Kotori! But you know she told me, right before the mission to rescue Honoka that she and Kotori were going to start dating. It was during a discussion in her office when she told me that she wanted to stop being friends with benefits. And I told her I was glad because I wanted her to be happy.”   
  
Hibiki cleared her throat. Honoka had told her about Kotori. That they were engaged and that she loved her. “Does Honoka know?”   
  
“Of course she doesn’t know!” Nico snapped loudly. “And none of you are going to tell her.”   
  
“You can’t tell me that.” Hibiki answered, forcing her voice not to waver. “Honoka is like my...she’s…” She blushed and shook her head.    
  
“Her big sister.” Rin filled in for Hibiki. “She’s her family.”   
  
“Right. I can’t keep this from her.” Hibiki said firmly. She couldn’t help but worry about what would happen if she did keep it a secret and Honoka found out. Honoka would hate her, she was sure. She would be devastated by the truth of course but at least if Hibiki was the one to tell her it would be easier.    
  
“Honoka wanted Eli and Umi. Kotori was always third to he-”   
  
“It doesn’t make a difference!” Hibiki exclaimed loudly, anger audible in her tone. “She couldn’t be with Eli because she wouldn’t admit to herself that she loved her a-and Eli was with Nozomi! And she was forcing herself to hate Umi so that was impossible too! Even if Kotori was third Honoka still loved her!”   
  
“Don’t you get it?!” Nico scoffed and shook her head. “If we succeeded with Umi’s help they could have spoken to each other. Umi would have fucking come clean and after one talk with her Honoka would have chosen her over Kotori. I knew it, all of Muse minus Honoka knew it. KOTORI fucking knew it!”   
  
“Well they’re all dead so clearly that scenario ain’t gonna bloody happen!” Hibiki said bluntly, surprised by how irrational Nico was being.    
  
Future Nico growled low in her throat. “I’m gonna train. Do NOT tell Honoka!”   
  
“Try to stop me!” Hibiki called after Nico as the girl turned and walked out.    
  
Hanayo raised an eyebrow at the challenge. “Well I...guess I’ll leave you two to it.” She said, too surprised to feel angry. She turned and followed Nico out of the room, closing the door behind her.    
  
“I can’t believe you said that to Nico-chan, nya.” Rin said, both awed and worried by what Hibiki had said. Nobody ever really stood up to Nico besides Future Honoka.   
  
“It’s not your Nico so it doesn’t count.”   
  
“I hope so.” Rin mumbled, biting her lip. “So um...what about Honoka-chan? Future Honoka-chan…?”   
  
Hibiki looked down at her lap, her brow furrowed. “I’ll tell her when she has a minute. I don’t want to drag her away from Nozomi right now. But I’m not going to keep it from her.”   
  
“You’re a good friend, Hibiki.” Rin wrapped her arms around Hibiki from the side. “Or...a good little sister, I mean.”   
  
Hibiki blushed and grumbled under her breath. She was sure she wouldn’t feel like it when she told Honoka and saw her reaction. She looked up at Rin. “Can I sketch you? I need something to calm me down. Drawing does it…”   
  
“Like titanic?” Rin teased with a smirk.    
  
“Gah. Rin…” Hibiki turned red at the suggestion. “Just normally. With clothes. I like drawing clothes.”   
  
“Aww, I was hoping for a nude.” Rin pouted. “It would be exciting, right?”   
  
“Okay, maybe you have become a little...perverted.” Hibiki relented with a roll of her eyes.    
  
“Nya!” Rin tackled Hibiki to the bed and tickled her sides, drawing a shriek of laughter from the girl beneath her. “You’re gonna pay for that, Princess.”   
  
“Oh no, I’m scared.” Hibiki grinned up at Rin, already feeling herself calming down. There was something about Rin that just soothed her.    
  
Rin smirked before stripping the t-shirt from her girlfriend’s body, casting it aside. She leaned down, kissing Hibiki deeply, feeling the girl’s arms wrap around her back as she kissed her back.    
  
TBC   



	52. Chapter 52

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys, here’s the next chapter of Let It Burn. Thanks for the likes/comments/reblogs. I hope you enjoy!
> 
> Warning(s): Angst, violence, cheating (mentioned), sexual scenes.

Hibiki sat on the edge of Rin’s bed, staring down at her hands. She wasn’t sure what she should tell Future Honoka about Kotori and her plans to leave her for Maki. She knew she had to, given that Future Honoka was her closest friend and she didn’t want to lie to her but she didn’t know what she should say to her. Whatever she said was certainly going to hurt.   
  
She bit her lip, wondering whether she should speak to Kotori herself about it first. She hadn’t spoken to Kotori much while she’d lived in the house so she wasn’t sure what would work either.   
  
She heard the door open and felt a familiar gust of wind, signalling that Rin had entered. She looked up only to feel arms come up around her from behind.   
  
Soft, warm lips grazed against her neck and Hibiki closed her eyes, letting herself relax into the light embrace   
  
“What are you thinking about?” Rin murmured against Hibiki’s neck.   
  
“Just stuff.” Hibiki sighed, aware that Rin wouldn’t know how to help her. It seemed Rin was still a little worried that Hibiki telling Future Honoka the truth might incur Future Nico’s wrath.   
  
“Maybe I could help distract you.” Rin mumbled.   
  
Hibiki closed her eyes, feeling hands come up to slowly peel off her jacket. It struck her once more by surprise that while Rin was so naturally fast, she was so patient and unhurried with her like this. She gasped softly as lips pressed gently against the tattoo on her back, a hand pressing against her stomach over her tank top.   
  
“Rin.” Hibiki weakly protested though she knew it was no use. She would inevitably melt under Rin’s attentions. She gave a gentle sigh as Rin hummed questioningly against her shoulder blade.   
  
“Do you want me to stop?” Rin mumbled innocently though Hibiki could feel her smirking against her skin.   
  
“No.” Hibiki finally said after a moment of hesitation. Rin was right, she did need something to take her mind off of what was happening with Future Honoka. “Well maybe. I don’t know. It’s just so new. I guess we both seem to understand why the others rely on this.”   
  
Rin hummed in agreement and lightly rested her chin against Hibiki’s shoulder. “It feels good to be in each other’s warmth. I didn’t really understand why the others got so caught up in their relationships before but I think I get it now.”   
  
Hibiki nervously gnawed at her lower lip for a moment before she spoke softly. “I-I still didn’t do much for you…”   
  
“You don’t have to.” Rin said quickly, giving Hibiki a reassuring squeeze. “I like doing the work. It helps with my fast nature. You don’t mind it, right?”   
  
Hibiki gave a slight shake of her head. “I-I’ve always been afraid of human touch...but since the day we finally met, I’ve come to yearn for yours.”   
  
“And yet you seemed to flirt with everyone.” Rin recalled lightly. “That kinda annoyed me and I didn’t understand it. Well until we talked in the training room.”   
  
Hibiki grimaced at the reminder of her behavior when she’d first arrived at the house. “It was just a facade. I-I am a delinquent after all.”   
  
“Nah, far from it. You’re the most innocent and cutest girl here.”   
  
“S-Shut up, you once called me cool!”   
  
Rin snorted out a laugh. “Yeah, that was before I had you wrapped around my little finger.”   
  
“RIN!”   
  
“Hmm?” Rin hummed, loosening her embrace. She felt Hibiki grip her hand in front of her stomach to keep it in place.   
  
“D-Don’t stop hugging me.”   
  
Rin paused for a moment before she tightened her embrace once more, a small smile tugging at her lips. “So are you going to re-bleach your hair?”  
  
“Maybe...unless you like girls with dark hair?”   
  
Rin shrugged slightly. “I imagine you’re a real Japanese beauty with your natural hair color. But you should have it how you want it.”   
  
Hibiki blushed at the compliment. Nobody had ever said that to her. Especially living in England for so long. Black hair was mostly considered to be dull.   
  
“I love you…” She whispered.   
  
Rin paused, her face turning red at the sudden admission. She opened her mouth but she couldn’t speak. Thankfully Hibiki continued.   
  
“I’ve loved you since I was a child. Drawing your kind but mischievous face...since my ability was usually putting me in a trance. The drawings I got to do consciously were a nice change. Even if we were so far away from each other.”   
  
Rin held Hibiki closer to her and took a deep, calming breath before she spoke. “When my ability started to develop, being from a...family with parents who didn’t have any powers, I was scared of them. But the speed I was gaining always seemed to show me a red lightstream. Like something I was meant to follow. But every time I did it led me to the ocean. I never crossed it because I was worried I would lose my speed and fall in.”   
  
Hibiki’s lips turned up slightly at that. “Rin…”   
  
“I always wanted to follow the stream b-but what I’m trying to say…” Rin closed her eyes for a moment, feeling her skin prickle as she blushed with embarrassment. “I always felt warmth from it. And now since I’ve used my speed I’ve been seeing that stream has been connected to you. Ugh, I’m really bad at trying to understand all of this and I know it doesn’t make any sense but what I’m saying is I think you’re my...soulmate or the person I’m  _meant_ to be with. I know I’ve loved you since I started following that red lightstream.”   
  
Hibiki gripped Rin’s hand tightly, tears forming in the corners of her eyes.   
  
“You're not alone anymore.” Rin reminded Hibiki gently. “Just remember you have Honoka but she’s not your only family. I can be that too. In a different way of course. If you want me to be.”   
  
“I do.” Hibiki nodded emphatically and turned to Rin, kissing her hard. She pulled back, dashing away tears from her eyes.   
  
“Eh? Then why are you crying…?”   
  
“Because I’m happy.” Hibiki surged toward Rin, hugging her tightly and knocking her to her back on the bed.   
  
Rin landed with a soft ‘oomph’, her arms wrapping around Hibiki’s waist. She smiled softly up at her. “I’m happy too.”   
  
Hibiki gave a gentle laugh at Rin’s simple comment and leaned down, pressing her lips to those of the girl beneath her.   
  
Rin inhaled sharply in surprise when she felt Hibiki grip her hands, dragging them up her sides, the tank top Hibiki was wearing being pushed up. She drew back slightly to speak. “You want to…”   
  
“Yes.” Hibiki answered simply, meeting Rin’s eyes. She couldn’t help but smile when Rin grinned at her in response to the admission. She noticed a flicker across Rin’s eyes but she barely had time to recognize it as lightning before she found herself on her back, Rin looming over her. Feeling pressure on her hands she looked to her sides, noticing Rin’s fingers were entwined with hers, pinning her hands to the bed at either side of her head. “Um…”   
  
She wondered vaguely if Rin even knew how her doing those kinds of things made her feel. She imagined Rin had a vague idea but didn’t know exactly, The girl was smirking down at her, a somewhat smug look on her face.   
  
“You’re beautiful.” Rin murmured, drawing a blush to Hibiki’s cheeks. She let go of Hibiki to reach down and tug her own shirt off, her own cheeks flushing. She still wasn’t used to anyone seeing her so exposed.   
  
“After this we need to get back to work. Training.” Hibiki whispered even as she openly stared at her girlfriend.   
  
“Let us have our moment first.” Rin murmured, leaning down to kiss Hibiki once more.   
  
\----   
  
Ruby wandered down the hallway, glancing this way and that for any sign of her sister or Mari. She knew the two of them had been spending a lot of time together and she didn’t especially want to speak to Mari. She was still confused about whose fault it was that Dia had been beaten up so badly. Now, it seemed to her that it was the fault of both Kanan and Mari.   
  
She let herself into the spacious gym room, figuring she could take her frustrations out on a punching bag. It would be a lot easier to explain than if she were to wind up lashing out at either Kanan or Mari. Not that she wouldn’t be justified in doing so.   
  
The door shut behind her but she paused in place, seeing the room was already occupied. Kanan was pulling herself up with barely any effort at all, using the salmon ladder in the middle of the room. Ruby’s have dropped as she watched the flex of muscles in Kanan’s abdomen, the girl’s biceps clenching and unclenching as she pulled herself up. Kanan didn’t even seem to have noticed Ruby was there.   
  
Ruby didn’t say anything, her words seemingly caught in her throat as she watched Kanan continue to the top. Finally when Kanan reached it she let go of the bar, letting herself drop gracefully to her feet. It was only then that she seemed to notice Ruby was there.   
  
“Oh, Ruby!” Kanan exclaimed, her eyes widening in surprise. She grabbed a towel she’d placed on the floor nearby to wipe sweat from her brow. “What are you doing here?”   
  
Ruby silently stared at Kanan.   
  
“Uh...right.” Kanan sighed, draping the towel over her shoulder. “Guess you’re not ready to talk to me yet. Well I’ll um...leave you to it.”   
  
“No, I’ll go.” Ruby said quickly, shaking her head. “You’re better at training than I am. And I’d just get in your way.”   
  
Kanan narrowed her eyes at Ruby in response. “Um...it’s fine, really. I was finished anyway.” She moved to inch past Ruby only for the younger girl to grab her arm, tugging her back around to face her.   
  
“Eh? Ruby…” Kanan found herself backed up against the door, Ruby leaning up on her tiptoes so they were almost eye to eye. “Um...Ruby, what are you doing?”   
  
“Intimidating you.” Ruby answered simply, staring into Kanan’s eyes.   
  
“Oh, right.” Kanan’s gaze shifted to the left then the right to avoid looking directly at Ruby. She didn’t want to laugh at her but Ruby wasn’t exactly an intimidating person. Cute was a much better description. “So uh...are you done?”   
  
“No.” Ruby growled angrily, pressing herself closer to Kanan. She felt the girl tense against her and felt a surge of satisfaction. “We’re done when I say we’re done.”   
  
“Got it.” Kanan felt her face turn red as she felt Ruby’s chest press against her own. She wondered when Ruby had gotten boobs but she figured it was hardly the time to think about that. She closed her eyes to avoid looking at Ruby but she could still feel her warmth and feel her breath against her cheek.   
  
“Your face is red.” Ruby remarked quietly, her brow furrowed in thought.   
  
“Ruby, you’re too close.”   
  
Ruby flinched at Kanan’s words and stumbled back slightly, her eyes wide. “Ah, I didn’t...I was just trying to um…”   
  
“Yeah, I know.” Kanan breathed a sigh of relief. “Don’t worry about it. It’s just with Ma...well I haven’t been close to anyone like that since you and Dia came back. It felt nice.”   
  
“I-It did?” Ruby asked in surprise. She cleared her throat after. “M-Maybe we could...try to train together o-or something.”   
  
“Or something?” Kanan barely managed to finish her sentence before Ruby had stepped forward until she was standing mere centimetres in front of her. “W-What are you thinking...Kohai?”   
  
Ruby gritted her teeth. “Are you trying to remind me of my place, Kanan-san?” She stepped even closer, grasping at Kanan’s waist and leaning up so they were at the same height. “Is it working?”   
  
“You do realize I could just sweep you off your feet, right?” Kanan asked, lowering her voice to a whisper.   
  
“And I could throw you across the room with a scream.” Ruby reminded Kanan, in no mood to be talked down to.   
  
“I don’t want to fight you, Ruby.” Kanan mumbled, staring deeply into Ruby’s eyes. She backed them up until Ruby was pressed lightly against the wall, reversing their positions from a few minutes ago. “I definitely don’t want to fight you.”   
  
“So then what  _do_ you want?” Ruby inquired, her heart pounding urgently against her chest.   
  
Kanna gripped Ruby’s chin and leaned down, kissing her without a word. She felt Ruby tense for a moment but she didn’t push her away. Instead she clutched at her tighter, kissing her back. It was only when Kanan felt herself craving more that she forced herself to draw away.   
  
“I should go.” She whispered, noticing Ruby’s cheeks were flushed.   
  
“No, don’t.” Ruby gripped the front of Kanan’s thin tank top and drew her into another deep kiss.   
  
“I thought you hated me.” Kanan mumbled between kisses as she felt Ruby’s hands rake up over her sides. She didn’t dare move her own hands.   
  
“Stop talking.” Ruby growled, her hand moving to the back of Kanan’s neck so she could draw her into another kiss.   
  
Kanan whimpered in surprise as Ruby’s tongue pressed past her lips, brushing against her own. Finally relening, she press Ruby further back against the wall, kissing her back.   
  
Neither of them noticed the door open until they heard a gasp. They pulled away hurriedly and Kanan felt a brief moment of relief when she found Leah standing there rather than Dia.   
  
Ruby felt no such relief. Her stomach sank. “Leah-chan…”   
  
“Um...sorry, I-I didn’t mean to disturb you.” Leah said, clearly embarrassed. “I’ll just um…” She gestured behind her before she turned and hurried from the room.   
  
“Leah-chan!” Ruby called after Leah in alarm.   
  
“Ah crap, I really hope she doesn’t tell Dia.” Kanan muttered to herself, rubbing the back of her neck. She didn’t need Dia to have even more reason to hate her.   
  
“Is that all you can think about?” Ruby shoved Kanan away, causing her to stumble slightly and took off running after Leah. She found her around the corner at the end of the hallway, leaning against the wall. “Leah-chan…”   
  
Leah’s hands trembled at her sides. “I’m fine.”   
  
“No, you’re not.”   
  
“Just leave me alo-”   
  
“Ruby will not!” Ruby hugged Leah tightly, feeling the girl tremble slightly in her arms. “I missed you.”   
  
“I’ve been training so I can protect you.” Leah said softly, able to admit the truth as she wasn’t looking at Ruby. “And Nee-sama.”   
  
“Ruby misses your warmth.” Ruby mumbled, resting her chin on Leah’s shoulder. She was relieved that Leah was making no effort to draw away from her.   
  
“What about the water girl?” Leah asked quietly. “N-Not that it’s the same thing.”   
  
“It was just...a stupid thing.” Ruby said hesitantly. “She was...making tension and then she kissed me. And I want to hate her and I’m still confused over everything that happened with Onee-chan and…Ruby is being so awful…”   
  
“Calm down.” Leah whispered. She drew back, looking around. “Come on, let’s go to our room.”   
  
“What if you disappear again, early in the morning?” Ruby asked worriedly.   
  
“Not tomorrow, I promise.” Leah said softly as she led Ruby back to her room. She felt Ruby grip her hand.   
  
“Ruby feels safest with you…”   
  
Leah felt herself blush fiercely. Even with her crush on an older girl, somehow Ruby seemed to make her feel even stranger. She waited until they reached their room and the door was closed before she leaned into Ruby, kissing her forehead. “I-I’m right here. I promise, no more disappearing without you knowing.”   
  
Ruby blushed in response to the kiss and she hugged Leah again to hide it. The innocent kiss didn’t make her feel like Kanan had but Leah’s strong arms were enough to cause her to feel strong affection.   
  
\----

 

“So do you think you like her?” Leah wandered out loud, her head resting gently upon Ruby’s shoulder. She stared at their hands, clasped lightly in front of them. It was a little embarrassing she had to admit but she could hardly remember ever feeling so comfortable with another person. “This….Kanan person?”   
  
“No.” Ruby answered without pausing to think about the question. “Kanan-san is an old friend. She used to be my friend or she...it’s complicated. I don’t know if we are friends anymore.”   
  
Leah made a sympathetic sound in response to Ruby’s explanation.  She couldn’t say she had ever been in the same situation but she didn’t imagine it was pleasant. “You said she’s your sister’s best friend, right?”   
  
“Hmm.” Ruby hummed, giving a slight nod. “She’s always been there. Just like Mari-chan. A-Anyway, let’s talk about something else. How is you training going?”   
  
Leah grimaced at the question and shifted slightly in the loose hold of Ruby’s arm. “It’s hard. And it pisses me off.”   
  
“Why?”   
  
Leah sighed. “Because my mentor is a grump. And she has a hot fiance.”   
  
“Huh?”   
  
“Hot fiance?” Leah looked up, a skeptical look on her face. She couldn’t believe Ruby hadn’t noticed. “A lot nicer than her girlfriend, pretty, big boobs?”   
  
“So you like girls with a  chest…?” Ruby glanced down at her own and wrinkled her nose. There went her chances.   
  
“I-I mean a little…” Leah stuttered, blushing. “The first time I saw her she was practically naked.”   
  
“WHAT?!”   
  
“Huh? Nothing…” Leah noticed the downtrodden look on Ruby’s face and quickly continued. “Hey you’re cute too! So don’t think you aren’t pretty.”   
  
“Not hot though.” Ruby pointed.   
  
“W-Well you have a hot personality. I mean...” Leah groaned and looked away. “Well this got awkward again. If it makes you feel better I like dominant girls…” She trailed off and buried her face in the blanket draped over herself and Ruby. She was only making it worse. “Damn it.”   
  
She felt a shift and then Ruby disappeared from her arms. Leah had the crushing thought that she might have scared Ruby off but then a weight settled atop her. She drew the blanket away, her heart leaping in her chest when she saw Ruby straddling her.   
  
“Can Ruby make you forget your Mentor’s fiance?”   
  
“E-Eh?!”   
  
“Ruby wants to get rid of Kanan-san’s lips.” Ruby murmured, staring down at Leah. She trailed her fingers lightly up the girl’s arms.   
  
“R-Ruby…” Leah swallowed thickly, her wide eyes fixed on Ruby’s face. She was struck by how Ruby could act so innocent one moment and then act like this the next.   
  
“Do you need to think about it?” Ruby asked, trailing her finger down Leah’s chest. She watched in satisfaction as the girl beneath her gasped and arched her back, her shirt hiking up to reveal skin to Ruby’s curious eyes. She made no move to touch yet, wanting Leah’s permission to do so first.   
  
“I’m uh...w-well.” Leah closed her eyes and took a deep breath. She could barely focus with Ruby on top of her like that. “I-I haven’t even kissed anyone yet.”   
  
She opened her eyes to see Ruby staring at her with a gentle smile on her face. “Neither have I until...Kanan-san. I wish it was with you though. Maybe I could be your first kiss instead? I-If you want?”   
  
Leah noticed the first sign of nerves in Ruby’s voice. It was comforting if she was honest. “Um…” She used her tongue to dampen her lips, noticing Ruby’s eyes immediately dart to her mouth. “I would like that.”   
  
Ruby leaned down, pressing her forehead gently to Leah’s. She noticed Leah’s breath hitch just slightly. “Ruby doesn’t want anyone else.”   
  
“Not even You-san…?”   
  
“No. Not since I met you. I mean...I am attracted to you. And by you, I mean...well you, not You.” Ruby admitted honestly. “Ruby missed holding your hand.”   
  
Leah blushed at the comment. Ruby had a way of making her feel special and cared for. “Um...y-you can kiss me now. If you want. I want you to.”   
  
Ruby bit the inside of her cheek to keep from grinning and slowly leaned down, pressing her lips gently to Leah’s. She felt the girl inhale sharply through her nose but then her arms went around Ruby’s shoulders, holding her close to her.   
  
Ruby made sure to keep the kiss slow and gentle even as Leah kissed her back. She didn’t want to rush her into anything she wasn’t ready for, as much as Ruby herself wanted to delve deeper into the kiss. Slowly, she drew back and opened her eyes, noticing Leah’s were still closed. “Is it working?”   
  
Leah slowly opened her eyes. “Yes. So um...a-are we together now?” She asked, her voice slightly hopeful.   
  
Ruby hesitated for a moment. “Ruby would like that if you do?”   
  
“Yes, I-I do.” Leah answered quickly. She was kept from saying anything else as Ruby kissed her again, just as gentle and patient as last time.   
  
\-----   
  
Kanan trailed down the hallway to Chika and You’s bedroom, her shoulders slumped. She hadn’t made anything better at all. If anything Dia was going to be even angrier with her. She wasn’t even sure how it had happened. “What the hell made me do that?”   
  
“Do what?”   
  
Kanan jumped at the sound of Chika’s voice and whirled around to face her. Chika and You had been walking along the hallway behind her, it seemed. “N-Nothing, just...something stupid.”   
  
“You can tell us.” You piped up, reaching past Kanan to open the door. She stepped past, entering the room and Kanan let Chika tug her inside too.   
  
Chika closed the door behind them before she went to sit on the bed next to You. She patted the space between them, signalling Kanan to sit down.   
  
Kanan sighed but did as she was asked, crossing to the two of them and sitting down between them.   
  
“So what did you do this time?” You finally asked. “Or rather,  _who_. We know you have a habit with girls so who was it?”   
  
“I screwed up, okay?” Kanan lowered her head, her cheeks flushed in shame.   
  
“You kissed a girl impulsively, didn’t you?” Chika groaned in exasperation. “You’ve had that habit since we were younger, granted it’s not an innocent peck anymore with you…”   
  
“Shut up!” Kanan buried her head in her hands. “I really really screwed up this time.”   
  
“It can’t be that bad.” You said lightly, her hand coming to rest on Kanan’s shoulder. “It’s not like you...made out with Ruby or something, right? I mean everyone else is fine to kiss. I guess not if they’re not single but st-”   
  
“I did. I made out with Ruby.”   
  
You paused in her rant for just a moment. “Oh yeah, Dia-san’s gonna kill you.”   
  
Chika rolled her eyes. “You-chan!”   
  
“What? It’s true!” You exclaimed in defense.   
  
Kanan looked up at the two in panic. “What am I gonna do?!”   
  
Chika shrugged helplessly while You spoke up. “Just don’t tell her. She can’t kill you if she doesn’t know what happened.”   
  
“Ruby’s probably pissed at me too.” Kanan said worriedly. “Would either of you be angry if I kissed one of you like that?”   
  
“Well you already stole our first kisses when we were younger, remember?” You asked with a roll of her eyes. “Even if they were pecks…”   
  
“Hey, I was playing a prince!”   
  
“Didn’t mean you had to get so into character!” You blushed.   
  
Kanan huffed under her breath. “You didn’t answer my question. I said if I kissed you like  _that_.”   
  
Chika shrugged. “I...wouldn’t mind it.”   
  
You blushed and looked away. “Me neither. Kanan-chan was always so...attractive.”   
  
“What?” Kanan looked between them for a moment before shaking her head. “I-It’s not the point. Dia is the point. If she finds out she’ll definitely kill m...are you two even listening?!”   
  
“Sure.” Chika drew her eyes away from You, focusing on Kanan again. “You were talking about Dia-san and how she’s going to kill you. But Ruby-chan probably doesn’t want Dia-san to find out what happened either.”   
  
“Right. So I should be fine, right?” Kanan asked hopefully. She definitely never wanted to tell Dia what had happened.   
  
“Of course.” You said confidently. “Nobody is going to tell Dia-san anything.”   
  
Kanan slowly relaxed. “I don’t think I’m ever going to want a relationship…”   
  
“You’ll always want our friendship though, right?” You checked with a small smile.   
  
“Idiot. Of course.” Kanan barely had time to reply before Chika and You were hugging her from both sides. Rolling her eyes she wrapped her arms around them, holding them close to her. She didn’t need a relationship as long as she had her friendship with those two.   
  
\----   
  
Ruby crept down the stairs that led to the basement, her hand on the wall to steady herself in case she tripped. She had never been down to the basement before but she needed to speak to Kotori and she’d learned that the girl usually spent most of her time in the basement with Maki.   
  
She reached the bottom, catching the sound of voices. She took a deep breath, bracing herself before she stepped off of the steps. She glanced around the small room, finding a redhead sitting at a small desk, a laptop open in front of her and another girl leaning against the desk.   
  
She figured the redhead must be the girl who was training Leah while the other girl was the redhead’s girlfriend, meaning she’d finally managed to track Kotori down.   
  
Maki’s eyes focused on her and Ruby paused in surprise. She knew she hadn’t been that loud when she had descended the stairs.   
  
“H-Huh?”   
  
“You’re way too loud.” Maki pointed to her own head, indicating that she meant mentally loud. “If you have something to say to her, spit it out.”   
  
Kotori turned to Ruby, surprise flitting across her face for a moment at the sight of her. She recognized Ruby as one of the girls who’d just arrived but she didn’t know her. She’d never even spoken to her. “To me? What do you need?”   
  
“I came to tell you to leave Leah-chan alone.” Ruby said boldly, straightening up. She looked Kotori in the eye, not faltering for a moment. “Sh-She’s not available.”   
  
“Oh geez…” Maki muttered, rolling her eyes. She’d known something like this would happen.   
  
“Hmm?” Kotori flashed Ruby a puzzled smile. “Leah-chan is cute but you don’t have to worry about me doing anything.” She held up her left hand, showing the ring on her finger. “I’m engaged. So...I’m not at all available either.”   
  
“I-I know that! Just don’t flirt with her!”   
  
Maki frowned. “Hey, if that brat flirts with Kotori she usually gets a mental hit.”   
  
“Maki-chan.” Kotori looked toward her girlfriend, raising an eyebrow.   
  
“Right, sorry.” Maki sighed in response. She glanced toward Ruby as the girl opened her mouth to speak. “No, you can’t watch her train. Too many distractions. One partner is enough.”   
  
“We could train together.” Kotori announced brightly. “That way Maki-chan and Leah-chan can concentrate on what they’re doing. What’s your ability?”   
  
“Sonic waves.” Ruby answered warily. She was starting to see why Leah liked the girl. Unlike her girlfriend, Kotori seemed warm and approachable. Not to mention she was pretty and…   
  
“Hey!” Maki exclaimed, noticing both Ruby’s thoughts and eyes drift. “Stop gawking at her boobs!”   
  
“I-I wasn’t!” Ruby blushed, crossing her arms in front of her chest. “I was just curious. Leah-chan said…”   
  
“  _What_ exactly did the brat say?”   
  
“Uh...n-nothing.”   
  
Maki groaned and turned to Kotori. “Why must you have the best boobs?”   
  
Kotori smiled proudly at the question. “You know you don’t mind it really.” She pointed out.   
  
Maki couldn’t argue with that observation.   
  
Kotori looked back to Ruby, her smile slipping when she noticed Ruby’s eyes fixated to Maki now. “Hey, no staring at MY girlfriend either. Eyes up, kid. Her butt is for my eyes only.”   
  
“E-Eh?!” Ruby squeaked in surprise at the sudden change in mood. Kotori was glaring at her now, causing her to take a wary step back. She had only been looking at Maki, thinking that the two made an attractive couple.   
  
Maki glanced at Kotori in surprise, noticing the annoyed look on her face. “K-Kotori, calm down…”   
  
“How are  _you_ so calm?!” Kotori asked, shaking her head.   
  
Maki shrugged. “I don’t care when people gawk at me, I only care when people look at you.”   
  
Kotori blinked at Maki. She supposed she felt the same way about her.   
  
“Um…” Ruby, who had been slowly backing away, finally reached the stairs. “I-I’m just gonna...go. And do something else.”   
  
“You stay!”   
  
“Yes, Ma’am!” Ruby stopped still, standing straight at Kotori’s command.   
  
“If we train you only stare at your own girlfriend’s butt, got it?”   
  
“I will!” Ruby exclaimed, still a little anxious about Kotori being annoyed with her. “Sorry.”   
  
Kotori sighed at the response. “Tomorrow. We can try tomorrow when Maki-chan is busy with Leah-chan.”   
  
“Right! Um...w-what are you two doing now?”   
  
“Working with Future Honoka.” Kotori answered simply, relaxing a bit.   
  
Ruby tilted her head. “Huh?”   
  
“Classified.” Maki mumbled warningly, causing Kotori to fall silent.   
  
“Well...I’m going to find Leah-chan then. I’ll see you tomorrow, Kotori-san.” Ruby didn’t wait for a reply before she hurried off to find Leah.   
  
\----   
  
Hibiki knocked lightly on Future Honoka’s door before she let herself in. She’d seen Nozomi downstairs a few minutes ago so she knew it wasn’t likely that she’d walk in on anything. She found Honoka sitting on the edge of her bed, staring down at her phone.   
  
“Hey.” Hibiki called, closing the door behind her. “Are you okay?”   
  
“Yeah.” Honoka locked her phone screen, placing it out of sight so that Hibiki didn’t see the encrypted message she’d received from Tsubasa. She had Maki working on it already and there wasn’t anything anyone else could do with it. “What’s going on?”   
  
“Um...I wanted to talk to you about something.” Hibiki hesitantly sat down next to Honoka on the bed. Her heart pounded frantically against her chest. She didn’t want to do what she was about to do but she couldn’t keep it from Honoka. “I have to tell you something actually. Um...Nico-chan was talking to us yesterday a-and she told us something. About the future. Where you’re from.”   
  
Honoka’s brow furrowed slightly. “I’m listening. What is it?”   
  
“It’s...well….” Hibiki paused for a moment before continuing. “She told us that Kotori...your Kotori, from the future was um...she was planning to leave you for Maki. Right after rescuing you from ARise. She was going to tell you but she didn’t have the chance...”   
  
Honoka stared at Hibiki, her face completely passive. “That’s...not possible. We were going to run away together, we were engaged. And she loved me. She wouldn’t…”   
  
“I’m sorry.” Hibiki said, her heart wrenching at the grief in Honoka’s eyes. “I didn’t want to keep it from you. I-I thought you had a right to know.”   
  
“Oh.” Honoka bowed her head, hiding her face from Hibiki. “I must have really screwed up. She felt like I didn’t love her enough. Guess I should have seen that coming. Still hurts though.”   
  
Hibiki watched Honoka closely. “Are you mad?”   
  
Honoka shrugged her shoulders. “Mostly at myself. I should have put more effort into my relationship. My actual relationship instead of…” Her voice caught and she stopped speaking.   
  
“Eli-san?”   
  
“Yeah. Wow, I really screwed up.” Honoka mused to herself. She hurriedly blinked back moisture gathering in her eyes. “I thought Kotori was happy with me but I guess all along I was keeping her from being happy.”   
  
“You still would have chosen Eli-san though, right?” Hibiki asked quietly. “Her or...Umi-san? Nico told Rin earlier it was Umi-san who found where ARise were keeping you. When you were taken.”   
  
Honoka looked up, confusion in her teary eyes. “W-What…? Umi-chan found…”   
  
Hibiki nodded in response. “She was the one who tracked you down apparently. Nico-san says she found out that Umi-san used to follow you, keeping to the rooftops or the shadows so she could protect you.”   
  
Honoka let out a shuddering breath, tears prickling at her eyes once more. “They were my best friends.” She uttered, burying her head in her hands. “And look what I did to them. Umi-chan just wanted to...oh god…”   
  
Hibiki swallowed against the lump in her throat as Honoka broke in front of her, sobs tearing their way from the girl’s throat as she cried into her hands. She lightly placed her hand on Honoka’s shoulder. “I’m sorry. But it’s going to be okay. You have Nozomi, right? Just...don’t let her go, Aneki. She’s good for you.”   
  
Honoka fell silent at that and slowly lifted her head. She roughly wiped at her face, wiping tears away. “I don’t have time for this, I have things to do. Thanks for...telling me, Hibiki. I have to go.”   
  
Before Hibiki could reply Honoka teleported herself away, finding herself in the basement a few seconds later.   
  
Maki had jumped to her feet as soon as Honoka had appeared, automatically reaching for the knife she kept in her desk. She relaxed at the sight of Honoka though.   
  
“Any news on the message?” Honoka asked bluntly, not meeting Maki’s eyes.   
  
“Um...kind of.” Maki answered hesitantly. “Are you okay? It looks like you’ve been cryi-”   
  
“No, I’m fine.” Honoka answered with a shake of her head. “So what about the message? Did you decrypt it?”   
  
“Yeah. She wants you to meet her tonight. I’ll show you the message with all of the details.” Maki explained quietly. She frowned as Honoka simply nodded. “Um...here.”   
  
Honoka walked over to Maki, looking over her shoulder at her laptop. She slowly read over the message.   
  
‘  _Kousaka, meet me at the roof of UTX at 10pm. Alone. No weapons, no backup, just us. I used this kind of message to not get either of my team involved either. You need the full story about before and I need to talk to you as calmly as possible. I don’t want any triggers. Do you accept?’_ _  
_ _  
_“Tell her I accept.” Honoka told Maki.  
  
“Maybe you should think about it first.” Maki said warily. “It sounds like a trap. And she could kill you!”   
  
“I have to find out the truth. Just tell her I accept. Besides her tone is different, it’s saner. Maybe I’ll be able to talk some sense into her.”   
  
Maki sighed but did as she was asked, replying to the message. “I can’t link telepathically to you either. She’ll sense it. I would have to cut it once you get to the roof. Or I can do a nerve link. It’s a lot more dangerous than a mind link. It lets me connect our entire thought processes together. I…”   
  
“I’m fine. I don’t want a link.” Honoka said with a shake of her head. “Trust me, I don’t need anyone in my head right now. Especially you.”   
  
“What?”   
  
“Nothing. If we’re going to do this it has to be right.” Honoka answered, shaking her head. “Under her conditions.”   
  
Maki stared at Honoka in concern. “You’re worrying me, Honoka.”   
  
“I need to do this alone, time travelling is my forte, you…”   
  
“You’re not answering my question!”   
  
“You didn’t ASK one!”   
  
Maki took a deep breath and slowly let it out. “If you’re going to do this you need to do it with a clear head. At least tell me what’s on your mind.”   
  
“I can’t. I have to get ready to leave. I have to see Nozomi first.”   
  
“Take Nico with you!”   
  
“What?!” Future Honoka exclaimed in confusion.   
  
“Future Nico. Take her with you.” Maki suggested quietly. “You need a backup on the ground and she probably knows how you operate.”   
  
“Too well.” Honoka grimaced. “Fine. But I don’t want you opening up a link with her either.”   
  
Maki sighed heavily at the warning. “It’s my job to watch over you! How am I meant to do that if I don’t know what’s happening?”   
  
“Fine, you can connect with Nico if you want. Just...please stay out of my head.” Honoka relented. “I’m going to find Nozomi. I’ll tell you when I’m leaving.”   
  
“Right…” Maki watched with a troubled look on her face as Honoka walked away. She didn’t know what was wrong with her. She supposed she would have to mention it to Nozomi. It seemed like she was the only person who could get through to Honoka when the girl was like this.   
  
\----   
  
“Couldn’t you have just used your ability to get us there?” Future Nico complained as she jogged a little to catch up to Future Honoka. They had been walking for a while now and Honoka had yet to say much at all. “It would have been faster.”   
  
“I have to save my ability in case I have to teleport out of there.” Honoka answered, keeping her eyes fixed ahead of them. “You know what happens if I use it too many times at once. Nozomi would be pissed at me if I came back like that.”   
  
Nico quirked an eyebrow in response, puzzled by the comment. Usually Honoka would just take the risk. It was odd to see her acting so reserved. “Right. You haven’t even told her about your condition yet, have you?”   
  
Honoka’s step faltered for a moment. “Shut up, I will. You weren’t planning on telling me the truth either so fuck off.”   
  
Nico groaned at the change of topic. “Damn it, Oracle.”   
  
“Why  _didn’t_ you tell me?!”   
  
“Because me and your sister just got here!” Nico exclaimed hurriedly. “I wasn’t planning on falling into another timeline. Look, Kotori just…”   
  
“We’re not talking about her. We’re not talking about this at all.” Honoka interrupted sharply. “Is there anything else I should know?”   
  
“Not unless you didn’t know that Eli was in love with you.” Nico answered with a shrug of her shoulders. She noticed Honoka grit her teeth. “Guess you already knew that then. Nozomi was going to break up with her too, you know.”   
  
Honoka ground to a sudden halt. “What?!”   
  
Nico stopped too, a couple of steps ahead of Honoka and slowly turned to face her. “It was...complicated. Eli was freaking out when we got word of your kidnapping. Both her and Umi. Actually they had a huge fight before they finally worked together. Nozomi realized she couldn’t calm Eli down, even though she loved her so much. Eli needed you. Your kidnapping was a fucking wake up call, dumbass. Things were going to change for the better if we could have all just survived.”   
  
“Changed for the  _better_?!” Honoka echoed sharply. “What about Nozomi? Would things have been better for her? Plus, I don’t even know how I would have reacted to Eli telling me...if she even…” She sighed and pressed her hand to her forehead.   
  
Nico huffed in response. “Think outside of the box. Honoka, you need to connect all of the dots.”   
  
“What dots?!”   
  
“Maki would have quit smoking and being a workaholic. Kotori would have had someone who put her FIRST. Eli wouldn’t have held back her feelings for you anymore. Umi would be fighting  _beside_ us, not against us. Nozomi would be happy that we’re all together again and that we mended all of our bonds. In the end she wanted her friends, not a lover.”   
  
“She was in love with Eli-senpai.” Honoka said, closing her hands into fists. “I don’t know what you think of me but I wouldn’t have taken Eli away from her.”   
  
“But Eli wasn’t in love with her anymore! Did you want them to be in a lie?”   
  
Honoka growled under her breath and lashed out, shoving Nico away. She wouldn't have let it happen. She knew that she wouldn’t have. “Just keep walking, Yazawa.”   
  
Nico scowled. “Are you seriously going on rank,  _Kousaka_? We’re both three strikes. You can’t give me orders.”   
  
“I do recall I’m captain.”   
  
“So am I, damn it!” Nico exclaimed irritably.   
  
“High captain. Now move your ass or go home.” Honoka pushed past Nico, continuing on to UTX.   
  
Nico sighed in response. “Stupid ranks.”   
  
She caught up to Honoka, shoving her hands into her jacket pockets as they continued in silence for a moment. “So what about…?”   
  
“No more talking.” Honoka interrupted sharply. “We’re too close to the school.”   
  
“We’re almost a mile away.” Nico pointed out skeptically.   
  
“Which is too close. So stop talking.” Honoka replied with a shake of her head. She hardly wanted to listen to anything else Nico had to say.   
  
“Stop ordering me around!” Nico growled angrily. “I’m not a maggot or a goddamn private so treat me as my rank!”   
  
“Then act like your rank and quit talking about my personal life when we’re out on a job.” Honoka retorted smoothly, casting a withering look at Nico. “We’re here for a reason, Nico.”   
  
“Yeah, I know.” Nico drew Honoka’s phone from her jacket pocket.   
  
“Where did you…?!” Honoka trailed off, shaking her head. “Whatever. It’s not like it matters.” She  sighed to herself as she continued to walk, picking up her pace a little.   
  
Thankfully the rest of the walk to UTX was made in silence. Honoka paused outside of the building, glancing at Nico. “I’ll teleport back down to you if anything goes wrong. Just stay here.”   
  
“Yes, Taichou.” Nico said sarcastically, rolling her eyes. She watched Honoka walk away and disappear into the school before she leaned back against the wall behind her.   
  
“  _Did you hear all of that?”_ She thought, realizing that Maki had probably been able to hear her thoughts.   
  
There was a beat of silence for a moment before Maki replied. “  _A lot more than I wanted to hear…were you saying what I think you were saying?”_ _  
_ _  
_ _“Yeah.”_ _  
_ _  
_ _“Guess I know why Honoka’s pissed at me then.”_ _  
_ _  
_Nico smirked, detecting disappointment despite Maki not saying it out loud. “ _Since when do you care about things like that?”_ _  
_ _  
_ _“Honoka and I have had our ups and downs but I don’t want her to hate me. I thought we were finally friends after she accepted I was with Kotori and now we’re right back where we started.”_ _  
_ _  
_Nico crossed her arms in front of her chest. “ _You’re not right back where you started. Just give her time. At least I didn’t tell her about the kiss.”_ _  
  
_

_“WHAT?!”_ _  
_ _  
_ _“Well that caused your fall out with Kotori in my timeline. It happened after we all found each other. You two honestly always had this weird sexual tension.”_ _  
_ _  
_ _“Wait, I kissed her…?”_ Maki asked warily.  _“And she kissed me back?”_ _  
_ _  
_ _“Bingo.”_ Nico shook her head. Maki was so slow at times despite being so smart. “  _It was just after we’d gotten Honoka back from the facility. She’d barely let anyone go near her. Not even Kotori all that much. She was suffering really badly with PTSD and it was just after Umi had tried to kill her...well from Honoka’s point of view anyway. Honoka wouldn’t really let anyone touch her besides Eli. Sometimes you and Kotori too. But Kotori was feeling pushed aside. She kissed you and it caused her to go into a huge denial. Neither of you could be in the same room alone after that. Plus you become really cool when you grew up. Your growth spurt especially surprised us all when we found you. You were almost Eli’s height already. But then everything got messed up after that kiss. Kotori ignoring you really hurt you even if she didn’t know how much. I just wanted to slap some damn sense into her...”_ _  
_ _  
_ _“You sure are...affectionate.”_ Maki thoughtfully pointed out.   
  
Nico laughed under her breath. She supposed she was when it came to Maki. “  _Trust me, back then I was only trying to protect you. I figured this thing with Kotori would only get messy. She’s good for you though, even if she was an idiot in the beginning. I don’t think she ever forgot about what happened between the the two of you. Even I noticed her looking at you during meetings or when she used to try to get me to tell her how you were. The two of you didn’t really talk. You were probably colder toward her than you were toward the rest of the group actually.”_ _  
_ _  
_ _“That’s hard to imagine…”_ _  
_ _  
_ _“Well you warmed up to her in the end, obviously. Otherwise she wouldn’t have been planning to leave Honoka for you.”_ _  
_ _  
_ _“Can we not say it like that?”_ Maki asked, her grimace audible even in  her thoughts.  _  
_ _  
_ _“Fine. It’s not like you have to feel guilty about it, it wasn’t even you.”_ _  
_ _  
_ _“It was me, in a way. I’m not going to apologize for my relationship with Kotori now but I can understand why she’s angry with me. She’s probably pissed at both of us. I would be.”_ _  
_  
Nico smiled, shaking her head. It once again struck her by surprise how different Maki was from her timeline. “ _If you say so._ ”   
  
\----   
  
“So you decided to come.” Tsubasa remarked, a hint of relief in her voice as Honoka stopped a few feet away from her. She hadn’t thought the leader of Muse would show up considering what she’d done earlier.   
  
“You’re not gonna kill me are you?” Honoka asked, narrowing her eyes at Tsubasa.   
  
Tsubasa shook her head. Their meeting wasn’t about that. “No.”   
  
“Good.” Honoka shoved her hands into her pockets, her right hand grasping the switchblade she kept there. She couldn’t be too careful where ARise was concerned after all. “So what do you want?”   
  
“I’m thinking I should just come clean, huh?” Tsubasa replied quietly. “Well so that you understand me I’ll just tell you bits and pieces of my past.   
  
Honoka merely frowned in response. This wasn’t the Tsubasa she knew, unless it was all a trick.   
  
“I’m an orphan.” Tsubasa started, bracing herself for the long explanation. “I grew up in an orphanage until I was ten before I was found out...about my ability. My ability started developing when I was five like most ability users. I don’t know whether I’m a new blood or a pure blood but I’m guessing since I’m an orphan...new blood maybe. My ability is hard to control, I’ll tell you that. It was only recently, after I took the orange haired girl’s ability that I started to lose control over my hunger for total power.”   
  
Honoka stared hard at Tsubasa. “What made you snap out of it?”   
  
“Seeing an insane version of myself, what else?”   
  
“You mean a more insane version.” Honoka corrected, speaking through gritted teeth. She could hardly stand to be anywhere near the girl. “Why are you a part of CORPS?”   
  
“I was taken there when my ability was discovered.” Tsubasa explained as best she could. “And for your information I’m not insane, I just have two personalities. My own and the parasite. I’m actually a lot calmer than...that. Anju is someone I have to keep under control, especially around Erena.”  
  
“You sure are protective of that girl.”   
  
“Yeah, so?”   
  
Honoka scoffed in response. “Nothing. Just pointing out a fact.”   
  
“She was with me at the orphanage. She’s my...Minami and Sonoda, so to speak.”   
  
Honoka flinched but didn’t say anything to that. She nodded for Tsubasa to go ahead.   
  
“I can’t let anything happen to her.” Tsubasa continued sincerely. “She’s too kind.”   
  
Honoka laughed in response. “Kind. Yeah, that’s not the word I would use. Do you know their plan then?”   
  
“I only know bits and pieces.”   
  
“Damn, we’re going to need Nico, Hibiki and Rin for this…”   
  
Tsubasa nodded “What about Nishikino? Isn’t she the brains?”   
  
“We need to sneak around but this time with Rin…”   
  
“Wait, I need to warn you...Anju is becoming unstable. I think she’s going to join my future self. She’ll hurt Erena to get me to snap. She knows Erena is the only one who can calm me down.”   
  
“I’ll come up with a plan and then we’ll meet up with the others.” Honoka said, ignoring what Tsubasa had said. “I’ll contact you with a time and place, okay? You won’t be waiting long.”   
  
With that said, she turned to walk away, leaving Tsubasa staring after her.   
  
“Wait, is that it?!” Tsubasa called after Honoka in surprise.   
  
“That’s all you’re going to get from me.” Honoka answered coldly before she opened the door to the stairwell. Tsubasa was lucky she’d even agreed to the meeting in the first place.   
  
\----   
  
Nozomi stepped outside into the chilly night, crossing her arms and shivering slightly. The blanket she held in her arms did nothing to hinder the chill, though it wasn’t really meant to. Across the yard she noticed Honoka, sitting on the slowly swinging seat. She slowly made her way toward the girl, coming to a stop in front of her.   
  
“Do you mind if I sit down?” She asked carefully. She understood Honoka’s occasional need for time alone but she hoped now wasn’t one of those times. She noticed Honoka was holding a bottle of yellow label kakubin whisky in her hand.     
  
Honoka silently shook her head.   
  
Nozomi reached out and gently wrapped the blanket around Honoka’s shoulders before she sat down next to her. “Are you thinking about things?”   
  
“Yeah.”   
  
“Doubting things?”   
  
“Mmmh.”   
  
Nozomi thought about that for a moment, biting her lip. She could feel the pain Honoka felt despite trying to block it out. “Doubting us?”   
  
Honoka was silent for a long moment before she spoke. “Hibiki-chan told me something today and I’ve just been...thinking about my past again. Kotori-chan, Eli-senpai, your future self, Umi-chan…”   
  
Nozomi gave an encouraging nod but otherwise waited until Honoka spoke again.   
  
“I’m starting to wonder if Kotori-chan ever really loved me or whether it was all a lie...or she was in denial about Maki-chan. It seems like I just got in the way of those two being together.” Honoka clutched the bottle closer to her chest, her eyes misting over. “Kotori-chan asked me a while ago if I ever cheated on her future self...or if her future self ever cheated on me. I kind of told her she was an idiot for thinking that. Guess even she knew better than me, huh?”   
  
Nozomi frowned at the comment, a surge of anger coursing through her. She recognized it as her own rather than Honoka’s.   
  
“I thought she loved me.” Honoka whispered, lowering her eyes to the ground. Despite her best efforts, tears crept from the corners of her eyes, spilling their way down her cheeks. “And Maki-chan...I thought we were close in the future, I didn’t think she’d ever…”   
  
Nozomi lay a gentle hand on Honoka’s shoulder as her girlfriend trailed off. “I’m sorry.”   
  
Honoka sniffled softly. “It’s my own fault for getting in the way. I just ruined things for them, just like…”   
  
“Are you kidding? This isn’t your fault!” Nozomi exclaimed in astonishment. “It’s  _theirs_. How can it not be?”   
  
“Just like I ruined things for you and Eli.” Honoka continued as if she hadn’t heard what Nozomi had said. “Just like I was going to ruin things for you in my timeline too. You thought Eli-senpai didn’t love you so you were gonna break up with her. So she could be with me and we could be happy.” Her voice cracked and she cleared her throat. “And what would you have ended up with? Nothing. I ruined things for Umi too. She should never have protected me.”   
  
“Honoka…” Nozomi said in concern as Honoka leaned forward, her shoulders softly shaking. She moved closer to her, her chest aching. “I-I can’t tell you whether Koxtori-chan was in love with you or not. Or why Maki-chan would do that but it wasn’t your fault. And you did have people who loved you, more than anything. Elichi and Umi-chan did, didn’t they?”   
  
“I-I don’t know anymore.”   
  
“Yes, you do! Honoka…Umi-chan protected you, she always kept you safe, didn’t she? She loved you so much.” Nozomi insisted, gently rubbing Honoka’s back. “And I saw how Elichi felt about you when I was in your memories. She would have done anything for you. Forget about Kotori-chan, I know she felt like the biggest love of your life but she wasn’t. Not when you had those two. And she loved you too, just...not in the same way in the end.”   
  
Honoka turned to Nozomi and leaned in, pressing her lips to her girlfriend’s. The kiss was teary and clumsy but Nozomi placed a gentle hand on Honoka’s cheek to steady her.   
  
Honoka drew back a fraction, pressing her forehead to Nozomi’s. “You’re the most important to me now. I-I don’t want to make you miserable too.”   
  
“Senpai.” Nozomi soothingly stroked Honoka’s hair as the young woman choked on a sob. “You make me happier than anything else. You know how happy you make me, you can feel it yourself. I love you so much. And that’s never going to change. I’ve felt something for you since I first confronted you about Umi-chan. A strange...chemistry between us. Even if I didn’t admit it, I’ve known since then that this was right for me.”   
  
Honoka whimpered softly at the comment. “I love you too, I-I’m sorry, I…”   
  
“Shh.” Nozomi hugged Honoka, feeling her girlfriend collapse into her. “Stop apologizing. You don’t have to be sorry. You’ve done nothing wrong.” 


	53. Chapter 53

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for the comments guys! I hope you enjoy this chapter! :)

Honoka threw out her left arm and then her right, hitting the punching bag hanging in front of her with two consecutive punches. She'd been in the training room all morning, trying to vent her frustration by working out but it didn't seem to be working. All she could think about was her Kotori and Maki and what they'd been planning to do in the future.  
  
She knew it shouldn't hurt her as much as it did. She had still been dating Kotori, engaged to Kotori when her girlfriend had died and she had moved on with Nozomi too. Despite that she couldn't help but imagine Kotori and Maki making plans without her knowing about it. Worse than that, she couldn't help but think of how close she had been to the two of them. With Kotori it was natural that they were so close, given that they were dating but it had taken a lot of effort to stay close to Maki, considering how much the redhead used to push people away.  
  
She kept thinking about Eli too and how Nozomi was going to break up with her. So that Honoka could be with Eli instead. It was hard to think that she would put Nozomi in that kind of position.  
  
"So what did I do to piss you off this time?"  
  
Honoka stopped the bag with both hands, recognizing the owner of that voice immediately as Maki. She pressed her head to the relatively cool leather of the bag, breathing heavily. "Did you need me for something?"  
  
"I asked you a question."  
  
Honoka heard the sound of footsteps behind her and tensed up. Maki was one of the last people she really wanted to speak to given how she was feeling. She needed more time to clear her head so that she could keep going without further bitter feelings toward the present Maki and Kotori. "I'm not in the mood for this. Can we talk later?"  
  
"You haven't been in the mood the past couple of days." Maki remarked as she stepped closer to Honoka. "I know what happened. In the future with me and Kotori. Nico told me. Future Nico, I mean."  
  
Honoka gritted her teeth together but otherwise remained silent.  
  
"I'm not surprised about it." Maki admitted carefully. "I can't think of a reality where I wouldn't end up with her."  
  
Honoka gripped the bag tighter, refusing to turn back to Maki. "Don't test me today, Maki-chan. We can talk about this later, just...not now. I can't right now."  
  
Maki frowned at the response. "You know this isn't Kotori's fault. Not my Kotori's at least. She doesn't even know what she did in the future and you're still ignoring her. She thinks you're pissed off at her you know. After you ignored her this morning."  
  
"I don't care." Honoka growled back. "I have more things to worry about than her feelings. or yours for that matter."  
  
"Well I don't have bigger things to worry about than that." Maki grabbed Honoka's arm and turned her roughly to face her. "You-"  
  
"Don't touch me!" Honoka shoved Maki back from her, causing the redhead to stumble slightly.   
  
Maki winced as she steadied herself. “What the hell is wrong with you!?”   
  
“What’s wrong with me?! What’s wrong with YOU?!” Honoka retorted loudly. “You were one of my BEST friends! I talked to you about almost everything, I used to sleep with you because I felt safer with you. I TRUSTED YOU!”   
  
“That wasn’t me.” Maki reminded Honoka, her voice softening slightly. She wasn’t sure why but she still felt guilty upon hearing Honoka’s words. “You know that wasn’t me.”   
  
Honoka stared at Maki for a long moment before her shoulders slumped. “I-I know. I’m sorry, I can’t…” She lifted a hand to her head, covering her eyes. When she spoke next her words were strained with emotion. “I can’t focus, I just...I just need to be left alone.”   
  
Maki’s stomach clenched with guilt. “Do...Do you want me to get Nozomi for you?”   
  
Honoka shook her head in response.   
  
“Honoka, I’m sorry.” Maki said, noticing a tear slip past Honoka’s hand. “I’m really sorry about whatever my future self did to you. You trusted her and she...both of them broke your trust. I’m sorry.”   
  
“I took the love of her life from her, what else was she going to do?” Honoka choked out, not moving her hand. She didn’t want Maki to see her tears even though she knew she was doing a poor job of hiding them. “Maybe she hated me for that. I was always pissing her off in my time. I thought maybe I could help her but maybe I was just making it worse.”   
  
Maki’s stomach twisted uncomfortably at the sight of Honoka’s grief. She couldn’t imagine how she would feel if their positions were reversed and Kotori had cheated on her. “You loved Eli though, right? Maybe Kotori knew you would be happier with someone else. Maybe my future self did too. I know I’d never want to hurt you intentionally…”   
  
Honoka paused at that. She’d almost been able to tell Eli how she felt about her and she hadn’t even known. But then Nozomi would have been alone. She quickly brushed her tears away, trying to regain control of herself. “Has Tsubasa been in contact yet?”   
  
“What?” Maki asked, at a loss.   
  
“Tsubasa. Has she been in contact again?”   
  
“No. But…”   
  
Honoka sighed in response. “Damn it. We need to figure out what we’re going to do about the goddamn future versions of ARise. With two speedsters on our side we might have a chance but...do you know what’s going on with Chika right now?”   
  
“Why are you talking about that?” Maki asked bluntly, a frown on her lips. “We weren’t finished…”   
  
“We are. We’re so finished.” Honoka crossed her arms in front of her chest.   
  
“But I want to help with…”   
  
“If you want to help you can tell Chika, Rin, Nico and my Nico to meet me in here in two hours. If we’re going to live through this we need our strongest members ready to fight.”   
  
Maki sighed, her shoulders slumping in defeat. “You’re really not going to talk to me about this, huh?”   
  
Honoka turned back to the punching bag in front of it, continuing with hitting it as she had been before.   
  
Maki watched for a moment before she turned and walked out of the room, slamming the door behind her in frustration.   
  
\------   
  
“Do you always come out here when you’re brooding?”   
  
Honoka looked up at the sound of Eli’s voice, her brow furrowed in confusion when she spotted the blonde walking toward her. Nozomi was there too, trailing a little bit behind Eli. “I’m not brooding, I’m just thinking. Do you need me for something?”   
  
“No, I just wanted to talk to you.”   
  
As Eli sat down next to her, Honoka glanced warily between the blonde and Nozomi. She narrowed her eyes at her girlfriend. “Nozomi.”   
  
“What?” Nozomi asked innocently, stopping a few feet away from them. “I didn’t do anything.”   
  
“I can feel that you’re lying.” Honoka raised an eyebrow, crossing her arms in front of her chest. “You’re heart’s beating too fast, your palms are sweaty and you’re trying to focus on something else. This was definitely you.”   
  
Eli frowned in confusion, glancing between the two. “So you can feel what she’s feeling?”   
  
“Huh? Oh...sure.” Honoka answered as if it was nothing. “We have a connection so she...shares her empathy with me in a way. But I can only feel her, I can’t feel anyone else.”   
  
Eli turned to Nozomi with a slight frown. “When we were together I couldn’t feel what you feel.”   
  
Honoka’s lips twitched up into a smug smirk at the comment though she too looked to Nozomi expectantly.   
  
Nozomi shrugged her shoulders. “Maybe my ability wasn’t strong enough then. I don’t know. It’s not the point though, remember?”   
  
“Right.” Eli turned back to Honoka, a serious expression on her face. “Nozomi said you’ve been thinking about your past. About Kotori.”   
  
Honoka grimaced at fact that Eli had found out. “So you know she was planning to leave me then…”   
  
Eli nodded silently.   
  
“Great.” Honoka sighed and ran her fingers through her hair. “You must think I’m pretty pathetic, huh?”   
  
“Of course I don’t think that.” Eli said quickly, shaking her head. “Sometimes...relationships just don’t work out. It’s not your fault. Just like it wasn’t...” She paused, frowning to herself. She couldn’t use herself and Nozomi as an example. That had definitely been her fault. “Maybe it just wasn’t meant to be.”

  
“They should have told me. Even if I was in love with you...with Eli-senpai, that doesn’t mean I would have left Kotori-chan. I wouldn’t!” Honoka said insistently, bristlig at the comment. “I’m…” She trailed off as her phone rang. She quickly drew it from her pocket and answered it without thinking. “Hello?”   
  
“Kousaka, I need you to meet me in Sonoda’s office.” Tsubasa ordered grimly. “Come alone. Anju won’t be here so don’t worry. I’ve sent her off on a job.”   
  
Honoka scowled, standing up. “What do you want to talk about?”   
  
“It’s important. Another timeline has seeped into this one and...you need to come. I have something for you.”   
  
Honoka huffed out a sigh. “I’ll be there. This better be important.”   
  
“What’s going on?” Nozomi asked in concern as Honoka ended the call. “Where are you going?”   
  
“I have to talk to Tsubasa.” Honoka explained, slipping her phone back into her pocket. “And before you ask, no you can’t come with me. I’ll take Nico-chan along.”   
  
“Tsubasa?!” Eli exclaimed, bolting up from her seat. “What would have you have to talk to her about?!”   
  
“Crap. I forgot you don’t know. Nozomi, explain it to her while I’m away, please.” Honoka said tiredly. She turned to walk away only for Eli to catch her wrist and turn her back around.   
  
“Wait, I’ll go with you too. It’s too dangerous to go alone.”   
  
“No. I’ll be fine. Stay with Nozomi. You’re needed here, to protect everyone.” Honoka said seriously. She shared a look with Nozomi and gently pushed Eli toward her. “Tell her whatever you feel you need to.”   
  
Without another word Honoka turned and left Nozomi and Eli alone.   
  
“That could have gone better.” Nozomi sighed, sitting down on the bench Honoka and Eli had been sitting at until a moment ago.   
  
Eli sat down next to Nozomi, placing a hand lightly on her knee. “I’ll try again later. At least she knows I’m here for her if she wants to talk to me. I’m always here for you too.”   
  
Nozomi leaned into Eli’s side, laying her head on the blonde’s shoulder. “I know.”   
  
\-----   
  
“Still hate that feeling…” Future Nico muttered distastefully as Honoka let go of her arm. A moment prior the girl had teleported them into Sonoda’s office. Nico took a deep breath to quell the nausea she felt while Future Honoka seemed to be unaffected.   
  
Honoka glanced around the office, trying to find Tsubasa. Despite the girl saying she wanted to work with her to figure out the problem with the timelines, she was still wary that Tsubasa might double cross her. “Tsubasa!”   
  
She gasped as a sudden gust of wind around her took her breath away, her hair whipping up around her face. The wind died down quickly and Honoka found Tsubasa standing in front of her. “Where the hell have you been?! You were meant to contact me!”   
  
“I’ve been busy trying to deal with Anju!” Tsubasa replied heatedly, glaring at Honoka. “It’s not important right now. I called you here because the timeline situation is getting worse. More timelines are seeping into this one.”   
  
“What timelines?” Nico crossed her arms in front of her chest, doing her utmost not to instinctively attack the teenager in front of her. She had thought about doing it many times before but now wasn’t the right time. Catching movement out of the corner of her eye, she flinched and looked to the door, her eyes going to the door just in time to see Maki walk through it. An older version of the Maki she had slowly gotten used to seeing in this timeline. A Maki that looked like _her_ Maki.   
  
“A timeline where you seem to succeed in escaping my psychotic future self.” Tsubasa explained simply.   
  
Nico took a step forward only to pause when Kotori stepped out of the room a few seconds after Maki. Her stomach sank as Maki reached for Kotori’s hand.   
  
Honoka opened her mouth to speak when another voice spoke up from behind her.   
  
“I believe she’s saying...where we’re alive.”   
  
Honoka turned slowly, her heart beating rapidly in her chest. As she’d expected she found Umi standing behind her. Her Umi. There was no mistaking that. Her hair was tied up in a low ponytail, her katana slung over her shoulder and she was wearing a jacket that looked familiar. It had two strikes on the front.

 

“Y-You’re wearing a rebel jacket…”  
  
Umi offered a half smile. “I couldn’t just go back to my mother after what I did, Honoka. I disobeyed her in every way. Besides...I like being your subordonnant. I disobeyed her to find you when A-Rise captured you.”   
  
Honoka shook her head, stunned by the fact that Umi was standing in front of her. “W-Wait. Eli-senpai…”   
  
“She took the last captain mantle. I was appointed to be your lieutenant. You...wanted me to be.” Umi said, blushing.   
  
“That’s not all you wanted.” Kotori quipped.   
  
“K-Kotori, SHAMELESS!”   
  
“You sure are.”   
  
“SHUT UP!”   
  
Honoka took a way step back, feeling her head begin to throb. As much as she tried she couldn’t take her eyes away from Umi. “W-What?”   
  
Tsubasa sighed. “Kousaka, even I can understand the undertones here…”   
  
“Damn it, Honoka. In this timeline you and Umi got together. Obviously.” Nico growled irritably rolling her eyes. She could hardly believe how oblivious Honoka could be to things at times.   
  
Umi turned away, blushing. “Why is everyone suddenly so interested in my affairs. Kotori, I don’t want you to do any meddling while we’re stuck here.” She turned to Honoka, her voice softening with sadness. “Y-You’re obviously not my...Honoka...are you, Kousaka-san?”   
  
Honoka felt her heart wrench in her chest at the question. She knew Umi was right but the girl in front of her still looked like her Umi. “I think I need to sit down.” She muttered to herself. She stumbled back a little to the desk Tsubasa was standing near and leaned against it. She didn’t miss the way Umi instinctively stepped forward to help her. Umi seemed to stop herself at the last second though.   
  
Nico sighed before she turned to Maki, noticing something. There was no cigarette in her mouth but she did seem to be chewing something. “This is the first time I’ve seen you not smoking. In this situation you usually would be. Immediately.”   
  
“I quit smoking a year ago.” Maki answered with a shrug.   
  
“Wait, a year?!”   
  
Maki raised an eyebrow at Nico’s surprise. “Kotori said to quit or no more...stuff.”   
  
“You can say kissing, Maki-chan.” Kotori teased, gently bumping Maki’s shoulder with her own.     
  
Honoka glanced between Kotori and Maki, her chest tight as she noticed their tightly clasped hands.   
  
“H-Hey, they don’t need to know about that!” Maki protested hurriedly.   
  
Umi shifted from foot to foot, staring at Honoka with a troubled expression on her face. The girl seemed to have completely spaced out. She bit her lip. As much as she wanted to try to help she got the impression that it wouldn’t be welcome.   
  
“Anyway.” Tsubasa said, rolling her eyes. “I figured I would hand them over to you. Don’t say I never got you anything, Kousaka.”   
  
Nico noticed that Honoka didn’t seem to be listening and quickly took it upon herself to take over. “What are we going to do now then? What about the timelines?”   
  
“I’m waiting.” Tsubasa said simply, shaking her head. “We need to see what kind of move my future self is going to make before we do anything. Maybe it’ll give us a chance to work things out. Though if she comes for you…”   
  
Umi moved her hand to her katana, her eyes glinting with anger. “She won’t get near Honoka. Over my dead body.”   
  
Tsubasa sighed. “I know. I think I got the message when you tried to attack me when you first saw me. Plus you’re terrible at hiding your feelings. Do remember, Sonoda. This Honoka is not your girlfriend.”   
  
“I-I know that!”   
  
“Besides. She’s into younger women anyway.”   
  
“Huh?”   
  
Nico groaned. “Don’t say it, Kira.”   
  
“You’ll just have to find out when you go with them.” Tsubasa smirked, glancing at Honoka who had been silent for some time now. “I’ll contact you when I need you, Kousaka. If you’re attacked send the speedster for me.”   
  
Kotori frowned, tightening her grip on Maki’s hand. “Are you implying she messed up this timeline so badly she ended up with a past Muse member?”   
  
For the first time in a few minutes, Honoka showed a faint flicker of emotion, flinching at the cold words from Kotori.   
  
“Don’t worry, you got to Maki first in this one.” Nico muttered, shaking her head. “Nozomi on the other hand…”   
  
“NICO!” Honoka bolted up from the desk, her eyes wide. “BE QUIET. Just...just shut up.” She glanced between Future Umi, Future Kotori and Future Maki. “This has to be some kind of nightmare…”   
  
Tsubasa gave a slight laugh. “Sorry, this is real. I figured you’d want to keep an eye on them.”   
  
Umi bit her lip as Honoka’s eyes came to rest on her once more. “Kousaka-san...I promise I’ll keep these two from talking if that would help. We won’t speak of personal timelines and we’ll only be here to work on the mission at hand. I’m sorry this is happening.”   
  
“No, I-I...you’re...you’re really her. You protected me just like my Umi-chan, I...argh.” Honoka quickly averted her eyes, crossing her arms in front of her. She couldn’t look at her anymore. “You’re my Umi-chan but you’re not my Umi-chan.”   
  
Umi cleared her throat. “Well actually I’m...I am in a way. The timelines diverged at a certain point but up until then it’s the same timeline. The only difference is I died in one timeline and I survived...we all survived in a different timeline. I don’t know much about your timeline so I can’t tell you much but...I’m the same Umi you knew.”   
  
“That makes...all of this more confusing.” Honoka took a deep breath, trying to clear her head. She had to focus. She couldn’t give into what she was feeling until she was back at home, with Nozomi. “Right. Um...everyone grab on. We have to leave. Minami-san is gonna be so pissed.”   
  
The small group huddled around Honoka, each of them placing a hand on her.   
  
“Okay, focus…” Honoka muttered to herself, closing her eyes. She concentrated on the Minami household, trying to teleport them there only for a stabbing pain to shoot through her head. She pushed through it anyway until her knees gave out beneath her and she fell to the floor, clutching her head.   
  
“You’re not teleporting any of us.” Umi said, leaning down to scoop Honoka up into her arms. “Yazawa-san, contact Rin.”   
  
Nico sighed and turned away. " _Maki, I know you heard all of this. But tell Rin to get over here. Hurry_ .”   
  
Maki felt herself panic, noticing blood trickling from Honoka’s nose. “How much has she been teleporting?!”   
  
She reached forward to feel Honoka’s head for any sign that she had a fever only for the young woman to weakly slap her hand away.   
  
“Don’t touch me.” Honoka growled weakly. Her hand fell against Umi’s chest and she gripped the seam of the young woman’s jacket where the zipper was. “Put me down, Umi-chan. I can walk.”   
  
Umi smiled fondly at the muttered protest even as Honoka pressed her forehead against her shoulder. “Stubborn as always…”   
  
Honoka felt her lips turn up just slightly. “Same to you.”   
  
Future Maki stepped back so that she was standing next to Kotori. Her stomach twisted with apprehension and she closed her eyes, finding a connection to her past self through Nico. “ _When we get her there take her to the medical bay. Immediately. I need to do a check-up on her. On all of you, including the adults.”_ _  
_ _  
_ _“Y-You’re doing…?”_ Maki replied telepathically.   
  
_“I’m twenty years old and I know what I’m doing.”_ _  
_ _  
_ “ _Okay_ …”   
  
_“And when I get there you can tell me what I...what you did to piss her off.”_ _  
_ _  
_ _“R-Right.”_ _  
_ _  
_ Kotori sighed. “You really don’t need to be so hard on yourself. Literally.”   
  
“Damn kid needs to know what to do.”   
  
Kotori smirked, raising an eyebrow. “And what if I find the damn kid to be cuter?”   
  
“...You’re the worst.”   
  
“Love you too.”   
  
“Nozomi.” Honoka rasped suddenly, drawing the attention of the others toward her. “Tell Maki-chan that I need Nozomi.”   
  
_“Did you get that?”_ Nico asked telepathically, focusing on past Maki.   
  
“ _I didn’t need her to tell me that_ .” Maki responded.   
  
“She knows.” Nico told Honoka just as Rin sped into the room, coming to a stop next to them.   
  
Rin looked between the group in surprised but upon seeing that Honoka was bleeding she quickly sped toward her and grabbed onto Umi, running them out of the building. She took them to the infirmary before rushing back to get the others. She returned with them, dropping them off in the infirmary too. “So what’s going on?”   
  
Future Maki ignored Rin’s confusion and went to Future Honoka who older Umi had just set down on the bed. She gently nudged Umi out of the way and reached toward Honoka to examine her only for the girl to shrink away. She sighed. “Honoka, I need to examine you.”   
  
“Not you. Maki-chan can do it.”   
  
Maki’s face turned hard. “I know your body better than any doctor in this timeline. You’re going to let me check your fucking health or you’re going to die. Got it?”   
  
She reached out once more but Honoka stubbornly slapped her hand away.   
  
“HONOKA!”   
  
Honoka cringed at the exclamation and turned pleading eyes to Umi. “Umi-chan…”   
  
Umi felt her stomach sink as Honoka’s eyes met hers.   
  
“ _Umi-chan, don’t let them touch me. I can’t take it anymore, I can’t…”_ _  
_ _  
_ Umi gritted her teeth as the memory of Honoka’s pleading came back to her. She had betrayed Honoka at a time when her best friend had needed her more than ever. She skirted around to the other side of the hospital bed and gripped Honoka’s left hand with hers. With her other hand she gently stroked Honoka’s hair.   
  
“She just wants to help you, Honoka. Just let her do her job, okay?” Umi soothed gently, trying to calm Honoka down. “It’s Maki. She wouldn’t do anything to hurt you.”   
  
“Yes, she would.” Honoka tears lace her eyes as she gripped Umi’s hand. “She doesn’t give a damn about me.”   
  
Maki frowned at the emotional comment but she didn’t have time to dwell on it. “I’m sorry, I’m gonna have to knock her out if she…”   
  
“Don’t you dare.” Umi growled, glaring at Maki over the bed. She knew that the redhead only wanted to help but her method of helping was often wrong. She turned her attention back to Honoka. “What did Maki do, Honoka?”   
  
“She took Kotori…”   
  
Kotori’s eyes widened and she turned toward Nico. “You didn’t…”   
  
“It slipped.” Nico said sheepishly.   
  
Across the room, Hibiki, who had rushed to the infirmary beforehand to wait for Rin looked away.   
  
“Oh no.” Kotori looked down at the floor.   
  
“Kotori?” Umi pressed in confusion.   
  
“I was gonna tell her but seeing you and her together I took the chance to watch you and see if her old feelings for you started to resurface again. That’s why it was a mutual breakup…” Kotori sheepishly muttered. She felt awful for what had happened. “I didn’t want to pretend, Umi-chan. Besides, I knew she loved you and Eli-chan…”   
  
“But you used me. In a way.”   
  
“NO! I just watched you two carefully while letting her figure out her feelings. I wanted her happy, Umi-chan. You made her happy!”   
  
Honoka grasped the front of Umi’s jacket with her free hand. “I want Maki-chan to do it.”   
  
Future Maki shook her head. “I AM Maki! I’m more skilled than my fifteen year old self. I’M A DOCTOR!”   
  
“At least she’s my friend!” Honoka snapped back only to cringe as pain shot through her head once more.   
  
“I’m not your Maki, I came from a…”   
  
“I think she wants me.” Another voice, not dissimilar to Future Maki’s spoke, drawing her attention toward the doorway. Her eyes met those of her past self. “You can tell me what to do but if she doesn’t want you to touch her that’s her decision to make.”   
  
Future Maki scowled. “Do you even know anything about procederial check-ups?”   
  
“No but you can teach me.” Maki said, walking over to Honoka. She lay a gentle hand on the girl’s shoulder. “I’m here.”   
  
“I’m here too. If I’m needed.”   
  
Future Maki gasped as her mother stepped into the room. “M-Mama…”   
  
Honoka was relieved to see Maki but she was even more relieved to hear the voice that followed.   
  
“Senpai!”   
  
“Nozomi…” Honoka looked around for Nozomi in time to see her step up next to Umi. She let go of Umi’s hand and reached for Nozomi’s instead. She felt her girlfriend grasp it tightly and let out a relieved sigh.   
  
“Well this is what she meant…” Kotori sighed, pressing her hand to her forehead. “The whole timeline is a damn mess.”   
  
“Welcome to my world.” Nico grumbled.   
  
Honoka barely noticed Rei begin to examine her. She kept her eyes locked with Nozomi’s, vaguely feeling Umi’s hand still stroking her hair.   
  
Future Kotori gently rubbed Future Maki’s back, the redhead’s eyes glued to Rei. Hearing more footsteps she glanced toward the doorway in time to see Yukiho run in with Eli, Honoka and Umi right behind her.   
  
“Sorry, I was...helping with Yuki.” Yukiho said, stopping short, her brow furrowed in confusion. “What...is happening?”   
  
Rei straightened up with a sigh. “She’ll be fine for now.” She noticed Future Maki watching her and offered a small smile. “You know more about her body and condition than I do. Would you like to chat?”   
  
“A-Ah...wha…?”   
  
“Come now, I taught you to be a lady, not a bumbling mess, Maki.”   
  
“Y-Yes, Ma...N-Nishikino-san!”   
  
“Mama is fine.”   
  
“C-Can I hug you?”   
  
Rei smiled warmly and opened her arms, which Future Maki immediately stepped into. She hugged the trembling young woman gently. “No matter what age, you’re still my little Maki.”   
  
Future Maki bit her lip, tears sliding from her eyes. She had missed her mother so much. It had been five year since the virus had been released.   
  
“Come on, let’s go. We can talk more in private.” Rei said soothingly, drawing away. She offered the tearful girl a small smile and Future Maki nodded, letting herself be led from the room.   
  
All was silent for a moment until past Honoka spoke up. “Future Umi-chan is really…”   
  
“Cool?” Eli asked, slightly in awe.   
  
“That’s not what I was going to say.” Honoka muttered, causing past Umi to shake her head in response.   
  
Future Kotori, who had watched Maki leave, awkwardly watched her past self inch quietly into the room. She bit her lip in response but didn’t say anything to her directly.   
  
Hibiki cleared her throat. “My paintings are getting more complicated…”   
  
“Yeah, nya.” Rin chimed in, nodding. “When I woke up you were painting my wall…”   
  
“Shut up!”   
  
“Naked.”   
  
“RIN!”   
  
“Nya, I owe you 3000 Yen.”   
  
Hibiki smirked. “Never bet against a seer…”   
  
Honoka cringed, her head still throbbing slightly. She met Nozomi’s eyes. “Nozomi…”   
  
Nozomi nodded and looked up. “Alright, everyone out. She needs to rest.”   
  
“Except Umi-chan.” Honoka mumbled. “The older one.”   
  
Nozomi frowned slightly as everyone else started to leave the room. “Do you...want me to leave too?” She asked warily, hoping it wasn’t the case.   
  
Honoka shook her head in response. She could still feel the gentle weight of Umi’s hand atop it.   
  
Nozomi glanced between Future Umi and Honoka, uncomfortable in the situation. She was conscious of the fact that she was making a real effort to block out the majority of what Honoka was feeling as well as what Future Umi was feeling. She didn’t need to feel any of that.   
  
\-----   
  
Future Umi glanced across the bed at Nozomi who was staring at Future Honoka with a stoic expression on her face. Honoka had long since fallen asleep, leaving Nozomi and Umi to sit in complete silence. Umi wasn’t sure what to say. The situation was so awkward and there was no way to break the tension between herself and Nozomi.   
  
Finally the silence got the better of her and she spoke up. “So you and her, correct? Tsubasa did say she likes younger girls.”   
  
Nozomi nodded in response though she didn’t look up from Honoka. “What timeline are you from?”   
  
Umi sighed. “Apparently a much more stable timeline than this one.” She paused for a moment before continuing. “I’m from her timeline. In a way. Her timeline up until Muse was meant to die. We managed to save her without anyone ending up dead.”   
  
Nozomi brushed her thumb lightly over Honoka’s knuckles, still gripping her hand. “So what’s your relationship wi-”   
  
“Girlfriend. Lieutenant captain.”   
  
Nozomi bit the inside of her cheek. She had figured as much from the way Umi kept looking at Honoka. “You can get back to your own timeline, right? Your Honoka?”   
  
“Nobody’s really sure how this works.” Umi admitted quietly. “Hopefully I can. But maybe not. Tsubasa said we might be stuck here.”   
  
Nozomi nodded tensely in response.   
  
“Is that a problem?” Umi asked, frowning slightly at the lack of response.   
  
“You love her.” Nozomi said, her eyes darting up to Umi’s.   
  
“Yes.”   
  
“And she would choose you.” Nozomi said softly, her chest tight with sorrow. “You’re still her Umi. The one who protected her in the shadows.”   
  
Umi wasn’t sure what to say to that. “I love Honoka more than anything.”   
  
“So do I.” Nozomi paused for a moment, her eyes locked intently with Umi’s. “And I know she loves me but I think she would choose you over anyone else.”   
  
Umi looked away uncomfortably. “I didn’t come here for that. I didn’t even want to come here. We fell into a tear. Who knows what the others are doing?! Honoka might be freaking out because I’m not there. I can’t do anything to help her or...this version of her. I don’t even really know what’s wrong with this version. It’s just like when she was at the facility, when she got her…”   
  
“Tag?” Nozomi asked knowingly.   
  
“HOW DO YOU KNOW ABOUT THAT?!”   
  
“I was in her head. It was...painful to watch.”   
  
“At least you weren’t there in person.” Umi looked down at Honoka, calming down somewhat. “My mother had me pinned down. All I could do was listen to her scream. I tried to call out to her but she couldn’t hear me. I even tried to jump through that damn glass at one point but they kept me back. My mother, the guards…” she felt her eyes prickle with tears and swallowed against the lump in her throat. “I couldn’t do anything.”   
  
Nozomi felt tears form in her own eyes. She was trying to block Umi out but she couldn’t. The young woman’s feelings were too strong. She could feel how much Umi loved Honoka. That she would die for her.   
  
“I-I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to…”   
  
“It’s fine.” Nozomi said, focusing her attention on Honoka’s face to calm herself. It didn’t work. She couldn’t help but wonder if she loved Honoka as much as Umi did. She liked to think so but she wasn’t sure.   
  
“What if I never see her again?” Umi asked worriedly.   
  
“We’ll fix this. We have to. But first Honoka needs to recover.” Nozomi wiped at her damp eyes with her sleeve.   
  
Umi let out a slow breath. “If you’re worried about my presence you don’t have to be. I won’t try to take her from you, Tojo-san. She isn’t her after all.”   
  
“But she is.” Nozomi blurted out, remember her talk about future Umi with Honoka. “She is and you are her Umi. You both just survived, that’s the only difference! She obviously still loves you. And Elichi.”   
  
“She is but she isn’t. You mustn’t think she wouldn’t choose you. I’ve only been here for a few hours and I can see what you mean to her. She always seeks you out first. You must have done something incredible to make her so loyal toward you. So in love with you.” Umi replied, trying to comfort Nozomi as much as she could.   
  
“I don’t feel like I’ve done anything for her.” Nozomi said in a low tone of voice. “I try to help but I don’t know how much I really do help…” She trailed off and took a deep breath. “Why do you have to be so selfless?”   
  
“Me?” Umi asked in surprise. “Because her happiness and safety is all I want. You know I was surprised when she chose me over Eli. I honestly don’t get that girl sometimes. Do you mind if I ask actually...why aren’t you with Eli?”   
  
“Eli is with Honoka.” Nozomi explained quietly. “It’s a long story. But she’s dating Eli and your past self. What is your Honoka like?”   
  
“Like this one but less jittery. But she’s paranoid about our safety after the incident with A-Rise. She was the one who kissed me first.” Umi smiled slightly at the memory. “It really caught me off guard. I was...a lot different when I first joined the rebels. As my Nozomi would tell me, I was...love starved. I hadn’t had very much...intimacy in...the government. I actually cried when Honoka first hugged me.” She gave a sheepish laugh, rubbing the back of her neck. “But that was when I was twenty. I’ve grown accustomed to her touch again now.”   
  
Nozomi hummed gently in response, picturing a more timid Umi. An Umi who was scared of her friends because of her mom’s deeds. She remembered seeing her Umi, with bandages on her arms, crying into her shoulder because she didn’t know what to do. “Hey, Umi-chan…”   
  
Umi tensed as Nozomi spoke her name. “Yes?”   
  
“I’m sorry that happened to you.” Nozomi said sincerely, glancing up at Umi.   
  
“Th-Thank you, Tojo-san…”   
  
“Nozomi. Just Nozomi is fine.” Nozomi said with a shake of her head. Seeing Umi’s eyes brimming with tears she hesitantly got up and walked around the bed, leaning down to hug her. She felt Umi tense for a second, her breath hitching. “It’s alright, just let it out. Reliving those moments must be hard.”   
  
Umi wrapped her arms around Nozomi, tears spilling from the corners of her eyes.   
  
“I know I’m not your Nozomi.” Nozomi said softly, struggling to hold back her own feelings. Nozomi’s grief saddened her but underneath that she was terrified of the chance that she was going to lose Honoka to the girl she was comforting. She pressed on, trying to ignore that. “But you can speak to me about anything. I feel like I did that a lot in your timeline?”   
  
Umi nodded silently and quickly wiped her tears as Nozomi drew away.   
  
Nozomi looked Umi over for the first time, noticing the scars littered across her skin. Her jacket was open now, revealing parts of skin, visible under the shirt she was wearing. Nozomi tore her eyes away and went back to her seat at Honoka’s bedside.   
  
“So what am I doing in your future?” She asked lightly, hoping to change the subject and distract both of them.   
  
“You’re with Eli.” Umi replied, grateful for the distraction. “And you were appointed to lieutenant. Hers by the way. Honoka and Eli still go on missions together. But since the change of statuses..Nozomi...my Nozomi goes with Eli on more dangerous missions. While Honoka and I go together.”   
  
Nozomi smiled wryly. “I feel kind of bad for her.”   
  
“Your future self?” Umi asked in confusion.   
  
Nozomi shook her head. “Elichi. I feel bad that she had to settle. She didn’t get her dream girl.”   
  
“Well if it makes you feel any better she was pretty mean to me when I first joined. Or protective of Honoka from me. Okay, she hated me…” Umi trailed off, noticing Nozomi didn’t seem to be listening. “Nozomi?”   
  
“Huh? Right, yeah…” Nozomi shook her head to clear it. “Sure. I have to go. And talk to…” She hesitated, wondering who she could talk to about this. “Elichi. Or Nicocchi. I have some things I need t-to clear up.”   
  
“What about Honoka?” Umi asked worriedly. “If I’m bothering you I can leave, it’s not a problem. I don’t want to get in the way of the two of…”   
  
“It’s fine.” Nozomi leaned down and pressed her lips to Honoka’s forehead before she straightened up. “If she needs me just call for me.”   
  
“Right…” Umi watched, at a loss as Nozomi left the room. Nervously chewing her lip she looked toward Honoka. She really didn’t want to get in the way but it seemed she already was.   
  
\----   
  
Nozomi hesitated outside of the bedroom Honoka, Eli and Umi shared. She didn’t want to bother Eli but she needed someone to talk to. She knew that Nico wouldn’t really understand so she couldn’t talk to her but Eli would know what she was going through. She cleared her throat and knocked lightly on the door to the bedroom.   
  
The door opened within a few seconds and Nozomi found herself face to face with Honoka. “Hi. Um...is Elichi here?”   
  
As oblivious as she could be at times even Honoka noticed that something was wrong. “Come in, Nozomi-chan. Yuki-chan is with Raven-kun, Kotori-chan and Maki-chan.” She grasped Nozomi’s hand, tugging her into the room.   
  
Nozomi noticed Umi sitting on the bed and quickly looked away. To her relief she found Eli was there too, going through some notes at the desk. “I wasn’t really going to stay. I just need to talk to Elichi. Elichi...”   
  
“Of course.” Eli said gently as she got to her feet. She could see Nozomi’s hands were trembling at her sides, her face paler than usual. Troubled, she crossed the room to hug Nozomi tightly. “It’s okay. I’m here.”   
  
“What’s wrong?” Honoka asked worriedly, moving closer to Nozomi and Eli. She could see that Nozomi was fighting to hold back tears. “Nozomi-chan? What happened?”   
  
“I-I...Honoka…”   
  
“What?” Honoka pressed in concern as Eli slowly drew away from Nozomi. “What did I do?”   
  
“Just give her a minute, Honoka.” Eli said softly, glancing at Honoka. She kept her hands on Nozomi’s shoulders, trying to keep her calm. “Take a breath, Nozomi. It’s okay.”   
  
Nozomi did as she was asked, trying to quell her emotions. Usually it was something she was good at but she couldn’t this time. “U-Umi-chan’s future self is...here and she’s going to take Honoka away from me, I know she is. Sh-She says that she won’t but she loves her a-and…”   
  
Umi winced at the mention of her future self. They all knew about their new guests of course considering they’d seen them earlier. She didn’t like the idea of her future self’s presence reducing Nozomi to tears.   
  
“Sit down, Nozomi-chan.” Honoka grasped one of Nozomi’s arms and guided her back to sit on the edge of the bed. She sat down next to her while Eli sat down on the other side of Nozomi.   
  
“Umi-chan gave up everything for her. She risked her life to save her. How am I meant to compete with that?!” Nozomi asked, reaching up to bitterly wipe her tears away. “In her timeline Senpai is her girlfriend and I’m...Elichi is just stuck with me.”   
  
“Hey, don’t say it like that.” Eli frowned. She didn’t like how that sounded at all.   
  
“What if I’m always going to be second best? What if Senpai leaves me?”   
  
“It’s not going to happen.” Eli gently wrapped an arm around Nozomi’s shoulders and drew her close to her side once more while Honoka gently rubbed the weeping girl’s back. “Maybe she does love Umi but I would bet she loves you more. You’re the person she wants to be with. You told me, remember? She wants to marry you.”   
  
“Wait, what?!” Honoka exclaimed, her eyes widening with surprise. “You’re going to marry...ME?!”   
  
“Not you, your...your future self.” Nozomi said, glancing at Honoka through teary eyes. “She hasn’t really asked me yet, she just mentioned it…”   
  
“How have you two never talked about this?” Umi muttered as she watched Honoka cringe slightly.   
  
Eli shot Honoka and Umi a slightly disapproving look but concentrated on Nozomi. “How do you feel about Honoka?”   
  
“I love her.” Nozomi said honestly, meeting Eli’s eyes. “I would do anything for her.”   
  
“Right. So it’s not just Umi who would make sacrifices, right?” Eli pressed, hoping she was managing to get through to Nozomi.   
  
Nozomi shook her head. “We were going to go away together...maybe. I told her if she went into the continuum I would follow her. And I will. If she goes, I will.”   
  
“We’re...going to have to come back to that later.” Eli said after a moment of surprised silence. “But the point is if you feel so strongly for her you need to fight for her. She loves you. I know she does. You’re not second best to anyone, Nozomi.”   
  
“Not even to you?” Nozomi mumbled, trying to keep her voice low. She knew it was no use though. Honoka would still be able to hear her.   
  
“Of course not. Things just...changed for us, that’s all.” Eli said with a confident shake of her head. “You’re always going to be my best friend, Nozomi.”   
  
“So um...what is Umi-chan like in the future?” Honoka asked curiously, scooting closer to Nozomi and Eli.   
  
Umi sighed. “Honoka…”   
  
“What? I want to know!”   
  
“She’s…” Nozomi paused for a moment, mulling over her answer. As much as she wanted to dislike Future Umi, she couldn’t. “Kind. And really hurt. Her mother did so much to her.”   
  
Honoka’s brow furrowed slightly at that. She didn’t like the idea of Umi hurting. Any version of Umi. “Maybe I could talk to her.”   
  
Eli raised an eyebrow. “Do you really think that’s a good idea? I mean...you already love our Umi and Future Umi is _hot_ .”   
  
“ _Eli!”_ Umi exclaimed, her cheeks flushing with embarrassment.   
  
“What? I’m just saying.” Eli smirked. “All I mean is we wouldn’t want Honoka falling for another Umi.”   
  
Honoka scoffed and shook her head. “I won’t, I just want to help. Umi-chan was my best friend before she was my girlfriend.”   
  
Nozomi bit her lip for a moment, looking between Honoka and Eli. “You could talk to her. But Elichi has to go with you. Two Umi’s would make you want a threesome.”   
  
“Nozomi!” Eli exclaimed in annoyance. “Where do I fit in?”   
  
“Shameless.” Umi mumbled, burying her head in her hands.   
  
Nozomi managed a gentle chuckle at Umi’s embarrassment. “Sorry, Umi-chan.”   
  
There was a brief knock on the door before it burst open and Yuki ran in, almost tripping over the hem of the white lab coat she was wearing. It was much too big for her, the sleeves covering her hands completely and the coat trailing on the floor behind her.   
  
“Get back here, you sly little fox!” Maki ran into the room after Yuki who jumped onto the bed, scrambling to Umi’s side.   
  
Kotori wasn’t far behind, phone in hand as she filmed. Raven walked in behind her, a slightly worried look on his face. He seemed relieved when he noticed Yuki had made it to the bed without tripping.   
  
Nozomi smiled slightly at the small group though she felt her stomach clench with worry at the same time. It didn’t seem like they were fully aware of the dangers they face though she supposed it might be better that way.   
  
Deciding to leave the group alone she stood from the bed. “I have a session with Chika-chan in a couple of hours. I need to prepare. We’ll talk later, Elichi?”   
  
Eli nodded in response though she seemed slightly distracted. “Sure.”   
  
Nozomi breathed a sigh of relief at the positive response and quietly left the room, closing the door behind her.   
  
\----   
  
Honoka glanced over her shoulder as she crept up the stairs to the attic. She’d only been up there on a few occasions, having been told by Kotori’s mother that it was just a large room full of things that weren’t needed anymore. She had seen Future Umi go up there though and she was curious about where she was going. She could only hope that she wouldn’t find her future self up there too.   
  
She made it to the top of the stairs, being as careful as possible and finally saw Umi laying out a futon on the floor. She watched her silently, her brow furrowed. The room was fairly dusty, she could see as she glanced around.   
  
“I know you’re there, Honoka.” Umi slowly rose to her feet and turned around to face Honoka. She wasn’t surprised to see a Honoka that looked younger than the one she was used to seeing.   
  
“You’re sleeping up here?” Honoka asked in confusion. “But it’s so...dirty up here. Kotori’s mom says this is where she keeps all of her junk.”   
  
Umi smiled slightly at Honoka’s concern. “A little bit of dust never hurt anyone.”   
  
“I don’t know that that’s true.” Honoka walked further into the attic. “I guess we must be out of rooms, right? We have a lot of people here.”   
  
“This is fine with me.” Umi said quickly, noticing the apologetic look on Honoka’s face. “It’s fine, really. A-Anyway, did you need something?”   
  
Honoka smiled sheepishly. “I was just curious about you, that’s all.”   
  
“Was?”   
  
“I mean I am.” Honoka clarified with a small smile as she took a few more steps forward. “I saw you come up here and I was hoping we could talk.”   
  
“Talk?” Umi tugged off the jacket she was wearing, letting it fall to the floor and Honoka noticed that she was wearing just a tank top underneath.   
  
“Um…” Honoka sought out a way to start a conversation. “You sleep with your katana next to you.”   
  
“Of course.” Umi answered as if it was obvious. “For protection.”   
  
“That’s...a good idea.” Honoka said with an approving nod of her head. She wasn’t the best at thinking up the right tactics for dealing with their enemy but being prepared could only help, she figured. “So um...when in the future are you from exactly? Which timeline?”   
  
“Honoka’s timeline. A timeline where we saved her and Muse escaped A-Rise.” Umi answered. She sank down onto the futon she’d laid out on the floor, sitting cross-legged, facing Honoka.   
  
Honoka nodded slowly and looked Umi over, noticing the bandages on her arms, mostly likely from a punishment courtesy of her mother. She felt a rush of anger toward the woman but did her best not to show it. She wasn’t sure what to say so she settled for what was in the back of her mind. “Um...I’m with Umi-chan in this timeline. I just wanted you to know in case...you thought it was weird. I know our relationship was a lot different in the future. I mean my future self hated my Umi-chan…” She paused at the pained look on Umi’s face. “N-Not that she hates you...probably.”   
  
Umi chuckled softly. “Funny, I’m dating my Honoka too.”   
  
“What?!”   
  
“It’s a long story.”   
  
“Tell me!” Honoka moved toward Umi, sinking down in front of her, her eyes sparkling. “Please? I want to know, Umi-chan!”   
  
Umi bit her lip, trying to hold back a smile. “Well I’m sure you’ve heard most of it from Honoka’s future self and your Umi...or you’ve pieced it together at least. I had to pretend that I had betrayed you and our friends to protect you. And I hurt you...pretty badly.” He mood soured a little at that admission. “I had to pretend to be loyal to my mother to keep you safe but it didn’t work. I betrayed her to get you back from A-Rise and after that...after we all got out, I went back to the base with you. To where the rebels were. I told you everything. And...we got closer after that.”   
  
“Okay but how did you get together with my future self?”   
  
Umi thought about that for a moment. “It happened...slowly, I think. I already knew I was in love with her but it took her a while to realize the same thing...I think. After a few months of us getting closer we um...well I kissed her.”   
  
Honoka blinked. “Umi-chan made the first move?!”   
  
“H-Hey, I can be assertive while I want to be!”   
  
“Oh, I know.” Honoka smirked suggestively, causing Umi to blush. “I was just surprised, that’s all. You seem different to my Umi-chan. More...subdued.”   
  
“W-Well I um…” Umi bit her lip and looked away, frowning slightly. “Being away from Muse changed me, I-I think. I was alone. For a long time…”   
  
Honoka moved to her knees and moved closer, wrapping her arms around Umi. She felt the older girl tense in her arms before slowly relaxing into them.   
  
“What’s this for?” Umi asked hesitantly even as she lifted her arms to return the embrace.   
  
Honoka shrugged her shoulders. “I just wanted to hug you. And you looked like you might need one…”   
  
Umi let out a slow sigh, her chest taut with emotion. She had to admit it was nice to be close to Honoka. She got the impression that the older version of Honoka wouldn’t be quite so open with her. “Thank you.”   
  
Honoka scoffed slightly and shook her head. “Umi-chan doesn’t need to thank me. You’re still my Umi-chan...or my Umi-chan’s future self from another timeline so you’re still the same Umi-chan.”   
  
As Honoka drew away Umi fought the urge to hold on, her arms falling back to her sides instead.   
  
“If you need to talk I’m here.” Honoka offered, a serious expression flitting across her face. “I know it’s not the same but I can listen to you at least, even if I can’t help much.”   
  
“Your Umi might get jealous.” Umi joked feebly.   
  
Honoka shook her head, waving the suggestion off. “Umi-chan trusts me. She knows I won’t do anything with anyone else...well there was Eli-senpai but Umi-chan had left me then so it doesn’t count. And Umi-chan is fine with it.”   
  
Umi raised an eyebrow in response. “I don’t think my Eli would even want that. She’s more...monogamous. And so am I.”   
  
Honoka frowned at the response. “So Eli-senpai is with Nozomi.”   
  
Umi nodded. “Yes. Though there are times when you go off together. To train. My Honoka is...rather attentive to me. But...I’m not blind, I know you two are close like that. But I do know it’s nothing more than kissing. I’m fine with that. I still don’t get why she chose me. I was...horrible. I remember breaking down to Kotori right after I kissed you. Surprisingly she was sympathetic though now I know why…” She noticed Honoka looked confused. “Oh...nothing. You’ll hear about it from the future girl herself.”   
  
“Right…” Honoka mused, biting her lip. She couldn’t help but think of her Eli and Umi as well as Eli and Umi from the future. Technically speaking they were the same people.   
  
“We aren’t the same.”   
  
“Huh?!” Honoka looked up, her eyes wide. It was like Umi had read her mind.   
  
“Those two are sixteen and seventeen. I’m twenty one. I’ve been through a lot. Your Umi and Eli are a lot more mellow than us.”   
  
Honoka leaned back slightly to get more comfortable. “Eli-senpai and Umi-chan are going to be like that too. In time. Even if…” She paused, shaking her head. That was a discussion she’d need to have with Eli and Umi. Mainly Eli. “I don’t want to lose either of you.”   
  
“You won’t.”   
  
“I might.” Honoka countered seriously, her tone catching Umi off guard. “I don’t want...the future you have. I can’t imagine not being with Eli-senpai too. With both of you. But what if it’s not really what they want in the future? Maybe it’s just okay for now or...I don’t know why I’m telling you all of this. I should talk to Eli-senpai. And you look tired, you should sleep. Can we talk again tomorrow?”   
  
Umi offered a hesitant smile. Somehow she felt like she had said the wrong things. “I would like that.”   
  
\----   
  
  
  
Nozomi was surprised to see Future Honoka sitting on the edge of the bed, clearly waiting for her when she entered her bedroom. She hadn’t expected to see her so soon.   
  
“Hey.” She said quietly, closing the door behind her. “I didn’t think you’d be going to bed so early.”   
  
Honoka shrugged her shoulders. “We haven’t really had much of a chance to talk today. And you’ve been stressed.”   
  
Nozomi gave a nervous smile. “You felt that, huh? I was trying to…”   
  
“Block me out?” Honoka raised an eyebrow. “Yeah, I felt that too.” She held out of her hand to Nozomi who walked to her, taking it. She tugged her down onto her lap, wrapping her arms around Nozomi’s waist. “You don’t need to worry, Nozomi. I’ve made my choice. I made it a long time ago.”   
  
Nozomi glanced at Honoka, worry evident in her eyes.   
  
“You, you idiot.” Honoka rolled her eyes. “You’re the only person I want to be with. Today has been...crazy and all I wanted to do was come back to you. I love you. Really.”   
  
Nozomi breathed a sigh of relief, feeling a weight lift from her chest. She threw her arms around Honoka’s neck and kissed her hard just a moment before the door opened across the room.   
  
“Hey, enough of that.” Future Nico walked into the room, tugging Future Umi by the wrist with Future Maki right behind them. “Come on, Honoka. We’re going out.”   
  
Umi looked away, biting the inside of her cheek.   
  
“What? I’m busy…”   
  
“No buts! Come on, you damn hobo. You need to relax. We all do. No powers, just drinking.” Nico glanced at Nozomi. “No girlfriends either. Bro night. Even Kotori isn’t coming.”   
  
Nozomi sighed but obediently moved off of Honoka’s lap. “Why does Umi get to go then?”   
  
Nico paused at that, glancing at Umi. “Wrong Honoka. Technically they’re not girlfriends.”   
  
Maki sighed at the exchange. “I better get to have one cigarette.”   
  
“Nope. Chew your gum.” Nico said with a roll of her eyes.   
  
Honoka grimaced at the idea of spending the night drinking with the three. “You don’t even get drunk, Nico-chan. What’s the point.”   
  
“Don’t get cocky. It still relaxes me. Come on, get your ass up.” Nico frowned when Honoka didn’t move. “Honoka, please. I want this. I really need this. Please?”   
  
Honoka opened her mouth to argue but she paused before she said anything. She could see how much Nico had missed her and everyone else. Maki especially. She sighed before turning to Nozomi. “I’m sorry.”   
  
“It’s okay.” Nozomi said with a small smile. She lowered her voice, leaning closer to Honoka. She knew that Maki would still be able to hear her most likely but there was little she could do about that. “Go and have fun. You’ve got them back, at least for a while. You should make the most of it.”   
  
Honoka smiled warmly at the response. “I’ll be back later.” She promised. She fleetingly kissed Nozomi, missing the way Umi’s eye twitched when she saw the gesture out of the corner of her eye. She stood up, turning to face Nico. “Let’s go then. I’m not paying for my own drinks though.”   
  
Nico scoffed though she couldn’t help the way her lips turned up after. “Well I don’t have any money either so someone else is gonna have to pay.”   
  
Maki smirked and took a wallet from her jacket pocket. “Don’t worry, my past self is paying.”   
  
“MAKI!” Umi scowled, her eyes widening.   
  
Honoka laughed loudly at the exchange. At least this version of Maki had a sense of humor. With a final glance at Nozomi she followed Nico out of the room.   
  
Maki noticed Umi still looked a little upset as they followed Honoka and Nico down the hallway. “We’ll get back to our timeline once this is over. Just hang on.”   
  
Umi nodded resolutely. “I will.”   
  
“Don’t forget, no using our abilities.” Nico called back to them, glancing over her shoulder. “Not at all. We’re taking a cab.”   
  
“Why not the train?” Honoka asked in confusion.   
  
“We still have to keep a low profile because crazies are after us, you know…”   
  
“I agree with Honoka, we should take the train.” Umi said sheepishly. “It’s not exactly going to draw attention to us.”   
  
“Come on you two, INCOGNITO!” Nico exclaimed loudly, rolling her eyes.   
  
“Oh no, she has masks and sunglasses, doesn’t she?” Maki deadpanned.   
  
Honoka smirked at the response but she couldn’t help but feel uncomfortable with Nico acting the way she was. She was too emotional. Too much like the present Nico. She wasn’t acting stoic, even once. She wondered if that was because Nico’s friends were there. She supposed it had been a while since Nico had seen them.   
  
Umi let out an exasperated breath. “She won’t stop complaining if we keep stalling. Might as well do something ridiculous, huh?” She turned to Honoka with a broad smile. “My Honoka would love this, honestly...she’s always doing stupid things with Rin and Nico. And Eli obviously.”   
  
Honoka’s brow furrowed slightly as she watched Umi take some sunglasses and a mask from Nico. “What kind of timeline are you from exactly?”   
  
“Yours, I told you.” Umi slipped the sunglasses on as the group paused for a moment to let Nico hand out the sunglasses and masks to the other two.   
  
“Doesn’t sound like mine.” Honoka muttered, hesitantly slipping the mask on.   
  
“After the whole ARise bullshit we all kind of realized we’ve been overworking ourselves. We still fight. It’s just we try to live our lives to the fullest.”   
  
Honoka pushed her sunglasses up to the top of her head, narrowing her eyes at Umi. “Did you just curse?” She shook her head after a moment. “I guess it doesn’t matter. Can we just go?”   
  
“Onwards!” Nico exclaimed before she turned and led the group down the hallway.   
  
Umi sighed, her shoulders slumping.   
  
“Not your Honoka, remember?” Maki asked, gently bumping Umi’s arm with her elbow. “Your Honoka’s gonna be freaking out right now because she can’t find you. You’re going to find a way back to her, Umi. Don’t worry about that.”   
  
“What if I don’t?” Umi mused as she started on her way down the hallway. “What if I’ve run out of luck? I’m pretty sure this Honoka still hates me and the closest thing I have to my Honoka is...younger Honoka.”   
  
Maki snorted. “You need to stop with the what if’s. Remember our promise? Look on the bright side.”   
  
Umi blinked at Maki as they trailed down the hallway at half the speed of Honoka and Nico. “She has really rubbed off on you…”   
  
“Shut up. I’m just saying, don’t think about the worst case scenarios. It’s probably not going to happen.”   
  
“Maki, if you keep dragging your feet you’re not going to get your shochu!” Nico called back loudly.   
  
Maki sighed. “I’d rather have a gin and tonic.”   
  
\-----   
  
“You need to focus, Leah.” Maki said strictly as Leah staggered back, clutching her head. “Just block me. You’ve done it before.”   
  
“Yeah but you’re being too rough!” Leah growled in response, her head throbbing slightly. “That was way stronger than last time. And I can’t concentrate with...with _two_ of them!”   
  
“Well you have to! If I have to, you have to!”   
  
“Oh...am I bothering the two of you?” Future Kotori asked in concern from where she was sitting at Maki’s desk. “I didn’t mean to intrude, I was just curious about what you were doing.”   
  
“I-It’s fine. I’m…” Maki gasped as she felt Leah force her way into her mind, knocking her off of her feet. She flew back a few feet, hitting the ground hard. “Ouch.”   
  
“I...I did it!” Leah cried out in surprise.   
  
Ruby, who was sitting on the floor next to present Kotori, raising an eyebrow as Kotori twitched. She still didn’t really understand what was happening or why there was suddenly two Kotori’s. She’d figure it would be better not to ask.   
  
Kotori sighed as Ruby’s eyes shifted to Maki as the redhead got to her knees. “Eyes to yourself, Ruby-chan.”   
  
“She has a muscle fetish.” Leah cackled, still on a high from Maki’s defeat.   
  
“Leah-chan!”   
  
“Oh, let me help you, Maki-chan.” Future Kotori quickly slid off of Maki’s seat, noticing her girlfriend’s past self struggling. She helped her to her feet and dusted her off.   
  
Kotori frowned. “Don’t you have your Maki-chan?!”   
  
“Huh?” Future Kotori turned to her past self in surprise. “Oh. I do but she’s busy and I was interested in...this Maki’s work. Besides, little Maki-chan is so cute.”   
  
Kotori scowled at her future self. “Little Maki-chan is mine!”   
  
Maki sighed. “Please don’t call me that…”   
  
“Okay, calm down little me.” Kotori said with an amused look on her face. “Let’s go and have a chat, okay? Bye Little Maki-chan. Ruby-chan. Leah-chan.”   
  
“Bye…” Leah mumbled, watching Kotori leave.   
  
“Stop drooling over my girlfriend’s future self.” Maki ordered.   
  
“But she’s…” Leah cringed at a sudden attack, forcing her to her knees. “Ow, ow, ow!”   
  
“You have your own girlfriend, damn it.”   
  
“But Ruby doesn’t get jealous. Unlike you two…” Leah winced at the angry look Maki sent her. “Sorry.”   
  
“Do some meditation!”   
  
“But I hate…”   
  
“Why do you think I’m making you train that way?”   
  
“Fine. Ruby, watch my body.” Leah muttered as she walked over to Ruby.   
  
Ruby nodded silently in response, still confused about what exactly was going on. She glanced at Maki who stalked back to her computer, sitting down in front of it.   
  
\----   
  
Honoka glanced at Maki, seated next to her in the booth Nico had found them at the bar. Nico and Umi had gone off to get more drink despite the fact that Honoka and Maki hadn’t finished their first. Though she’d agreed to go out Honoka wasn’t especially in the mood for a lot of drinking and it seemed that Maki was intentionally pacing herself too.   
  
“So you’re really my Maki-chan?” Honoka asked after taking a sip of her beer. “From the future?”   
  
“Yes.”   
  
Honoka stared at Maki for a long moment. “Really?”   
  
“I don’t know why it’s so hard for you to believe.” Maki said with a sigh as she leaned back in her seat. “Is it that unbelievable that you’d end up with Umi?”   
  
“No. It’s exactly what I would do. Ugh.” Honoka glanced over at Umi who was trying to push away a small glass Nico was trying to hand her. “There are just things I don’t understand about that future. I love Umi-chan. I know I’m always going to love her, just like...just like I love Eli-senpai. But it doesn’t feel...right.”   
  
“I don’t understand. And don’t let Umi hear you saying that…” Maki mumbled. She leaned back in her seat, taking another drink. “It’s hard for her too, you know. Being away from her version of you.”   
  
Honoka sighed, a troubled look on her face. “I’m not going to say anything to her, don’t worry. I just don’t understand it.”   
  
“You two are good for each other. I’ve never seen Honoka so happy. With Kotori she was cautious, you know.”   
  
Honoka groaned. “Alright, no talking about girlfriends.”   
  
“I don’t give a shit about Nico’s rules.” Maki leaned forward slightly. “Now tell me. What the hell started this thing with Nozomi?”   
  
“A slap to my face?”   
  
“Boy, you do like them with a backbone…” Maki muttered in disdain.   
  
Honoka shook her head in response. “It’s not just a fling, Maki-chan. I know that’s what you’re thinking. My...relationship with Nozomi was a friendship at first. But she was almost there for me. And I love her. I know you expect me to change my mind or suddenly realize I’m in love with Umi-chan or something but it’s not going to happen.”   
  
“Sure it won’t.” Maki muttered, rolling her eyes. “I’m just confused. It doesn’t even make sense.”   
  
“Neither do you and Kotori.” Honoka lied, crossing her arms in front of her chest. “Your past self and past Kotori make sense but I can’t imagine the two of you being together.”   
  
Maki glared at Honoka. “Shut up.”   
  
“Good. At least you see my point.” Honoka said, feeling somewhat smug about the fact that she’d managed to make Maki see what she meant. “You don’t know what it’s been like here. You can’t judge me for my relationship with Nozomi. At least she was single when we...started dating.”   
  
Maki sighed. “I said I’m sorry.”   
  
“No, you didn’t.”   
  
“And what do you mean me and Kotori don’t make sense? I’ve known her since I was a child. You have no idea about our history together.” Maki continued, ignoring Honona’s argument.   
  
“Well you shouldn’t say me and Nozomi don’t make sense.” Honoka huffed in annoyance. She glanced over at Nico and Umi but they were nowhere in sight. They’d disappeared from in front of the bar. “I love her and she loves me. That’s all that should matter.”   
  
“It is. I’m just saying it’s surprising!” Maki threw up her hands in frustration. “I didn’t say the two of you weren’t good together.”   
  
“What? So you think we _are_ ?”   
  
“Yes!” Maki exclaimed in exasperation. “Besides, at least it wasn’t me or anyone younger than seventeen.”   
  
“Good choice.” Honoka said, looking slightly sheepish. “I was conscious of that at first. But she’ll be eighteen in five months.”   
  
“Graduation is soon for them.” Maki realized in surprise. “They haven’t been in school, I bet.”   
  
Honoka nodded. “Neither has the principle.”   
  
Maki had figured that would be the case. She hadn’t been around the group for all that long but from what she had seen it was clear that they were constrained to the house. “So um...how did Kotori and I work out in the timeline? What happened?”   
  
Honoka sighed. That wasn’t a question she especially wanted to answer. “Apparently I screwed up. Kotori liked me and that triggered Honoka and Umi to get closer. Maki and ‘Koto-nee’ made up quicker than you two did.”   
  
Maki blushed fiercely. “Ugh, does everyone know about that?”   
  
“Yep. Anyway, you took care of her after what Anju did to her as Nozomi.”   
  
Maki twitched. “What did the bitch do?”   
  
Honoka bit the inside of her cheek, wary of continuing. “Do you really want to know?”   
  
“Yes!”   
  
“She...pretended to be Nozomi and she attacked her. I didn’t see it myself because I wasn’t there but it left Kotori really...scared. She couldn’t even look at Nozomi for a few weeks after that.”   
  
Maki frowned. “I’m going to kill her.” She seethed before she took a long drink from her glass, her eyes furious. She got up after only for Honoka to grab her wrist and drag her back down into her seat.   
  
“Whoa there. Don’t do anything stupid doc.”   
  
“Get off me!”   
  
“No.” Honoka refused, adamantly shaking her head. “She’s alright now. Because of you. Though she also um...got kidnapped by CORPS. I’ll let her tell you about that if she decides to. It’s worse than the Anju thing…”   
  
Maki growled in annoyance. “What the hell? Are you that bad at protecting these kids?!”   
  
“You were ambushed. I wasn’t even there. Your past self was obsessed with finding her to be honest.”   
  
Maki sighed heavily. “This timeline is screwed up.”   
  
“I know. Did you know, you were blind for a while?”   
  
Maki stared blankly at Honoka. “This is getting ridiculous.”   
  
“You don’t know the half of it.”   
  
Maki leaned forward, a serious look on her face. “Then tell me. All of it.”   
  
TBC. 


	54. Chapter 54

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here’s the next chapter, I hope you guys enjoy and as always thanks for the messages/kudos etc. 
> 
> Warning(s): Sexual scenes (maybe), angst, violence. 
> 
> A/N: With the timelines merging, this is going to get a bit messy. New Future characters, couple of new characters in general etc. Just a heads up but I’m sure you guys realized it would get messy anyway! :)

Future Kotori closed the basement door behind her, letting go of her past self’s wrist once they were safely in the kitchen. “You’re more jealous than me, huh?”  
  
Kotori huffed and stalked across the kitchen, putting some distance between herself and her future self. “I just wanted to make it clear that Maki-chan is  _ my _ fiance! I’m not going to lose her.”   
  
“Whoa, wait. What?” Future Kotori held up her hand to stop Kotori and stepped forward, surprise written across her face. “Did you just say... _ fiance?!” _   
  
Kotori grimaced at that. “Um...maybe. Yes. Sorry. I don’t know how much I should be telling you.”   
  
“Fiance, huh?”  Future Kotori mused thoughtfully. “You two must be dead serious. Usually ‘fiance’ is not something I like to hear, considering I had one before. Me and my Maki-chan are taking it a lot slower. We want to rekindle everything. Not just our...romantic feelings for each other.”   
  
“We are serious.” Kotori said, bristling a little as she prepared for her future self to argue with her. “Since we found each other. You’re an idiot for taking so long.”   
  
“Well excuse me for being in a relationship!”   
  
“That you didn’t want!” Kotori argued loudly. “Neither did Honoka-chan. She was always running off with Eli-chan. She never did pay attention to me like she did with Umi-chan either. All she cared about was Umi-chan.”   
  
Future Kotori let out a sigh. “You don’t understand the situation. It was complicated. And she did love me, like I loved her, just...it’s too complicated, okay? You’ll understand when you’re older.”   
  
“No, I won’t.” Kotori argued, firmly shaking her head. “I don’t want to be with anyone but Maki-chan.”   
  
“Well we can agree on that at least.” Future Kotori said with a slight smile tugging at her lips. “I’m not saying I shouldn’t have chosen Maki-chan sooner. I should have. I think even Honoka-chan would agree with that. But it was complicated, okay?”   
  
Kotori nodded silently in response and for a moment the two stood, staring at each other.    
  
“It feels weird to stare at myself like this.” Future Kotori said thoughtfully as she looked her past self over. She quickly shook it off.    
  
Kotori nodded in agreement. “So what happened? How did you and Maki realize you wanted to be together?”   
  
“Um...probably when Maki-chan kissed me when I was seventeen.”   
  
“WHAT?!”   
  
Future Kotori winced at that. “Damn, I shouldn’t have said that…”   
  
“WEREN’T YOU IN A RELATIONSHIP?!”   
  
“I TOLD YOU, IT’S COMPLICATED!” Future Kotori retorted, crossing her arms in front of her chest. She quietened down slightly as she continued. “Only Nozomi-chan and Nico-chan knew about it. And they supported us...me and Maki-chan, through the years.”   
  
“Don’t let Honoka hear you say that.” Kotori muttered, rolling her eyes. Honoka hadn’t told her specifically but she had heard from Maki how Honoka felt. “She already feels betrayed enough by the two of you.”   
  
Kotori frowned, glancing away. She could understand that. “Why did it have to be me who fell through the tear? This is so complicated.”   
  
“You think you’re the only one freaking out?!”   
  
Future Kotori started to reply but she was interrupted by the sound of the door opening. Both she and her past self braced themselves and a moment later Future Nico walked into the kitchen with a sleeping Future Umi draped across her back.    
  
“What?” Nico asked, noticing Future Kotori’s look. “I didn’t know she’d actually take me up on my shot challenge. Woman can’t even stay conscious after drinking all of that alcohol. Did you even know she’s a sleepy drunk?”   
  
Future Kotori silently nodded.    
  
“I’m gonna take her upstairs.” Nico muttered as she turned and left the room once more. She passed Future Honoka and Future Maki on the way out.    
  
“Oh dear…” Future Kotori muttered, noticing that Maki was drunk. Honoka on the other hand seemed completely sober. “She hasn’t been too much of a hassle, has she?”   
  
Honoka shrugged. “Not really. She just got really talkative and...unconsciously smooth. You don’t know how many girls she accidentally complimented.”   
  
“She’s emotional when she drinks.” Future Kotori sighed as she walked over to the two.    
  
Honoka tensed for a moment before she handed Maki over to Kotori. “Get her to bed.”   
  
Future Kotori took Maki into her arms and blushed when lips kissed her nose, somewhat clumsily.    
  
“Hi my pretty little bird. Or...Koto-neeeee.”   
  
Future Kotori fondly rolled her eyes. “We’re dating now, Maki-chan. No need to call me that.”   
  
“But it’s so cuuuuute.”   
  
“How much did she drink?” Future Kotori grimaced, looking toward Honoka.    
  
“Um...well I told her a lot of depressing stuff. So...a lot. Just let her sleep it off and she’ll be fine.” Honoka said awkwardly. “Make sure she drinks water or something.”   
  
“Little Kotori got hurt because I was weak.” Maki slurred, leaning into Kotori. “I hate being weak. Imma get little Maki to toughen up and get better with fighting hand to hand. That’s my goal. She’s gonna protect little Kotori.”   
  
Future Kotori looked down, noticing tears sparkling in Maki’s eyes. Seeing Maki’s cool and collected exterior cracking brought a slight smile to her lips. “You can tell me all about your plans to protect little Kotori downstairs in our futon. Okay?”   
  
“‘Kay.” Maki mumbled, laying her head on Kotori’s shoulder. “M’I love you…”   
  
“I love you too, Maki-chan.” Future Kotori kissed Maki’s temple and gave her a slight squeeze.    
  
Kotori watched her future self’s interaction with future Maki with a small smile but she didn’t interject. She didn’t really know what they were talking about. For all she knew Maki was just drunkenly rambling.    
  
“Goodnight.” Future Kotori glanced between Future Honoka and her own past self before she led Maki down to the basement.    
  
“Goodnight.” Kotori mumbled as she watched them go. The door closed behind them, leaving herself and Honoka alone. “Are you okay?”   
  
“I haven’t been drinking.” Honoka answered with a shrug of her shoulders.    
  
“That’s not what I meant.” Kotori replied, raising an eyebrow. “Are you still pissed at me?”   
  
Honoka shook her head. “There’s no reason for me to be angry with you. Your future self, sure. But not you. You haven’t done anything wrong.”   
  
Kotori breathed a sigh of relief at that. “So what did the two of you talk about?”   
  
“Everything.” Honoka said honestly. It had been difficult for her recount everything that had happened since she’d arrived but she had done it at Maki’s request. “She...really cares about us. All of us. Getting her to drink might have been a good thing. She gets vulnerable and I actually get to see what she’s feeling. I think I um...hurt her feelings pretty badly when I said she doesn’t give a damn about me.”   
  
Kotori perked up, a hopeful look on her face. It sounded like Honoka’s anger was slowly easing. “Maki-chan cares about you a lot. My Maki-chan at least.”   
  
“So does she.” With a sigh, Honoka sunk down at the table. “I’ve hurt her so much. Too much to count. I’ve been such a terrible friend to her.”   
  
“Well now I guess you two are even in a way?” Kotori proposed quietly as she moved closer to Honoka. “You can start over.”   
  
“There’s no time.” Honoka muttered to herself. “She’ll be going back when we figure out this timeline issue. As soon as Tsubasa goddamn contacts me again.” She groaned in defeat and buried her head in her hands.    
  
“Do you want to talk some more?” Kotori offered softly. “I could make some tea.”   
  
Honoka shook her head and straightened up. “I just want to go to bed.”   
  
Kotori smirked. “Don’t you mean back to Nozomi?”   
  
“Shut up.” Honoka glanced toward the basement door, briefly biting her lip. “I don’t know why she keeps forgiving me.”   
  
“Maki-chan is a lot more innocent than you think.” Kotori replied matter of factly. “She just acts cool.”   
  
“Yeah.” Honoka sighed once more. She didn’t know what to think. Maki had hurt her but she’d hurt Maki so much in the past too. Both intentionally and unintentionally. “She always let me sleep in her office, you know. When I asked. And she always kept me alive. Somehow I feel like she always felt everything was her fault. I guess it’s a given with how I reacted when I was recovering. Ugh, I shouldn’t have told her to stay away from me today. I’m such an  _ idiot _ .”   
  
“Yeah, that was a bad move on your part.” Kotori said reasonably, earning herself a glare from Honoka. “I get that you’re angry. But today when you were...in the infirmary you were asking for my Maki-chan. Why would you…?”   
  
“I don’t know. I guess seeing those two together put things into perspective.” Honoka replied softly, glancing down at the table. “Your Maki-chan hasn’t done anything to me. I don’t think she would.”   
  
Kotori managed a small smile at that. “You and Maki-chan get along well. But I don’t think future Maki-chan would do this either. Let’s be honest, Honoka. Who would make the first move between me and Maki? Seriously, Maki-chan isn’t that impulsive.”   
  
Honoka groaned in response. “Hating you isn’t any easier than hating Maki-chan is. And even if it was I keep thinking about the two of them...making plans without me knowing. Sneaking around to be together. I thought Maki-chan and I were...close. But how close could we have been if she’d do this? If they’d both do it?”   
  
Kotori frowned at that. She wasn’t sure what she could say in defense of her future self. “At least you know my Maki-chan wouldn’t do that?”   
  
Honoka smiled sadly at the thought. “Yeah, I guess.” She leaned forward, resting her chin against her folded arms on the table. “I shouldn’t have been so harsh to your Maki-chan either. I have to apologize to her.”   
  
“I think that would mean a lot to her.” Kotori said honestly, recalling how upset Maki had been after she’d tried to speak to Honoka. “She gets lonely sometimes, you know? But she really cares. And she’s smiling a lot more now, like she used to when she was a little kid. You know, I think I’ve come to realize something, Honoka. The reason I liked you. You reminded me of Maki when she was smaller, more emotional...a ball of energy. You two are so similar. In so many ways.”   
  
Honoka gave a slight laugh at that. “Thanks, Kotori. You really know how to make me feel better.”   
  
“I didn’t mean like...I don’t mean I only liked you for that.” Kotori hastily tripped over her words. “I’m being honest, I just...I wanted you to understand why I felt attached to you and aah I’m such a moron! I guess what I meant was I missed Maki-chan before meeting you. Your smile reminded me of her and that’s why I felt safe being your friend. You and Umi-chan.”   
  
“That doesn’t make it sound any better.” Honoka smiled at the panicked look on Kotori’s face. “It’s fine, don’t worry. I guess that’s...hard for me to hear. But thank you for being honest. Besides, I don’t hold anything against you, Kotori-chan. Not...this version of you.”   
  
Kotori blinked at Honoka. “Really?”   
  
“Of course not. You’re my best friend. I think.” Honoka hesitated at the surprise on Kotori’s face. “Ugh, forget I said that. I know you’ve already...you’ve got Honoka. Your Honoka, not me. But I just wanted you to know that other than Nozomi and Hibiki, you and Maki are the people I’m closest to. I-In this timeline. Damn it, that’s so messed up...”   
  
“It’s not, it’s sweet.” Kotori couldn’t help but giggle as she watched Honoka blush furiously. “You should tell Maki-chan that too. I’m sure she’ll react just like you are now.”   
  
“Shut up, I’m going to bed.” Honoka said with a roll of her eyes. She got up from the table her gaze lingering on Kotori. “Thanks. For the talk. I really needed it.”   
  
Kotori smiled broadly at Honoka. “Of course. Goodnight, Honoka.”   
  
“Goodnight, Kotori.” Honoka mumbled before she turned and left the kitchen.    
  
\----   
  
Future Maki paused at the bottom of the basement stairs, finding her past self sitting at her computer. She seemed to be engrossed in whatever she was reading on the screen, her eyes flitting left and right as she read.    
  
Future Maki cleared her throat and stepped forward, causing her past self to flinch in surprise.    
  
“Oh, it’s you.” Maki breathed a sigh of relief. “I didn’t hear you coming. You shouldn’t sneak up on people.”   
  
“You couldn’t hear my thoughts. I wasn’t sneaking.”   
  
“You blocked me.” Maki frowned, reaching over to switch off her computer screen.    
  
“Right. You really need to learn how to pass barriers.” Future Maki pointed out as she walked further into the room. She glanced around, noticing the training area, clearly set up for Rin. “Anyway, I thought you and I could have talk.”   
  
“Yeah? About what?”   
  
“Your new training regime.” Future Maki reached the desk Maki was sitting at, stopping next to it. “Honoka told me quite a lot. Got me drunk.”   
  
Maki stared at Future Honoka blankly for a moment before she shook her head. “What are you talking about?”   
  
Future Maki gave a disgruntled sigh. “You’re in charge of the training regime for Rin, Honoka, Eli and Nico, right? So they’re ready to go after future ARise?”   
  
“I have it under control.” Maki said simply. “I don’t need your help.”   
  
“Maybe you don’t want my help but you could definitely use it.” Future Maki pointed out matter of factly. “With Honoka especially. You don’t even know what her limits are. I know that better than anyone.”   
  
Maki sighed and rolled her eyes. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.” She turned her chair toward her future self, crossing her arms in front of her chest. “You mean her ability, right? How she gets headaches and nosebleeds because it affects her brain. Right?”   
  
Future Maki stared at the younger version of herself for a moment before she gave a nod of agreement. “You’ve been reading the neurology books, haven’t you?”   
  
“I have requested that Rin go to the library a few times…”   
  
The doctor groaned and walked to the computer. She reached past Maki to switch on the monitor and took an old USB from her pocket, plugging it into the PC. “You’re damn lucky I did this before the power went out last time at the base. Download it and it’ll give you the files for everyone in Muse. Honoka has a seperate one.”   
  
Maki watched in surprise as her future self pulled up a necklace from under her scrub top, a USB attached to it. “Nobody should ever look into this except us. Once you study it delete it from your computer’s memory immediately. Honoka’s ability and body is a lot more complicated than the others. Even Nico doesn’t have this many complications.”   
  
Maki swallowed thickly. She didn’t like the sound of that. “Why?”   
  
“Because Honoka is the only member that could die from her ability alone.”   
  
Maki gaped at future Maki for a moment, struggling to process that. “W-What? What are you saying? This issue with her brain could  _ kill _ her?!”   
  
“Honoka’s ability could cause an aneurysm. Look it up.” Future Maki instructed, nodding at the computer. “There’s no cure besides a very difficult procedure. Why do you think I was freaking out and asking Mama how many times Honoka’s suffered nosebleeds?”   
  
“Way too many to count if you ask me.” Maki mumbled, vaguely recalling how early Honoka had suffered a nosebleed in front of her. “If you’re asking if she’s overusing her ability the answer is yes. Most of the time she’s needed to. It’s been a life or death situation but other times...her emotions get the better of her sometimes.”   
  
Future Maki shook her head in disain. “You know how to knock people out yet?”   
  
“It takes a lot out of me but yes…”   
  
“That’s because you don’t train your body. It’s not only your brain that’s needed, you need stamina.”   
  
Maki frowned in confusion. “How…?”   
  
“I had to train as well.” Future Maki explained, leaning against the desk. “I can thank Nico-chan for that. She was not an easy trainer. My Nico is brutal. She doesn’t hold back even with her headbuts.”    
  
“Sounds like Nico.” Maki mumbled. She leaned back in her seat, her gaze shifting to the necklace around Future Maki’s neck. “I’m glad I don’t have to spar like that with my Nico.”   
  
“You do. You should.” Future Maki stepped back, holding her hands out at her sides. “Come at me. With your fists.”   
  
Maki sighed but did as she was told. She got up from her seat and pause for a moment, hoping the brief hesitation would catch her future self off guard. She rushed forward suddenly, throwing a punch but future Maki caught it and wrenched her arm behind her back.    
  
Maki cried out as pain shot through her arm, falling to her knees. “Ow, ow, ow! OKAY, I get it!” She grimaced as her future self let go of her arm. She rubbed her aching shoulder and carefully got to her feet. “Can you just show me Honoka’s file already?”   
  
“Fine. But you need to train.” Future Maki stepped past Maki, sitting down at the desk before her younger self had a chance to. She ignored the scowl shot in her direction and tugged the necklace off, plugging the USB into the computer. “I hope you’re ready for this.”

  
“I-I am.”   
  
“No, you’re definitely not.” Future Maki mumbled, opening the folder. She pushed herself away from the desk, wheeling the chair backwards to give Maki some room. “Everything is there.”   
  
Maki shook her head but turned back to the monitor after a moment. She didn’t want to read what was in the file but she knew that she needed to know what was wrong with Honoka. She noticed the numerous files dotted around in the folder. “There’s a lot in here.”   
  
“I put a lot of effort into this.” Future Maki remarked quietly. “It’s probably going to take you a while to get through all of that. And you’re not going to like what you see.”   
  
“I don’t need to read this to know what that means. You’re saying Honoka’s going to die, right?”   
  
“She might.”   
  
“What if she goes into the space continuum?” Maki asked idly, her eyes trained to the screen. She would still need to go through everything so that she had all of the information.    
  
“Um...I don’t know. It would maybe freeze what’s happening but I can’t be sure. Why?”   
  
“Just something I overheard.”   
  
“Ah.” Future Maki said, understanding filtering into her voice. “I know how that feels. Annoying, isn’t it? You’ll gain more control eventually. Don’t worry.”   
  
“I think I’m going to need to smoke after this.” Maki mumbled under her breath.    
  
“Same reaction I had after writing it. Well before I started dating Kotori.” Future Maki paused, noticing a strange look flit across Maki’s face. “What?”   
  
“Nothing. I didn’t say anything.” Maki opened a file and let out a low exhale when she noticed it was a fairly long document.    
  
“For the record, don’t always be in front of that thing. You strained my eyes.”   
  
“You strained your own eyes.” Maki replied with a roll of her eyes.    
  
“Which means you did. You are me, just in the past.”   
  
“Wrong timeline though. I’m not really anything like you.” Maki glanced briefly back at her future self.    
  
“You don’t like me very much.”    
  
Maki snorted out a laugh. “Don’t let Nozomi hear you say that. I think she’s getting really into this psychology thing she has going on at the minute. She’ll read way too much into that.”   
  
“You know, she’s kind of a therapist for the rebels in my timeline.” Maki said thoughtfully, somewhat saddened at the thought of her own timeline.    
  
“Spoilers.” Maki muttered under her breath.    
  
“Of course I never really went to her. I was really fucked in the head though. I’m pretty sure I have OCD and high anxiety.”   
  
Maki wasn’t sure what to say to that so she merely gave a slight nod. “I’ve spoken to Nozomi before. I think Honoka being here has helped me change for the better. Being with Kotori has too of course but...from everything she’s told me about her version of me...I don’t want to become like that. And she doesn’t want me to either.”   
  
Future Maki let out a heavy sigh. “Yeah, I get it. She’s pissed at me. I figured last night wouldn’t change that.”   
  
“She’s not the only one who’s pissed at you.” Maki turned around to face her future self. “Everyone in this timeline cares about her. A lot. She’s our Honoka now.”   
  
“Just what the hell did I do exactly?! She came into my office. I was just trying to be friendly! And I told her we couldn’t do anything unless she broke up with Honoka. Did you know when I was screwing around with Nico I was thinking about Kotori? I was seriously fucked up. I know I am, damn it. No need to remind me.”   
  
“You are.” Maki agreed quietly.    
  
“Well so are you. At least I haven’t started smoking at your age. I did it when I was older.”   
  
“At least I don’t steal people’s girlfriends.” Maki narrowed her eyes.    
  
“Alright, you two. Break it up.” A voice called from the stairs, startling the two. They glanced over, finding Future Nico slowly approaching them. “There’s no sense in fighting between ourselves. What are you doing?”   
  
Maki quickly locked her computer. “Nothing. My future self was just explaining the future, that’s all. I figured if I had a better idea of it I could change it…?”   
  
“You’re terrible at lying.” Future Nico said with a scoff of disbelief. “Whatever, I won’t ask. Just quit fighting, it’s pointless. We’re just trying to get back to our own time.”   
  
“Whatever. Get out of my...basement, both of you.” Maki said, eager to go back to what she was meant to be doing. “I have work to do.”   
  
Future Maki opened her mouth to protest but she was stopped by Nico grabbing her arm, tugging her toward the basement stairs.    
  
“Just leave it, Maki.” Nico mumbled, just loud enough for future Maki to hear.    
  
Future Maki sighed but did as she was told, letting Nico lead her from the basement. She took a few steps into the kitchen before she felt arms go around her waist. She gasped softly, turning her head slightly just in time to catch a glimpse of ashen hair. “Kotori.”   
  
Future Kotori lightly nuzzled Maki’s neck, her eyes closed. “Sorry, I know I shouldn’t have been eavesdropping. I just wanted to see you.”   
  
“H-How long have you been following me?” Maki asked, her stomach plummeting at the thought that Kotori might have heard what was wrong with Honoka.    
  
“I just before Nico-chan came down. So a few minutes.” Kotori answered, resting her chin on Maki’s shoulder. “Why?”   
  
Future Maki breathed a sigh of relief at that. “No reason.”   
  
“I’m just going to...go.” Future Nico said awkwardly before she quickly left the kitchen.    
  
“So my past self hates me too.” Maki said with a sigh, turning in Kotori’s embrace. “Past Muse really care about...Honoka, you know.”   
  
“Yeah, I know.” Kotori curled her arms around Maki’s neck. “It’s okay, Maki-chan. They just don’t understand.””   
  
“Yeah.” Maki mumbled, remembering her past self’s earlier comments. “I don’t know if this Honoka’s ever going to warm up to me though.”   
  
“That’s okay. Our Honoka is warm enough to you. And we’re definitely going to get back.” Kotori pressed a gentle, reassuring kiss to Maki’s lips. “It’s going to be okay. We knew this would happen when we decided to get together, remember? We knew some people might not agree with it. We’ve prepared for this.”   
  
“Yeah. You’re right.” Maki mumbled. She managed a small smile as she looked up at Kotori. “Let’s take a walk together, okay?”   
  
Kotori raised an eyebrow. “I don’t think going out is a good idea.”   
  
“Are you okay to use your ability?” Maki asked hopefully. “It’s only for a few minutes, I just need to get away from this house for a while.”   
  
“Yeah. Yeah, okay. Come on.” Kotori reached down and gripped Maki’s hand tightly, using her ability to turn them invisible before she led the way to the door.    
  
\-----   
  
There was a simultaneous flash of white and orange lightning as two women appeared in the middle of the Minami household’s kitchen.    
  
A young woman with white hair held up in a ponytail looked around the kitchen. “Are you sure it’s a good idea for us to come here?”   
  
“No.” The other woman, her face partially covered by the domino mask she was wearing answered warily. “But it’s better than leaving them to their own devices. There’s too much at stake.”   
  
The white haired woman nodded in response and looked up, catching the sound of talking from one of the bedrooms upstairs.    
  
“You remember the rules, don’t you, Isla?” The masked woman asked pointedly.    
  
Isla gave a soft sigh in response. “Don’t go near Chika because you don’t know what could happen with my ability, don’t tell anyone anything about the future and don’t sleep with any Honokas.”   
  
“And the Yuki thing.” The woman reminded pointedly. “She’s not your Yuki, she’s just a child in this timeline which means…”   
  
“She’s highly impressionable and I shouldn’t go near her. Got it.” Isla responded with a firm nod of her head. “What about my mom and dad?”   
  
The woman grimaced. “Maybe...there need to be ground rules. You can talk to Hanayo but don’t tell her anything about the future. Your dad is fine too. Just remember that no matter what happens you can’t do anything to bring them back. As much as I’d like to…”   
  
“Rin-senpai…”   
  
“I’m fine. Don’t worry about me. You know the number one rule. Don’t change  _ anything _ about the past. And keep our identities a secret.” Rin said strictly, shaking her head. “Anything can…” She paused as Isla used her ability to rush around the kitchen. “Isla, what the…?”   
  
She turned, finding her apprentice leaning against the counter, half a sandwich in hand. “ _ Isla!” _ _   
_ _   
_ _ “ _ What? I’m hungry!” Isla exclaimed through a mouthful of food. “You know what using my speed does to me.”   
  
Rin sighed heavily and shook her head. It was so hard to focus sometimes with the young girl around. “Look let’s ju-”   
  
“Hey, Rin. Why are you wearing that in the house?” Nozomi asked casually as she walked into the kitchen. She had been browsing through the notes she had on her phone about Chika so she didn’t notice Rin or Isla.    
  
Rin groaned. So much for keeping her identity a secret. “Can you deal with this, Isla?” She sped off before Isla and Nozomi could respond.    
  
“Isla…?” Nozomi looked up in confusion, noticing Isla for the first time. She dropped her phone in shock. “Who are you?”   
  
“Isla. Hey.” Isla held her hand up in a wave.    
  
“You’re…” Nozomi frowned, noticing the girl wasn’t attacking. “You’re...why are you here?”   
  
“Um…” Isla paused, chewing thoughtfully before swallowing. She didn’t know how much Rin wanted her to say. “You could say I work for...a time agency. Not that I’m employed by them, I’m more like...a voluntary prisoner.”   
  
“Huh?!”   
  
Isla opened her mouth to explain further but she was cut off as Future Rin dashed into the kitchen, coming to a stop. Isla’s eyes widened when she noticed the woman with Rin. She had black hair and bright blue eyes. “Oracle?! Seriously? Why did you bring her?”   
  
“Because we need her.” Rin answered simply. She turned toward the woman she’d brought along. “Oracle…”   
  
“You know you can call me by my name, hot shot. We are married, you know.”   
  
“I know but it’s embarrassing in front of the kid.” Rin muttered, lowering her voice.    
  
Isla sighed. “Hi, aunt Hibiki. How’s...home?”   
  
“WAIT! AUNT?!” Nozomi exclaimed loudly, holding up her hands to interrupt them. She had known that Honoka would say more timelines would seep through but this was getting ridiculous.    
  
Past Hibiki ran into the room, a canvas in her hands. “Oh no.” She muttered, looking between the four women and the picture she had painted. “Nico’s going to be really confused. Or she’s going to kill Raven-san…”   
  
Isla’s eyes lit up at the comment.    
  
“Why?” Nozomi gawked at Hibiki. The past version of Hibiki pointed to Isla and Nozomi put two and two together. “Oh for the love of the gods…SHE GOT PREGNANT?! I thought her and Nicocchi were in a relationship!”   
  
Isla grimaced. “Please don’t talk about how I was conceived. I don’t need to hear that. Senpai…” She turned to Rin who was still wearing her mask. “Don’t you think bringing Aunt Hibiki along was a bit too obvious if you’re trying to hide your identity?”   
  
“Crap. Whatever, Nozomi already knew.”   
  
“Wait, wait!” Nozomi held up her hand. “Nobody answered me. Is Nicocchi still alive in your timeline?”   
  
“She’s actually our leader.” Rin answered with a sigh, tugging off her mask. “She never got with Hanayo. Honestly this timeline is so weird for those two and I’ve seen a LOT of timelines…”   
  
“And? How do they usually end?”   
  
“With Nico-chan alone. Always alone.”   
  
Nozomi frowned. “Well I’m glad she has Hanayo now.”   
  
Isla narrowed her eyes. “I’m going to try not to take offence to that.”   
  
“Sorry.” Nozomi said sheepishly. “Nicocchi is my best friend. It’s my duty to think of her happiness...say, if your parents are Hanayo-chan and Raven-kun why is your hair…?”   
  
“White? Right, this is Yuki-chan’s fault.”   
  
Before Nozomi could say anything Future Hibiki spoke up. “You still can’t control your trances right, little me?”   
  
Hibiki looked to her future self, her eyes wide. “Y-You can control it? For real?!”   
  
“Yes.”   
  
Hibiki bolted over to the dark haired version of herself. “TEACH ME!”   
  
Nozomi raised an eyebrow. She wasn’t sure she’d ever seen Hibiki so excited about anything besides Rin.    
  
Hibiki looked to Isla, noticing she looked a little sullen. “You missing Natsuki already?”   
  
“Hibiki.” Rin murmured, touching Hibiki’s arm. She grimly shook her head when Hibiki glanced at her.    
  
“I always miss Nat-chan.” Isla finally said, glancing at Hibiki. “How is she? Has she gotten stronger?”   
  
“Well she can use her telekinesis now without raising a hand.” Hibiki explained, noticing Isla looked a little upset. 

 

“Natsuki is a cute name.” Kotori murmured thoughtfully.    
  
Maki looked at Kotori in confusion. “What are you thinking about?”   
  
“Nothing.”   
  
“Wait!” Nozomi turned to face Kotori and Maki. “When did you two get here?!”   
  
“We were on our way to the basement.” Kotori explained with a shrug of her shoulders. “You’re all standing in the middle of the kitchen. So who is this Nat-chan. Actually who are you?”   
  
“Actually her name is Nish-”   
  
“ISLA!” Rin interrupted loudly. She groaned when Isla fell silent. “Enough about our future timeline. You remember the rules, don’t you?”   
  
“Your identity is a secret, don’t have sex with any Honokas, avoid Chika-sa-”   
  
“Okay, stop!” Rin covered Isla’s mouth with her hand, her head beginning to pound. “New rule. Don’t talk to Maki. Or she’ll start to pry your thoughts open. Block her out or something.”   
  
Isla nodded silently and Rin drew her hand away.    
  
Kotori noticed Maki pout. “Is she blocking you?”   
  
“Yeah.” Maki huffed, crossing her arms in front of her chest. “I bet my future self manages to get through when she comes down here though.”   
  
“Your future self is already here?!” Rin exclaimed loudly.    
  
Nozomi raised an eyebrow. “See what I mean about this being ridiculous?”   
  
“That brings me to why I’m here!” Rin announced, deciding to take the opportunity. “We have to fix this mess you’ve all made.”   
  
“It was actually your past self.” Nozomi pointed out.    
  
“That’s not surprising.” Rin muttered, rolling her eyes.    
  
“Also what do you mean by that rule about no sex with Honoka-chan?” Nozomi asked suddenly, looking rather outraged. “Honoka is committed to Elichi and Umi-chan. And ME!”   
  
“Everyone ends up with a thing for Honoka. And usually they screw up by sleeping with her.” Rin said, waving Nozomi off. “Anywa-”   
  
“That’s definitely not true!”   
  
Rin huffed out a sigh. “Who has Honoka slept with so far in your timeline? Both of them, I mean? Eli? Umi? You? And BOTH of them slept with Eli! Not to mention the future Honoka  _ wanted _ Kotori.”   
  
“Two different Honokas! Present Honoka is the original and she can do what she wants. Future Honoka only slept with me and Eli. But Eli wasn’t a thing in the end…”   
  
“Eli is always a thing.” Rin interrupted with a shake of her head. “No matter what timeline it is.”   
  
Nozomi growled under her breath. “The point is nobody is sleeping with Honoka besides their damn girlfriends!”   
  
Isla sheepishly raised her hand. “Does it make a difference if I say I don’t want to sleep with Honoka?”   
  
“NO!”   
  
“Alright then…”    
  
“Future Umi is here too.” Rin said as if she’d just remembered that. “I suppose we’re lucky her Eli isn’t here, that would be a giant mess…”   
  
“My Honoka isn’t going to sleep with ANYONE else.” Nozomi said firmly. Honoka had told her she’d made her decision and Nozomi believed her.    
  
“Arguing with you isn’t what I’m here for, Nozomi.” Rin finally said, shaking her head. “I’m just here to set things right with the timelines. Isla, come on.”   
  
“What?! But I wanna see my mom and dad!”   
  
“Not now, Isla!”

  
\-----   
  
Finding herself with very little to do and growing frustrated with the situation Future Maki made her way to the training room upstairs, having heard from Future Honoka that she liked to take out her frustrations there.    
  
She pushed open the door only to pause when she saw Past Kotori half heartedly hitting the punching bag in the middle of the room. She was wearing a tank top and a pair of track pants so Maki could clearly see the scars scattered over her arms and shoulders.    
  
She pressed a hand to her mouth in surprise. She had been warned but she didn’t think it would be as bad as it was. She watched in worry as Kotori stumbled. She put her hands out to catch herself but her arms seemed to collapse under her and she hit the ground with a soft grunt.    
  
Maki hurried over, letting the door swing shut behind her. She reached down and gently gripped Kotori’s arms only for her to flinch away.    
  
“It’s just me.” She soothed gently, reaching for Kotori again. She was able to help her up from the floor this time. “What happened?”   
  
“Just lost my balance.” Kotori said breathlessly, her arms hanging limply at her sides.    
  
“Right.” Maki said hesitantly. She tried not to look at the scars she could see but she couldn’t drag her eyes away from them.    
  
“What?” Kotori asked warily, taking a step back. “You’re staring at me.”   
  
“S-Sorry.” Maki blushed and briefly looked away. When she looked back to Kotori she was able to meet her eyes. “I’m sorry. Just...you look different to my Kotori, that’s all.”   
  
“I’m guessing you don’t mean my figure or my hair.” Kotori muttered, glancing down at herself. She knew exactly what Maki meant.    
  
“Kotori.” Maki stepped forward, her expression pained. “What the hell did they do to you?”   
  
Kotori hesitated at the question. She knew it was only Maki but this Maki was so much more mature looking than her Maki. “Um...Sonoda had me tortured. They hung me up from my arms and cut and hit me.”   
  
“Your arms.” Maki echoed softly, looking at Kotori’s arms. She reached out, gently running her fingertips over one of the scars. “What’s wrong with them?”   
  
“You noticed that?” Kotori asked in surprise. She was met with a skeptical look from Maki and blushed sheepishly. “Right. Rei-san healed me when I got back from the facility but she couldn’t heal everything. So my arms are weakened now…”   
  
“Nico hasn’t healed them for you?” Maki asked in surprise.    
  
“Um...I haven’t told her about it. She thinks the only thing I have from the facility is the scars. And she offered to heal them for me by giving me her blood but I said no. I don’t want to rely on other people.” Kotori admitted quietly, glancing away. “I’m the weakest of the group, everyone knows that. I don’t want to be a liability anymore. I want to be strong like Eli-chan and Umi-chan.”   
  
“Kotori…” Maki stepped forward, gently drawing the younger version of her girlfriend closer to her in a loose embrace. “You’re not weak, you’re the strongest person I know. What you went through with Sonoda is proof of that. You got through it and that’s all that matters. Needing help doesn’t make you weak. You’re stronger because you have friends who want to help you. If you ask Honoka she’ll tell you she’s not strong because of her abilities.”   
  
“She’ll say it’s Nozomi.” Kotori joked despite her voice being thick with emotion. “She’s such a sap now.”   
  
Maki laughed, feeling Kotori carefully hug her back. “Will you think about talking to Nico? Please?”   
  
Kotori nodded against Maki’s chest in response.    
  
“Good. I…” Maki paused as the door across the room opened. She looked up just in time to see her past self walk in.    
  
Maki froze at the sight of the two, her eyes widening in surprise. She had been looking for Future Honoka, she hadn’t been expecting to find Kotori there. “I thought I told you to keep your hands off of my girlfriend?” She commented dryly.    
  
“It’s nothing, don’t worry, Maki-chan.” Kotori drew away from Future Maki, trying to subtly brush away the few tears that lingered to her cheeks.    
  
Maki noticed immediately. “What the hell did you say to her?”   
  
“She didn’t say anything to me, she was just being nice.” Kotori said, making her way over to Maki. She was grateful for the way Maki immediately took her hand and drew her close. It made her feel safe. Protected. “I stumbled, that’s all. Don’t worry.”   
  
“Okay.” Maki breathed a sigh of relief and glanced over at her future self. She understood how Honoka felt with Future Honoka now, she supposed. She couldn’t help but feel inferior to the clearly more experienced doctor. It was obvious that her future self knew it too from the way she seemed to look down upon her.    
  
Future Maki raised an eyebrow as her past self curled a possessive arm around Kotori. “You sure get jealous easily, huh?”   
  
Maki glared at her future self in annoyance. “I am not. But don’t you think you should be with your own Kotori?”   
  
Future Maki ran her fingers through her hair, tossling it slightly. “She’s busy right now. I was just coming in here to train because I don’t have anything else to do. I like to stay busy.”   
  
“It sounds like you overwork yourself more than Maki-chan.” Kotori said, her brow furrowed slightly.    
  
Maki frowned at Kotori, puzzled by the comment while her future self merely laughed it off.    
  
“You’re not wrong. Usually I’m tending to a lot of patients. It’s unnerving to not have someone to examine. So what’s this about a kid’s mind you can’t open up, little me?”   
  
“Ugh, get out of my head.” Maki focused on pushing her future self out of her mind.    
  
Future Maki smirked. “Careful, you’ll give yourself a headache. So what’s the problem?”   
  
“Future Rin came with another girl. They’re keeping secrets and Maki-chan can’t get into their heads to see what’s going on.” Kotori explained without hesitation. “They said they came back to fix the timelines. They both seem to be speedsters.”   
  
“Kotori!” Maki exclaimed, her eyes widening at Kotori’s blunt honesty. “We said we’d keep that a secret.”   
  
Kotori blinked at Maki in confusion. “But she’s Maki-chan.”   
  
Maki sighed, rubbing her temples. It still put her on edge that her future self was even there, let alone getting along so well with  _ her _ Kotori.    
  
Future Maki stared at the two contemplatively. “Should have known another timeline was going to seep through into this one. I’ll be right back, I need to use your computer. By the way, little me, do you still have the drives I gave you?”   
  
“Y-Yeah…”    
  
“There’s a hidden file in Honoka’s drive. I’ll have to check that out if you want me to deal with this new Rin. Don’t come downstairs.”   
  
Maki rolled her eyes. “Fine. I need to use the basement soon though so you’ll have to be fast.”   
  
“I’ll let you know when I’m done.” Future Maki said as she walked toward the door. She paused next to it, glancing back at Kotori. “Think about what I said, Kotori.”   
  
Kotori nodded hesitantly and Future Maki left without another word. She walked down the stairs and through the kitchen to get to the basement. She quickly made a beeline for the computer.    
  
“You can come out now.” She called into the seemingly empty room. “I know I’m not your Maki but she has the same file, doesn’t she?”   
  
Future Rin stepped out from the shadows. “Hers is a lot bulkier but I’m guessing you have a lot of information about dynamics and power.”   
  
Maki looked up. “In a way. Who’s the kid?”   
  
“Classified.”   
  
Maki narrowed her eyes as she sat down on the seat in front of the computer. “I’m stronger than her, I know how to unblock people. You should come clean or...I could do a nerve link.”   
  
Future Rin scoffed in disbelief. “What makes you think you’re stronger than my Maki-chan? She has more experience than you. I admit a nerve link would work though. If you wanted you could get the information out of me. If you’re an idiot, that is.”   
  
“What?”   
  
“Do you want to screw the timelines up even more?” Rin asked expectantly. “You know this is already a big enough mess. But hey, if you want to do it, go ahead.”   
  
“We’ll leave the kid alone then. The least you could tell me is some information about the language from the speed force. We were just beginning to unlock it but I’m still trying to understand the whole language. With you here I think we could get it done faster.”   
  
“No.” Rin said simply, crossing her arms in front of her chest. “I’m a guardian of the speed force. I protect it and the timelines it’s connected to, I’m not going to give you or anyone else the key to it.”   
  
Maki let out a sigh. Even her Rin wasn’t so serious in the future. “If we don’t work together we’ll never fully understands what it wants. Don’t make this difficult, Rin.”   
  
“You aren’t doing a very good job at protecting the timelines. You should have stopped Honoka from coming to the past in the first place.” Maki drawled before she scrolled down through Honoka’s data. She clicked on the file hidden between some blood results and Honoka’s power structure, labelled with a lightning bolt. She clicked on it, opening it up. “This is information Rin kept from everyone except for me. She wanted to see if the speed force had a deeper tunnel so she could save Hibiki. Now I’m assuming that’s more to do with time and maybe a connection to Honoka’s tunnel. Rin thinks they connect the speed force and the space time continuum.”   
  
Future Rin stayed silent even as she moved closer to Maki to look over her shoulder. “I can’t give you any answers, Maki.”   
  
Maki gritted her teeth. “Instead of me why don’t you do it for my Rin? She’s been trying to find the connection for a while.”   
  
“I can’t have an impact on the timelines I’m watching over.” Rin answered simply, still looking over the folders. “We’re not meant to read the language of the speed force.”   
  
Maki looked deflated. “So you can’t.”   
  
“I can. I’ve been in there long enough.” Rin replied, shaking her head. “The issue is that I won’t. I can’t have your Rin running around in there. No other Rins actually.”   
  
“She’s not as reckless as this Rin! She just wants to understand Honoka. Honoka is her mentor after all…”   
  
“No.”   
  
Maki growled under her breath and stood up, turning around to face Rin with an annoyed look on her face. “I didn’t want to do it like this, Rin.”   
  
Violet eyes turned icy blue and Rin’s hands shot to her head. Her own eyes turned the same icy blue as Maki’s as she felt strange snaps and jolts throughout her body. She tried to resist it but her Maki hadn’t told her how to stop this yet. She went suddenly limp and watched as Maki stepped forward.    
  
Maki’s eyes widened as she examined Rin closely. “What the hell happened to you in your timeline?”   
  
Rin could only stare at Maki as the redhead’s memories washed over her. Memories of kissing Kotori when Kotori was still with Honoka, of knowing Umi was a double agent and of Maki struggling to protect the rest of Muse. Maki smoking. Creating Honoka and RIn’s files. All the while she was conscious of Maki looking through her own memories.    
  
“Break the damn link!” Rin finally managed to growl out.    
  
Maki slowly allowed the link to break and Rin managed to straighten up, her eyes locking with Maki, both pairs still icy blue.    
  
“So you are an idiot.” Rin said angrily, her breathing shallow. “Why the hell did you do that, knowing it goes both ways? Do you know how much I saw?!”   
  
Maki looked away. “It’s because I trusted you. You may not be my Rin but you’re still Rin. I’m sorry you had to see Oracle die in my care. I couldn’t save her.”   
  
Rin gritted her teeth and turned away from Maki, needing a moment to compose herself. “How much did you see?”   
  
“Enough.” Maki answered simply. “Enough to know why you’re here. I won’t say a word to them. Do you really think they’ll just let you take her though?”   
  
Rin let out a sigh. “They won’t have a choice.”   
  
“There’s always a choice.” Maki frowned. “I don’t understand why you would do this. I told you, she’s your mentor in the…”   
  
“She was MY mentor too!” Rin burst out, turning around to face Maki. “This is my duty. My…”   
  
“Punishment.” Maki finished for Rin. She turned away from Rin and walked back to the computer, sitting down in front of it.    
  
“What are you doing?”   
  
“I’m going to find a loophole so you, the kid and Honoka aren’t stuck in that damn speedforce.”   
  
“Don’t cross me, Maki-chan.” Rin said firmly. “You’ll only get hurt if you get in my way.”   
  
“I’m not crossing you. I’m just doing what I usually do. Thinking. And Rin? I’m not afraid of you. My past self is but I’m not. So don’t think you can threaten me.”   
  
“If you try to keep me from Honoka, I won’t be just threatening you anymore.” Rin promised, glaring at Maki once more before she sped off in a streak of orange.    
  
Maki sighed to herself as she closed her eyes to shuffle through the new memories in her head. Rin was only going to cause harm, on this path she was on.    
  
\----   
  
Isla was standing around the corner, watching in confusion as Hanayo tried to explain the rice cooker to Raven while present Rin stood nearby, laughing at the two of them.    
  
Isla opened her mouth to say something. She wasn’t sure what but she was interrupted by the basement door opening. Nico stepped out and she watched as the dark haired girl passed Raven who lightly touched a hand to her head.    
  
Nico glanced at Raven in confusion only for Hanayo to wrap her arms around her from behind. She gasped in surprise, her cheeks flushing. “Damn. You activated my senses. A little warning would have been nice.”   
  
“Your girlfriend requested it earlier.” Raven said with an innocent smile.    
  
Rin laughed louder as Nico leaned into Hanayo. “You look like a cat, Nico-chan. All curled up to Kayo-chin.”   
  
Nico glared at Rin. “Shut up.”   
  
Isla frowned, gripping the edge of the door. She had known this timeline would be different but she hadn’t expected to see any interactions like that. She watched as her mother held Nico close to her while her father watched them with a gentle smile.    
  
“Sorry, Nico. But as wingman I gotta do what the lady asks.” Raven said with a shrug of his shoulders. “Even if it does cause you to be hypersensitive.”   
  
Nico shuddered as her skin heated up further from the other girl’s touch. “Ugh, I hate you.”   
  
“But what was that you said about liking my touch, Nico-chan?” Hanayo asked with a pout.    
  
Rin’s eyes widened in excitement. “Oooh, this I have to hear! Nico-chan is a bottom like Hibiki?”   
  
“Hey, watch it.” Hibiki lightly hit Rin on the head and Isla flinched. She had been so busy staring at her parents that she hadn’t even noticed Hibiki emerge from the basement. She shook her head, trying to focus.    
  
“I’m just saying.” Rin mumbled, lightly rubbing her head.    
  
“Well don’t.” Nico countered, narrowing her eyes at Rin. “I’m not a bottom. Most of the time.”   
  
“Liar.” Hanayo whispered in Nico’s ear, causing Isla to cringe. Thanks to her ability to emphasize her senses she had heard that loud and clear.    
  
“Hanayo.” Nico muttered back in response, tilting her head back against Hanayo’s shoulder to look up at her.    
  
Hanayo kissed Nico’s neck in response, drawing a soft moan from her. “Thank you, Raven-kun.”   
  
“I hate you, I hate you, I hate you.” Nico muttered through gritted teeth.    
  
“That means you love her.” Raven smirked.    
  
Nico glared back at him. “Fuck you both.”   
  
“I’m going to take her upstairs.” Hanayo said, giving Nico a light squeeze. “Raven-kun, outside like last time. Please?”   
  
Raven grimaced. “Ugh. Fine.”   
  
Isla cringed at the mental images conjured up in her head. “Gross, gross, gross.” She muttered under her breath. Even Rin seemed a little bit disturbed. She watched as the three headed toward her and her eyes widened in surprise. This was her chance.    
  
She was just about to step forward when she felt a shift next to her. She glanced over in time to see a portal open and a familiar redhead step out. “Nats-”   
  
“Shh!” The redhead grabbed Isla’s hand and tugged her away from the doorway and down the hall. They slipped into the living room and Isla vaguely heard the voices of Nico, Hanayo and Raven as they set off upstairs.    
  
Isla couldn’t focus enough to hear what they were saying, even with her enhanced hearing. She stared at the girl in front of her in shock. Sparkling golden brown eyes peered back at her, a smile tugging at the girls lips. “Nat-chan. What...what are you doing here?”   
  
“My mom sent me to make sure neither of you speedsters did anything stupid. I…” Natsuki trailed off as Isla threw her arms around her suddenly. “Whoa. What’s wrong with you? I only saw you a couple of days ago.”   
  
Isla shook her head, hugging her girlfriend tightly. “I missed you so much.”   
  
“Well...I missed you too.” Natsuki said hesitantly, hugging Isla back. She drew back after a moment, still holding onto Isla’s arms so she could look at her. “When are you coming home anyway? Two days is way too long to be hiding in some speed force. I know we haven’t dealt with the Tsubasa situation and Chika-san is still not doing so great but we all want you back. We miss you.”   
  
“I miss everyone too.” Isla said, blinking away moisture that sprang to her eyes. “Especially you.”   
  
Natsuki grinned at the comment though she was still unsure as to why Isla seemed so happy to see her. She adjusted her glasses, pushing them further up her nose. “Maybe you could come back with me when you’re done with...whatever it is you’re doing here.”   
  
Isla frowned at that. “I wish I could. But Rin-senpai won’t like it. I have to keep my abilities...Chika-san’s abilities hidden.” She noticed Natsuki’s smile dim slightly and grabbed her hand, squeezing it. “Don’t worry, I’ll be coming home. I just don’t know when.”   
  
“That’s not exactly reassuring.” Natsuki mumbled, her brow furrowing slightly. She was quick to shake it off though. “At least we’re together for a while now, right?”   
  
“Right.” Isla said with a small smile. She leaned in and pressed a kiss, barely more than a peck to Natsuki’s lips. She rested her forehead against Natsuki’s after, a content sigh passing her lips. She felt like she’d been waiting months to do that. “I really miss you, Nat-chan.”   
  
Natsuki kissed Isla once more before she tugged her toward the kitchen where Hibiki and Rin were still talking quietly. Her eyes went to the fridge and with a flick of her wrist she opened it, a bottle of water flying into her hand a moment.    
  
“Whoa!” Hibiki flinched while Rin jumped to her feet. “How did you get in here?!”   
  
“Wormhole.” Natsuki answered simply as Isla trailed into the kitchen.    
  
“Oh, she’s the one you were telling me about.” Rin said, relaxing just a little as she glanced at Hibiki. “The one who came with future me?”   
  
Hibiki nodded silently though she was still rather confused about that. The timelines were a real mess.    
  
“Who are you two anyway?” Rin asked, her brow furrowed in confusion.    
  
“Classified.” Natsuki answered automatically while Isla gave a soft huff. “I’m just here to watch the other two.”   
  
Rin rolled her eyes. “Will you give us a name at least?”   
  
“Uh…” Natsuki pondered that for a moment, taking a sip from the bottle of water in her hand before she answered. “You can just call me Ex.”   
  
Isla smirked. “You really do read too many comics.”   
  
“Shut up. I’m older than you.”   
  
“Only by 2 years!” Isla exclaimed quickly. “Nerd.”   
  
“I am not.” Natsuki responded, crossing her arms in front of her chest.    
  
“I already mentioned your name earlier so you can tell them.” Isla said, earning herself a wide eyed look from Natsuki.    
  
“You know, your voice is really familiar…’Ex’.” Rin mentioned thoughtfully. “A little more pitchy but still familiar.”   
  
“Ehh?!” Natsuki turned to Rin in shock.    
  
“Makes you think of a bird.” Isla chimed in with a smirk.    
  
Natsuki glared at Isla. “Don’t…”   
  
“Red Robin!”   
  
“Ugh, I told you not to call me that!”   
  
“Oh, I like that name better!” Rin exclaimed brightly.    
  
“YOU don’t get to have an opinion.” Natsuki said seriously, glancing over at the grinning speedster. If she was honest she was still annoyed at her Rin for dragging Isla off with her. “You’re the one who caused all of this mayhem so you should  _ not  _ annoy me right now!”   
  
“Huh?” Rin frowned at Natsuki. “Wait, how do you know about tha-?”   
  
“I just heard it from Isla.” Natsuki lied, figuring it best to keep her other ability a secret. “I know you screwed up the timelines and caused this entire mess. If it weren’t for you, Isla wouldn’t even be here.”   
  
“I’d still be with Rin-senpai though.” Isla reminded Natsuki in a whisper.    
  
Natsuki gritted her teeth. “I hate that you’re imprisoned in that damn place.”   
  
Rin glanced between them with curiosity. She wanted to ask what they meant by that but she figured Natsuki would just tell her it was classified again. “You remind me a little bit of Maki-chan.”   
  
Natsuki looked toward Rin sharply. “What?!”   
  
Rin shrugged her shoulders. “I just mean you look like her, a little. And you act like her. You should have seen Maki-chan when Kotori-chan was kidnapped, she was always lashing out.”   
  
Natsuki stepped back and took a deep breath. “You must be seeing things. Because I don’t even know who this Maki is.”   
  
Hibiki narrowed her eyes suspiciously. “I thought you knew all the Muse members. You are with them in the future, right? I mean...Rin is there. And she mentioned Hanayo. What about the others?”   
  
“Confidental.”   
  
Hibiki let out a heavy sigh though she wasn’t surprised by the response.    
  
“Look…” Natsuki decided to give them some information but not much. “I’m an agent. Not a rebel. My name’s Natsuki. Where we work is a confidential agency. That was created by the ability users who survived the no mans land years. That’s all you’re getting from me.”   
  
“You didn’t really tell us anything.” Rin muttered, frowning. “None of that means anything to us.”   
  
“Different timeline, Hoshizora. Or should I call you Bolt?”   
  
“You can call me Rin.” Rin replied quietly, still trying to figure out what Natsuki was talking about. It didn’t surprise her that she couldn’t work it out.    
  
Natsuki’s eye twitched beneath her glasses as she picked up on something through her telepathy. A moment later Leah ran into the room and Natsuki threw out her arm, using her telekinesis to lift Leah into the air.    
  
Leah yelled in alarm as she was lifted from the floor. “What the hell?!”   
  
“Put her down!” Rin exclaimed, her eyes widening as Leah flailed helplessly in the air. “She’s not a threat, she’s just from another group!”   
  
Natsuki hesitated for a moment before she carefully lowered Leah back to the floor.    
  
Isla lightly gripped Natsuki’s hand. “You seem jumpy.”   
  
“I’m fine.” Natsuki said even as she gripped Isla’s hand back.    
  
Isla frowned at her girlfriend, worried by how jumpy she seemed. Usually Natsuki was nothing but relaxed.    
  
“Leah, I told you not to run!” Future Kotori groaned as she entered the room. She paused at seeing the other two there with Rin and Hibiki. Everyone had been briefed on the arrival of Future Rin and her younger companion but Kotori wasn’t sure who the other girl was.    
  
Natsuki’s eyes widened at the sight of her mother. Her mother’s future self at least. Tears laced her eyes suddenly and she opened and closed her mouth. Kotori had been killed alongside Raven and Hanayo. “M…”   
  
“Nat-chan.” Isla interrupted in a whisper, noticing Natsuki’s state. “It’s okay.”   
  
“You didn’t tell me someone would throw me into the air if I did.” Leah grumbled, brushing herself off.    
  
“Uh-huh.” Kotori muttered, her eyes still fixated on the mysterious redhead.    
  
“Nat-chan.” Isla moved in front of Natsuki to get her attention. “I know, okay? I know how you feel. I felt that when I saw my parents too but you need to stay calm. Take a breath.”   
  
Future Kotori walked over to the two of them, drawn to the redhead for some reason. “Are you okay?” She looked closely to see golden brown eyes under stylish glasses. “Who are you?”   
  
“C-Classified.” Natsuki managed to choke out before she bolted from the kitchen with Isla hot on her heels.    
  
“That Natsuki is pretty weird.” Rin finally said after a moment.    
  
Kotori blinked at the comment. “Natsuki...that’s her name?” Her eyes widened in realization. She’d always thought that was a cute name for a kid. Her heart leapt to her throat and she bolted from the room after Natsuki and Isla, finding Isla comforting the former on the couch.    
  
“Natsuki.” Kotori said, drawing to a stop. “Your name is...Nishikino Natsuki?”   
  
“W-What?!”   
  
“It’s okay.” Isla soothed, seeing panic cross her girlfriend’s face. She felt worried herself, that Kotori had figured out the truth but she didn’t admit that. “Take a deep breath, Nat-chan.”   
  
Kotori moved closer to the two, sitting down on the table. Golden brown eyes locked once more with her own and she realized with a start that the eyes matched her own. “You’re mine, aren’t you? You’re...my daughter.”   
  
Natsuki pressed her hand to her mouth and nodded, her eyes clouded with tears.    
  
Kotori looked the girl over, her heart in her throat. “Y-You look like Maki-chan.” She slowly reached out but stopped just short of touching Natsuki. “Is...is this okay?”   
  
“Don’t worry, it’s not going to cause a paradox or anything…” Natsuki sniffled tearfully.    
  
“That’s not what I meant, I just...” Kotori paused as Natsuki seized her hand suddenly. She reached up with her other hand and gently took off Natsuki’s glasses. It was true that the girl had a striking resemblance to Maki but she had Kotori’s eyes and nose. “Wow…”   
  
“Mama…” Natsuki whimpered and flew forward into Kotori’s arms, almost catching her by surprise. Gasping softly, Kotori hugged her future daughter back, her own chest tight with emotion as she stroked the girl’s hair. Glancing at the girl with white hair, she noticed her watching with a small, wistful smile.    
  
“How old are you?” Kotori spoke, making no effort to pull away from the embrace.   
  
“Eighteen.” Natsuki answered.    
  
“Favourite food?”   
  
“Sweets.”   
  
Kotori grimaced. So the girl had her sweet tooth.   
  
“It’s true.” Isla confirmed. “She’s usually sucking on a lollipop.”   
  
“Can you cook?”   
  
Natsuki nodded her head. “I’m the only one who cooks between me and my mom.”   
  
“Huh? What about me? What do I…?” Kotori trailed off as Natsuki tensed and Isla looked away. “Oh…”   
  
“I-It’s a different timeline!” Natsuki exclaimed quickly, pulling back. “It doesn’t mean anything will happen to you.”   
  
“Will you be there?” Kotori asked uncertainly, her heart plummeting in her chest.    
  
Natsuki nodded. “I’m there in every timeline.”   
  
“Showoff.” Isla muttered.    
  
Natsuki glanced at her girlfriend. “Hey, we can’t help that you’re an anomaly.”   
  
Isla rolled her eyes and stood from the couch. She placed her hand gently on Natsuki’s shoulder. “Spend some time with your mom. I’m going back to Rin-senpai.”   
  
Natsuki nodded in response and watched as Isla used her speed to run from the room.    
  
“So who is she?” Kotori asked, raising an eyebrow. “Best friend? Girlfriend?”   
  
“Girlfriend.” Natsuki clarified with a small smile. “I probably shouldn’t tell you too much though.”   
  
Kotori nodded approvingly. “I see you have my taste.”   
  
“You mean Isla?” Natsuki couldn’t help but give a soft laugh. “I think it’s a mixture. She does have light hair. She didn’t always though. Her hair is naturally dark. But Yuki...ah, I shouldn’t tell you that. Forget it.”   
  
“Oh, come on.” Kotori prodded lightly. She relented when Natsuki shook her head though. “Does she make you happy?”

 

“Yes.”   
  
Kotori moved to sit on the couch next to Natsuki. “I want to know more about you. About what you like. That should be okay, right? We’re not even from the same timeline.”   
  
Natsuki hesitated for a moment before she nodded. “Just a little though. What do you want to know?”   
  
“Um...you seem pretty smart. I guess you got that from Maki-chan.”   
  
“My mom says so but she always says you were smart too.” Natsuki said with a small smile. “She says I’m a bit of an airhead at times though…”   
  
“That’s from my side.” Kotori said with a soft laugh. “You obviously get your fashion sense from me.”   
  
“Sometimes I make my own stuff. My mom says I mostly have your sense of humor too. And your mischievous side.”    
  
“Oh? Well I am kind of relieved you didn’t get Maki’s...dark humor.”   
  
Natsuki nodded. “Yeah, mom’s humor is really dirty when she wants it to be.”   
  
Kotori chuckled softly at the comment. She knew that all too well. The smile on her face dimmed as something occurred to her. “Is Maki-chan okay in your future? Without me?”   
  
“A little. Still a workaholic. But she says I’m her anchor.”   
  
“Does she smoke?”   
  
“Yeah.” Natsuki sighed. “Like a chimney. But she tries to hide it. She’s terrible at hiding things.”   
  
“Looks like you inherited that too.” Kotori said teasingly. “I’m sure she has an oral fixation.” She cleared her throat when Natsuki merely stared at her. “Is she...with anyone?”   
  
“No, she’s not.”   
  
“Oh.” Kotori frowned at the thought. She didn’t like the idea of Maki being lonely. “How long have I been...gone?”   
  
Natsuki swallowed thickly. “Um...since I was twelve.”   
  
“I’m sorry.” Kotori said softly, looking away. Her heart wrenched at the thought of Natsuki’s pain. Maki’s too. She didn’t like the idea of any version of Maki being in pain. “Is she…?”   
  
“Oh.”   
  
Future Kotori looked up to see her past self standing in the doorway.    
  
“Sorry, I didn’t know anyone else was…” Kotori paused, staring pensively at the girl next to her future self. She shook her head after a moment. “How is it possible that I don’t know who lives in my house now…?”f

 

“Pretty dramatic, little me.” Future Kotori said with a roll of her eyes. “Long story short, this is our kid. Her name’s Natsuki and she’s eighteen. The other girl who came with future Rin is her girlfriend. And no, you can’t tell anyone else. Especially Maki-chan, she’ll freak out.”   
  
“Oh, Isla is your girlfriend?” Kotori interrupted for the first time. “Wait...my future daughter is dating Hanayo’s future daughter?! That’s so cute...”   
  
“In...a way.” Natsuki said, surprised that Kotori didn’t seem shocked by the revelation that she was her daughter.    
  
Kotori curiously stepped closer, her gaze fixed on the young woman sitting next to her future self. “You have my eyes and nose. But you look like Maki-chan. Did she carry you?”   
  
Natsuki nodded. “You used to tell me that mom was cursing you to hell during my birth. In your head, yelling.”   
  
“I’m not looking forward to that part.” Kotori sat down on the table, where her future self had been a few minutes ago. “So I have a kid…”   
  
“Yeah.” Natsuki looked away with a huff. “Damn it, I was meant to be watching the other two to make sure they didn’t do this.”   
  
“Don’t worry, we won’t tell anyone else.” Future Kotori looked to her past self for confirmation, receiving a nod in response.    
  
Natsuki let out a sigh. “I really am an airhead…”   
  
“So are there any more future people?” Kotori asked curiously, leaning forward.    
  
“The only ones I can think of are Kikyo and Vera…” Natsuki’s eyes widened when she realized she’d answered without hesitation. “Damn it, why do you two have this effect on me?”   
  
Future Kotori smiled softly and patted Natsuki’s shoulder. “Because we’re your mother, sweetie.”   
  
“Don’t baby me…”   
  
“So Vera.” Future Kotori said thoughtfully. “That sounds foreign…”   
  
“It’s Russian.” Natsuki watched as past Kotori’s eyes widened. “Don’t say a word!”   
  
“Is it Nozomi’s?” Kotori lowered her voice to a whisper in case Nozomi herself appeared and overheard.    
  
“I’m saying nothing else. Confidential.” Natsuki rose to her feet. She knew she’d already said far too much. More than even Isla would have given up. “I’m going to talk to Oracle so just...please don’t tell anyone.”   
  
“Promise.” Future Kotori said with a small smile. She watched as her daughter left the room and turned to speak to her past self only to find her gone. “Guess she’s still pissed at me.”   
  
\----   
  
Nozomi’s shoulders were slumped as she made her way up the stairs and followed the now familiar route to the bedroom she shared with Future Honoka. With so many new people in the house and so many new emotions she was struggling to hold them at bay. To say she was emotionally exhausted would have been understating it.    
  
She paused outside of her bedroom door, catching the sound of voices. Her brow furrowed slightly and she pushed the door a bit further ajar so she could listen in.    
  
“Eli was really angry with me at first.” Future Umi was saying, an oddly fond tone to her voice. “But she warmed up to me. Whenever you were away on missions she would sit outside of my bedroom door so I wasn’t alone.”   
  
Nozomi peeked around the door, seeing Honoka lying on one side of the bed while Future Umi perched on the other.    
  
Future Honoka smiled softly. “I can imagine Eli-senpai doing that…”   
  
Umi blushed slightly. “She was worried at first but she used to watch over me while I was still recovering.”   
  
Honoka let out a soft sigh. “I wish I’d had the chance to be there for my Umi-chan. To make things right…”  She glanced toward Umi, catching the girl’s slightly troubled stare. “Do you think she would have been upset with me?”   
  
Umi shook her head. “While I was betraying my Honoka I only felt upset with myself. It wasn’t your fault that you reacted the way you did.”   
  
Honoka sat up and moved over to Umi, hugging her carefully. “You’re not alone anymore, Umi-chan. Be happy, don’t be scared around me. Just...think of me as your Honoka. If I can help you, just tell me.”   
  
“I’d rather not...right now, while I’m here, I’m going to keep my distance. I’m just glad we had a chance to talk. I’m sorry I couldn’t stop the tag being put on you. They treated you like an animal…”   
  
“That’s okay.” Honoka said even as she shuddered at the memory. “It wasn’t your fault either.”   
  
“It was, damn it. I couldn’t stop it. I was too weak.”   
  
“Stop.” Honoka took Umi’s face into her hands so she could look her in the eyes. “It wasn’t your fault, okay?! It wasn’t.”   
  
“Don’t.” Umi whispered. “Please. You know how I feel about you in my time and I know how you feel about Nozomi now so...don’t.”   
  
“You’re right, I’m sorry.” Honoka said softly, dropping her hands. She hadn’t planned to do anything, she just wanted to reassure Umi. In a way she hadn’t been able to in her own time. “I…”   
  
Nozomi hadn’t realized she was leaning against the door until it creaked open and she stumbled forward. Both Honoka and Umi, who were sitting close together on the bed, glanced at her.    
  
“S-Sorry!” Nozomi squeaked, quickly turning to leave. In the blink of an eye she found Honoka blocking her path, clearly having teleported over.    
  
“I was just looking for Elichi.” She lied, glancing past Honoka. “I should find her….Honoka?”   
  
As Honoka backed her into the room Nozomi noticed Umi get up and close the door.    
  
“We were just talking about my future, Nozomi. Nothing more, nothing less. Trust me, she loves you.” Umi said as she turned back around to face Nozomi.    
  
“That’s...fine.” Nozomi said quietly, her eyes darting away. “I really do need to find Elichi though.”   
  
“Why?” Honoka frowned, noticing Nozomi looked rather pale. “You don’t look so good…”   
  
“I just need to lie down for a bit.” Nozomi said wearily. “I was just going to talk to Elichi and then take a nap. But I don’t want to interrupt the two of you so I’ll be going…”   
  
“Nozomi.”  Honoka gently blocked Nozomi from leaving.    
  
“She got you a ring!” Umi blurted out.    
  
“Umi-chan!” Honoka exclaimed, turning on Umi.    
  
Nozomi looked between the two of them in confusion. She was sure Umi had gotten that wrong. “Huh?”   
  
“I went with her to get you a ring.” Umi repeated.    
  
“UMI-CHAN?!” Honoka flushed in embarrassment before she turned to Nozomi. “I-It’s not what it sounds like. I mean it is. It might be. But not yet. Ah, damn it, Umi-chan!”   
  
“She told me you saved her.” Umi said, turning her attention to Nozomi. “I think you’re perfect for this Honoka.”   
  
“Oh. I-I don’t know about that…”   
  
“You don’t?” Honoka looked at Nozomi in surprise, sadness flitting onto her face.    
  
Nozomi groaned. “Don’t make that face.”   
  
“It’s effective.” Umi muttered, remembering the expression on her own Honoka.    
  
Nozomi walked over to Honoka and gently wiped the tears from the corners of her eyes. “I just want the best for you.”   
  
“YOU ARE!” Honoka exclaimed loudly. “Why won’t you believe me? You made me fall for you all on your own. You saved my life, Nozomi. I would have given up if I didn’t have you.”   
  
Nozomi gave a gentle smile and kissed Honoka’s cheek. “I love you. And I know you love me, that’s all that matters right now, right?”   
  
Future Honoka nodded, tears lacing her eyes. “Can you leave us alone for a while, please, Umi-chan?”   
  
“Huh? Oh right. Sorry.” Umi blushed and quickly left the two alone.    
  
“Why won’t you believe I love you more?” Honoka asked softly. “You’re an empath! You should know.”   
  
Nozomi let out a sigh. “Do you think you can love anyone more than you love Umi-chan? I know she’s going back to her own timeline and we’ll be together still. I do know that. And it’s all that matters.”   
  
“I don’t like you thinking you’re my second choice.”   
  
“Aren’t I technically your fourth choice?”    
  
“Nozomi!”   
  
“I’m kidding.” Nozomi laughed, shaking her head though she’d felt her heart clench as soon as she’d said it. “Can you just lay with me for a while? Too many people in the house, too many feelings…”   
  
“Yeah of course.” Honoka forgot about the disagreement, seeing how tired Nozomi was. She gently took her hand and led her to their bed.    
  
\-----   
  
A couple of miles from the Minami household the eerie stillness of a dark alley was disturbed by the sudden opening of a tear. Two girls stepped out. A dark haired girl with indigo eyes, holding a reverse blade, along with a ginger haired girl who immediately growled in frustration.    
  
“Spirits, damn it. We lost her. Nico-taichou is going to KILL US!”   
  
“You were the one who gets easily distracted. I told you to watch your side.”   
  
“Oh do not start with me.”   
  
“Very well.” The dark haired girl sat down on her knees.    
  
“What the hell are you doing?”   
  
“Thinking. I’m trying to sense the aura.”   
  
“Her aura?” The ginger haired girl asked.    
  
“Yes, her aura.”    
  
“Why do you have to be so quiet? Ugh, why were we even paired?!”   
  
“Because we’re sisters.” The dark haired girl said patiently.    
  
“Right. I just have to keep calm. Good thing I’m not a pyro…”   
  
“Yes, you would have caused a fire by now.”   
  
“We need a strategy.”   
  
“I’m trying to concentrate, Vera.”   
  
Vera’s face turned red with annoyance. “I’m trying to strat-”   
  


The dark haired girl sprung to her feet, pushing her sister toward the dumpster.    
  
“What the he…?”   
  
“I sense hunters.” The dark haired girl unsheathed her sword and a second later lifted it into the air just as a man with a CORPS uniform jumped toward her, seemingly out of nowhere. His katana hit her sword with a clash.    
  
TBC.    
  



	55. Chapter 55

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here’s the next chapter, I hope you guys enjoy and as always thanks for the messages/comments/kudos etc. 
> 
> Warning(s): Sexual scenes (maybe), angst, violence.

“What?” Maki looked up for the third time, once more finding Kotori staring at her. She had noticed it a short while ago but she’d chosen not to say anything. “What’s wrong?”   
  
“Huh? What do you mean?”   
  
“You look like you want to say something to me.” Maki said, bracing her chin on her hand. She couldn’t help but smile at her girlfriend. Kotori seemed to be happy though Maki wasn’t sure what the cause of it was. “What is it?”   
  
“It’s nothing.” Kotori said, averting her eyes.    
  
“Oh come on.” Maki huffed out a sigh. “You look happy about it. I want to know.”   
  
“It’s nothing, um…” Kotori scrambled for an excuse as to why she looked so happy. “I overheard Umi-chan’s future self say that future Honoka-chan bought a ring for Nozomi-chan.”   
  
“Wait, what?!”   
  
Kotori looked up as Future Maki stepped forward. “I’m just saying what I overheard. I don’t know how Nozomi-chan feels about it though, she seemed upse-”   
  
She was cut off as Maki cried out in pain, lurching forward slightly. She managed to catch herself with her hands on the edge of her desk to keep herself from falling out of her seat.    
  
“Maki-chan!” Kotori bolted up from her seat and hurried over to Maki, vaguely noticing Future Maki clutching her head too.    
  
Maki gritted her teeth as words echoed throughout her mind.    
_   
_ _ “Kikyo-nee-san is bleeding, I NEED A MEDIC! Rin-san, where the hell are you?! Tsubasa’s escaped into the timeline and she’s coming after the idiot!” _ _   
_   
“Maki-chan.” Kotori repeated, her hand resting gently on Maki’s shoulder. “Are you okay? What’s happening? Talk to me, Maki-chan.”   
  
Hearing the thunder of footsteps on the stairs she looked up in time to see Future Honoka reach the bottom, supporting a sobbing Nozomi. Wide eyed, Honoka looked between Maki and future Maki. “What the hell is happening?! Nozomi just...”   
  
“I-I don’t know.” Kotori said shakily, looking up from Maki. “It happened to Maki-chan too.”   
  
There was a simultaneous flash of white and orange lightning as Isla and Future Rin used their speed to get into the room, the former holding a tearful Natsuki close to her.    
  
“Kikyo is in deep trouble. Vera is freaking out.” Isla said, doing her best to reassure Natsuki.    
  
“Shit.” Honoka gasped, noticing a slight flicker in time around them. It was barely noticeable but she could see it. It seemed that Future Rin could too as she looked just as horrified.    
  
“Shit, her dormant ability is kicking in.” Rin said anxiously. “I thought for sure Maki-chan shut that part off.”   
  
“Whatever the hell is happening she’s going to tear a HOLE IN THE FUCKING CONTINUUM!” Honoka yelled, quickly making her way over to Kotori. She gently let go of Nozomi and glanced at Rin. “We need to go there. Bolt, get Eli and my...I mean Umi-chan from the future.”   
  
“You don’t know what you’re getting yourself into.” Future Rin growled .    
  
Honoka was momentarily distracted by the sight of Kotori trying to comfort Nozomi. Her heart lurched. She should have been the one doing that but she couldn’t. She didn’t have time. “I’m the LEADER so do as I say!”   
  
Rin gritted her teeth. “Switch Eli out for future Nico and I’ll do it.”   
  
“Too late, I’m already here.” Eli announced herself, reaching the bottom of the stairs. She walked over to Nozomi, laying a hand on her shoulder. “Where are we going?”   
  
“YOU’RE not going anywhere.” Rin replied loudly, glancing at Eli.    
  
“Rin, I NEED her there. We need her.” Honoka argued, struggling to see Rin’s point. “I don’t see why it matters…”   
  
“She’s not coming and that’s final. Damn it, Aim will kill me if something happens to Kikyo. Maki, draw some blood from Nozomi or Honoka while we’re out, got it?!” Rin didn’t wait for an answer before she grabbed Future Honoka and ran from the basement with her to get Future Nico.    
  
Honoka stumbled a bit as they reappeared in the room Future Nico was using. “What the hell do you want with my girlfriend’s blood?!”   
  
Rin didn’t pay any attention. She grabbed Future Nico’s wrist and then set off again to get Umi. She didn’t give Honoka a chance to speak, not even slowing down. Future Umi was waiting for them with her katana anyway.    
  
When they reappeared in the alleyway it was to the sound of crying and the stench of blood. Future Honoka looked around, finding a girl with ginger hair, a shade lighter than her own holding onto a girl with blue hair. She noticed right away the blue haired girl was bleeding badly from the abdomen and she had fallen unconscious while the ginger haired girl’s head was bleeding.    
  
Future Rin rushed forward, picking up the shades that had been flung to the side. She slipped them quickly back onto Vera’s face.    
  
Honoka tensed, still feeling the ripples of time around her.    
  
“Go.” Future Umi urged, drawing her katana. “I’ll keep watch.”   
  
Future Honoka nodded stiffly and rushed across to Vera, grabbing her wrist. She concentrated, stopping time around them. “Vera...right?”   
  
The girl stopped sobbing and looked up, her dark shades keeping Honoka from seeing her eyes. Honoka reached up to take them off only for Future Rin to slap her hand away.    
  
“Nobody is allowed to touch those. They must stay on her face at all times.”   
  
“Rin-san.” Vera said, her voice choked. “I’m sorry. We failed our duty and Kikyo-nee-san might…”   
  
“Calm down.” Honoka instructed gently. “You need to not disturb time. Y-You’re a time and space manipulator, right?”   
  
“N-No. I’m a teleporter. That’s what I’ve been told. Rin-san?”   
  
“Yeah. That’s right. A teleporter.” Rin said with a stiff smile.    
  
“Bullshit.” Honoka said with a shake of her head. “She has time and space manipulation abilities.”   
  
“She doesn’t!” Rin exclaimed loudly, turning to Honoka. “Shut the hell up, Honoka. Vera-chan, you are a teleporter. Just like your mother said.”   
  
Vera sniffled softly. “B-But what about my other mom…?”   
  
“NO. Vera-chan, stop.” Rin rested her hand on Vera’s shoulder, giving a light squeeze. “You’re a teleporter, that’s all.”   
  
Future Honoka stared at Rin in disbelief, confused by her obvious lies. “Rin, what the…?”   
  
Rin glanced at Honoka pleadingly, silently begging her not to say anything.    
  
“Don’t say anything.” Rin whispered when Honoka opened her mouth. “Please.  _ Please _ don’t say a word. She can’t find out.”   
  
Honoka didn’t understand but she fell silent, feeling the ripples around them slowly fade. Suddenly time started moving again. Honoka turned at the sound of a cry of pain, just in time to see Umi grasping at her cut cheek.    
  
“Get them out of here.” Honoka growled at Rin before she took off running to Umi. She noticed Umi’s shirt was ripped somehow but didn’t pay more attention than that. Future Nico joined her a second later.    
  
“I just transferred my blood into the kid. Does she have anyone who’s her actual type?”   
  
Honoka grabbed Umi’s arm, tugging it around her shoulders. “She’s an O type. Come on, Nico.”   
  
Nico grasped Honoka’s outstretched hand and a second later Honoka teleported them away.    
  
“I’m okay, it’s just my cheek.” Umi said meekly when the group reappeared in the infirmary.    
  
Honoka noticed that Maki, Future Maki, Future Rin, Kotori, Rei and the two kids from the alley were there. “Like hell.”   
  
“Is the girl okay?” Umi asked urgently. “The one from the alley, with the wound?”   
  
Rin nodded and pointed at one of the occupied beds. The blue haired girl lay in it, hooked up to a pouch of blood.    
  
“Who are they?” Honoka asked, frowning as she let Future Maki take Umi from her.    
  
Rin swallowed thickly. “Vera-chan and Kikyo-chan. They’re from the future, that’s all you need to know.”   
  
“Are they related to anyone?”   
  
“Classified. And no, you can’t take off her glasses. Her eyes are very...sensitive.”   
  
Honoka’s brow furrowed. “Wh…?” She was cut off as Kikyo suddenly sprung up.    
  
“S-So much aura. So much power…”   
  
Rin sighed and hit the heel of her hand against her forehead. “Tone down your powers, she’s sensitive to ability users’ life auras.”   
  
“Sorry.” Honoka closed her eyes, calming herself.    
  
“Is that your ability?” Umi whispered as Maki dabbed at the cut on her cheek.    
  
Kikyo’s eyes widened softly before she forced her expression back to neutral. “Yes. My ability is aura perception. Why am I here? Where is Vera?”   
  
“She’s there.” Rin pointed to the bed next to Kikyo’s. “She’s just unconscious, don’t worry. She passed out as soon as we got here but she’ll be fine. She was worried about you.”   
  
The young woman frowned. “She shouldn’t worry about me. Is Isla with you?”   
  
Rin nodded, stepping closer to Kikyo’s bed. “Yeah. Her and Natsuki.”   
  
“I see. Well at least we’re safe here.”   
  
Rin frowned. “Kikyo-chan, what are you doing here in the first place?”   
  
“We were ambushed. We followed HER into the timeline. I only followed Vera to keep her from doing anything reckless.”   
  
“You mean you followed Tsubasa.” Future Honoka blurted out. “Great, now I have to deal with two crazy future Tsubasas. The present one is not gonna be happy.”    
  
Umi eyed Kikyo’s sword as Maki finished bandaging her cheek. “Who gave that to you?”   
  
“My mentor.” Kikyo answered softly, instinctively touching the sword. “She doesn’t want me to shed blood. Like her.”   
  
Future Umi nodded, looking the girl over. She was clad in a black hakama and a dark blue gi that had some blood stains. For some reason Umi felt drawn to her though she wasn’t sure why. She cleared her throat, feeling someone step close to her side. She noticed it was just Honoka and offered a small smile. “I’m okay.”   
  
“I know.” Honoka mumbled though she looked to Future Maki anyway for confirmation. She received a nod in response. “I have to go and check on Nozomi. Will you be okay?”   
  
“Of course.” Future Umi answered with a puzzled frown. “Don’t worry about me.”   
  
“I always worry about you.” Honoka muttered, her eyes lingering on the bandage on Umi’s neck. It was too close,  _ far too close _ to where Tsubasa had cut Umi down in her own timeline. She gave Umi’s hand a light squeeze before she excused herself.    
  
\----   
  
“They’re going to be okay.” Isla said immediately upon running back into the living room to Natsuki. She watched as Natsuki sank down onto the couch, her legs seeming to give out in relief. She started toward her but movement caught her attention near the door. She glanced over to see present Honoka standing there with Eli behind her.    
  
“Are they back?” Eli asked, still looking quite upset.    
  
“Yeah. Everyone is fine.”   
  
“So who caused all of this?” Honoka asked in confusion as she glanced between them. She felt like she could hardly keep up with everything that was happening in the house now.    
  
“A friend.” Natsuki said, giving a small, easygoing smile.   
  
“Well she’s your friend.” Isla muttered. “I think she hates me.”   
  
“No, she likes you. She wants you to be her best friend, it’s just...fighting is her key language.” Natsuki explained with a wince. “You’re both similar in a lot of ways.”   
  
“We are not…” Isla mumbled, crossing her arms in front of her chest.    
  
Eli looked between them with a troubled expression. She still wasn’t sure why they were there and it set her on edge. It felt like everything was slowly getting worse. A lot more complicated at least. Her thoughts were interrupted by future Rin walking into the room.    
  
“Okay, you two. Upstairs NOW. We have a problem and we need to talk strategy. Oracle will meet us up there.”   
  
Eli rolled her eyes, sighing at the comment. She still didn’t like the fact that Rin had kept her from going with Future Honoka. She knew she would have been useful to have on the mission but Rin had acted like she would get in the way. “I’m coming too.”   
  
Rin turned to Eli and opened her mouth to protest but Eli quickly interjected.    
  
“I wasn’t asking.”   
  
“Look, Pyro is second in command in my time but you are  _ not _ her!” Rin growled irritably. She turned toward the two girls watching with wide eyes. “Natsuki, Isla, upstairs NOW!”   
  
“Right!” Isla grabbed Natsuki’s hand and dragged her off toward the stairs. She was sure she’d never heard Rin speak to Eli like that.    
  
Eli felt herself flush with embarrassment as Rin shot her a dark look. Her hands trembled at her side with anger but she didn’t say anything else. She felt Honoka lightly rubbing her arm but the reminder that Honoka had seen her being talked down to only made it worse.    
  
“Good.” Rin said darkly before she turned and left the room. She followed Isla and Natsuki upstairs and to the infirmary where she closed the door behind them. She breathed a sigh of relief when she found the only occupants of the room were Isla, Natsuki, Kikyo and Vera.    
  
She waited pensively by the door until it opened and Hibiki stepped into the room, clutching a notebook in her arms. She didn’t notice Hibiki leave the door open a little bit, nor did she notice the blonde creeping up to the door.    
  
Future Rin took a deep breath and turned her attention to the small group in front of her. Natsuki had moved to sit on the edge of the bed next to a sleeping Vera while Isla was making sure to keep her distance.    
  
Vera’s head was bandaged carefully, her glasses set to the side while she slept. Rin’s gaze lingered on them. She had to make sure they went back on when Vera woke, otherwise it would be obvious whose daughter she was.    
  
She took a deep breath. “Remember I told you three about Vera’s abilities being dormant? Well because she was in extreme emotional distress she broke the mental block Thinker placed on her when she was a baby. Now her true ability is starting to creep up.”   
  
“That’s not good.” Kikyo muttered from where she was sitting up in her own bed.    
  
Rin shook her head. “It isn’t your fault, Kikyo-chan. You’re her sister...distant, yes but still her sister. She cares about you.”   
  
Kikyo frowned, looking over at Vera. “I still believe it was my fault.”   
  
Natsuki hesitated for a moment before speaking. “I-I could try to block it. I mean how hard can it be? It was done when she was a baby for a reason. Now it’s beginning to develop so we need to stop her.”   
  
“You won’t be able to.” Isla spoke up quietly. “Maybe you should let her mother try. Sure, she’s younger but I…”   
  
“I don’t want Honoka anywhere near her!” Rin interjected loudly. “Especially the future version! She already knows she’s a time manipulator!”   
  
Isla gritted her teeth. “Why do you get to decide? Why do you get to decide that it’s fine for Nat-chan to be with her parents and it’s not okay for the rest of us?! I just want to speak to them, damn it! Maybe Vera-chan feels the same way about her mom! She’s never met her, you could just let her talk to her. Just once!”   
  
“No.” Rin said firmly. “And the answer to your question is that Natsuki-chan has her parents together in both timelines. Your parents aren’t. I’m sorry.”   
  
“It isn’t fair.” Isla whispered harshly, her eyes welling up. “I just want to talk to them again.”   
  
She scrubbed at her eyes and paced over to the window at the other side of the room.    
  
Natsuki watched with a troubled expression, her chest tight with guilt. It really wasn’t fair.    
  
Rin sighed, her shoulders slumping. The past few days - or past few months, as it had seemed for herself and Isla - had been hard on the girl. She was stuck in the speed force, imprisoned by the fact that she’d wanted to keep her friends, her  _ family _ safe. “I’m sorry, Isla.”   
  
Isla stayed silent, refusing to give a response.    
  
Rin hesitantly turned back to the three still staring at her. “The point is, we can’t let Vera find out about her abilities. And we have to try to keep her calm until we figure something out. To keep her from unlocking them even more.”   
  
“I’ll try.” Kikyo said solemnly while Natsuki gave a nod of agreement.    
  
Rin was about to remind them to be careful around everyone from the present timeline when Vera bolted up in bed.    
  
From the doorway, Eli caught a glimpse of icy blue eyes before Rin sped forward and placed Vera’s shades on her face.    
  
“Kikyo-nee-san!” Vera bolted from her bed and toward Kikyo’s, throwing her arms around her in a desperate hug. “You’re okay!”   
  
“I’m okay.” Kikyo confirmed softly, gently rubbing Vera’s shoulder.    
  
Eli realized Rin was about to turn toward the door and quickly hurried away, entering the nearby bathroom. She locked the door behind her and leaned her head against it, her eyes brimming with tears. The teenager was Honoka’s, that much was obvious from the way Rin and Isla had spoken about Honoka. Eli remembered the russian name and the icy blue eyes. Vera was hers too, she had to be.    
  
Eli’s hand went to her heart. Isla had said that Vera had never met Honoka. That had to mean that Honoka had died. That she wasn’t in her future anymore. Eli squeezed her eyes shut, recalling her frequent nightmares. Of Honoka being stabbed and dying. Of her not being able to do anything to help.    
  
She took a shuddering breath, reminding herself it was a different timeline. She wouldn’t let that happen to her Honoka. She quickly wiped away her tears. She wanted to talk to Vera, to meet her but she couldn’t help but wonder why Natsuki, Rin and Kikyo seemed determined to hide Vera’s ability, even going so far as to lie to her. Whatever their reason was it had to be serious. Eli nodded to herself. She would have to keep what she had heard a secret.    
  
She thought about Vera’s sister, the blue haired girl. She seemed like Umi, of course. Eli had noticed that immediately but her eyes were different. Maybe she was adopted, Eli figured. Like Yuki.    
  
Eli sighed to herself. She couldn’t tell anyone about anything she had heard.    
  
\---   
  
Eli took a deep breath as she knocked lightly on Nozomi’s door. She didn’t want to disturb her best friend but she had to talk to someone even if she couldn’t give Nozomi the whole truth. She waited until Nozomi called for her to enter the room before she pushed the door open and walked in.    
  
She found Nozomi sitting up in bed, a book in her hands. Future Honoka was nowhere in sight. “Oh...sorry, I didn’t mean to disturb you. Are you busy?”   
  
Nozomi shook her head. “It’s fine, come in.”   
  
Eli closed the door behind her and walked over to the bed, climbing onto it next to Nozomi.    
  
“You okay?” Nozomi asked, her brow slightly furrowed as she noticed the look on Eli’s face.    
  
Eli shrugged her shoulders. “I found something out today. Something pretty big but I can’t tell Honoka. Even though it involves her.”   
  
“Oh.” Nozomi waited for Eli to give her more information but none came. “What is it then?”   
  
“It’s about Vera.” Eli said though she noticed Nozomi staring at her blankly. “Honoka didn’t tell you it was the girl you were sensing?”   
  
Nozomi silently shook her head.    
  
“She’s our kid.” Eli said bluntly, figuring she should be able to tell one person. She trusted Nozomi completely. “Mine and Honoka’s, I-I think. And she’s an ability user but Maki...from the future blocked her time manipulation ability and I don’t know why. It seems important that she doesn’t even know she has it. And...Honoka is dead in the future. I’m pretty sure.”   
  
“That’s…” Nozomi stared at Eli for a moment. “That’s a lot of information, Elichi.”   
  
“I know! That’s why I needed to tell you.” Eli watched as Nozomi sighed and rubbed her temples. “I mean she’s mine! MINE, Nozomi. She has my eyes!”   
  
“I’m happy for you, Elichi.” Nozomi said softly. She flashed Eli a quick smile.    
  
“But I think Honoka was with Umi too.” Eli continued hurriedly. “So I’m kinda lost on why she and I had a kid together.”   
  
“Maybe it’s the same arrangement you have going on right now.” Nozomi offered with a shrug of her shoulders. Her eyes darted to the door.    
  
“But wouldn’t she want it with Umi? I mean those two are more bonded together. I’m fairly certain they end up together in every timeline. Every Honoka is meant to…”   
  
“That’s great, Elichi. Look, I’m...I really am happy for you.” Nozomi interrupted Eli. “I don’t know why Vera is yours and Honoka’s rather than hers and Umi’s. Maybe the three of you decided together. I don’t know.”   
  
Eli frowned at Nozomi. “Did I say something wrong?”   
  
“No, it’s...it’s fine. Don’t worry. I’m just tired and my head still hurts and my feelings are still all over the place from this morning. I’m just tired, Elichi.”   
  
“Right, I’m sorry.” Eli watched with a troubled expression as Nozomi looked away, biting her lip. “Is um...Honoka going to be back tonight? It’s…” She looked at the clock, her eyes widening when she noticed it was one in the morning already. “I didn’t realize it was so late.”   
  
“I think she’s busy with something.” Nozomi said with a sigh. It wasn’t uncommon for Honoka to leave to research something or to plan something out. “She’s probably speaking to Tsubasa. She’ll be back soon.”   
  
“Is that why you’re awake so late?” Eli asked, raising an eyebrow. “You were waiting for her to come back?”   
  
Nozomi gave a slight nod in response. “Wouldn’t you wait for your Honoka to come back if she was out late?”   
  
“That’s fair.” Eli said with a soft smile. “I heard she proposed. Are you going to say yes?”   
  
“What? She didn’t propose. Umi-chan...Umi-chan from the future said that Senpai bought a ring, that’s all. I don’t know where you heard she proposed…”   
  
“That means she’s going to propose though.” Eli insisted knowingly. “You are turning eighteen soon. Crap, it’s almost graduation. You think we might be held back?”   
  
“I think we should be more concerned about possibly dying.” Nozomi said, her face flushed with embarrassment.   
  
“You know, it’s kind of cool you got with a twenty year old. It’s so dreamy really, you got the regal woman to fall for you.”   
  
“Regal?” Nozomi laughed softly, shaking her head. “It’s just Honoka, I mean...she’s a future version but she’s still Honoka.”   
  
“So? You gonna say yes or what?” Eli pressed, nudging Nozomi’s side. “You know she’s going to propose eventually.”   
  
“I don’t know. I can’t imagine it really happening so...I don’t know yet.” Nozomi said with a shrug of her shoulders. “It seems far off. I’m only seventeen.”   
  
“And Maki is fifteen and Kotori is sixteen. They’re waiting, you idiot. I see them getting married once both of their careers are good. Or at least mid twenties.”   
  
Nozomi let out another sigh. “Have you seen Kotori and Maki together? They’re made for each other. And it’s simpler for them, it’s...more complicated for me. A lot more complicated. I mean I’m dating a  _ time traveller _ . That’s complicated enough.”   
  
Eli blinked at Nozomi. “That didn’t matter to you before. If you’re worried Honoka is going to leave you, you don’t have to be. She loves you.”   
  
“I’m not saying she’s going to leave me for someone else. You loved me and you still left me because you thought I was better off without you.”   
  
Eli winced. “I-I didn’t want to hurt you anymore.”   
  
“I know. And I understand.” Nozomi said, reaching for Eli’s hand. She grasped it, giving a gentle squeeze. “But I want to be the one to decide what’s best for me.”   
  
Eli opened her mouth to reply but stopped as future Honoka teleported into the room. Honoka seemed to do a double take at the sight of the two of them. Her eyes went to their joined hands.    
  
“Senpai.” Nozomi said upon following Eli’s gaze. She hoped Honoka hadn’t heard what they had been talking about. She wasn’t even sure how long the young woman had been there. “You’re back early.”   
  
“I wanted to see you.” Honoka said honestly, still staring at their hands.    
  
“Um…” Nozomi pulled her hand away, noticing what Honoka was looking at. “It’s not what it looks like. Elichi was just telling me something.”   
  
“Right.”   
  
“I’m going now.” Eli got off the bed and walked around Honoka to get to the door. “Goodnight, Nozomi.”   
  
“Goodnight.” Nozomi said quietly as Eli closed the door behind her. She watched as Honoka moved forward, climbing onto the bed. Suddenly Honoka was kneeling in front of her and hands gently grasped at her face, drawing her into a gentle kiss.    
  
Nozomi lightly grabbed Honoka’s arm for stability, using her other to hold herself up. She kissed Honoka back, overwhelmed but consumed by the passion Honoka was putting into the kiss. “Senpai…”   
  
Honoka pulled away, pressing her forehead to Nozomi’s.    
  
A moment later Nozomi felt her pajama top being tugged up. She lifted her arms, letting Honoka remove it. She quickly reached for Honoka’s button up shirt, hurriedly unbuttoning it as she kissed her again.    
  
She slid it off of Honoka’s shoulders just as she felt Honoka fiddling with the waistband of her shorts. She pushed Honoka back by her shoulders, moving to her knees to let Honoka pull the shorts down, along with her underwear.    
  
She grasped Honoka’s shoulders, letting the girl urge her back down to finish tugging the shorts off. “Senpai.” She was cut off as Honoka closed the distance between them and kissed her deeply. She whimpered, her brow furrowing at the feeling of Honoka’s warmth on top of her. She turned her head slightly, struggling to resist. “A-Are you sure you…?”   
  
“What?” Honoka asked with a light laugh. “I missed you. I haven’t been with you all day so now you’re mine. Mine, mine, mine. I’m more than sure.”   
  
Nozomi giggled as Honoka emphasized her point with several kisses trailing down to her neck.    
  
“You don’t want to stop, do you?”   
  
Nozomi unlatched Honoka’s bra, tugging it off and tossing it to the side. “I want your warmth, Honoka. I want you.”   
  
“You have me. Always.” Honoka promised, her hand sliding into Nozomi’s slightly wavy hair before she kissed her again.   
  
\----   
  
“Are you sure it’s okay for us to be in here?” Kikyo fretted as she limped down the stairs with Natsuki’s help. Despite being healed the day before she still felt a little rough and her side still ached from where she’d been hit.    
  
“Sure. I’ll put anything we use back later.” Isla answered with a wave of her hand. “Besides, Natsuki’s mom lives here. It’s fine.”   
  
Kikyo glanced at Natsuki who nodded in confirmation.    
  
Isla noticed the look and rolled her eyes. It wasn’t abnormal for them to not take her word on things. She was the youngest after all, with the exception of her sister who was four years younger than her.    
  
She led Kikyo and Natsuki downstairs and into the kitchen where she paused suddenly. She had expected the kitchen to be empty but instead she found Hanayo and Nico there. Nico was cooking at the stove while Hanayo sat at the table, watching with a soft smile.    
  
“You seriously could be the perfect wife.” Hanayo said dreamily.    
  
Nico scoffed. “Oh shut up. Me, a wife? That’s never gonna happen.”   
  
“Not unless someone puts a ring on it.”   
  
Nico blushed, glancing at Hanayo. “Hey, don’t joke about that! I already have to deal with Kotori and Maki. And the other married couple.”   
  
“But you are great with kids.” Hanayo insisted, shaking her head. “I mean despite everything, your siblings love you.”   
  
Nico frowned. “I still need to find them…”   
  
“We will after we defeat Tsubasa.”   
  
Nico nodded but elected to change the subject. “How is the...ya know, whole head thing going?”   
  
“Better, especially with you by my side.” Hanayo said with a small smile. “It still niggles at me but I have it a little more under control now.”   
  
Nico turned back to cooking the eggs in the pan. “I kinda do want kids one day. Ugh, don’t tell Nozomi that. She’ll be on my ass about it.”   
  
“That’s adorable.” Hanayo beamed.    
  
“Shut up.”   
  
Hanayo got up and walked over to Nico, hugging her from behind. She gently nuzzled her nose into the crook of Nico’s neck. “We could have them one day. I mean...if we get through this.”   
  
Natsuki watched Isla out of the corner of her eye, noticing the crushed expression that crossed her face. She reached out for Isla’s hand but Isla quickly drew away. “Isla.”   
  
Isla shook her head silently. She wasn’t sure she could stand there and listen to what Hanayo was saying even though it was a different timeline.    
  
“What would we name them?” Hanayo asked softly.    
  
“Maybe...if it’s a girl, Hoshi. If it’s a boy...Kaoru.”   
  
“I would call my kid Tsubaki.”   
  
Nico’s eyes widened. “That’s a cute name. I would like that one.”   
  
“My dad thought of my name.” Isla whispered, noticing Natsuki looking at her. She watched as Nico looked at Hanayo softly before the gaze strayed, coming to rest upon her.    
  
She tensed as Hanayo seemed to follow Nico’s gaze. Hanayo’s eyes stopped on her but there was no motherly warmth in her gaze like Isla remembered. In fact she narrowed her eyes suspiciously.    
  
“You’re the new people here, right?” Hanayo asked coldly, her voice untrusting.    
  
“As if Kotori didn’t have enough people in this damn house.” Nico mumbled, rolling her eyes.    
  
Kikyo nodded in response to Hanayo’s question. “Yes, we’re the new people. We’re sorry for intruding.”   
  
“We’ve heard about you three from Eli-chan and Honoka-chan’s future self.” Hanayo said warily. “They don’t trust you very much.”   
  
Isla inched backwards toward the door, her chest tight.    
  
Natsuki glanced at Isla, noticing her retreating. “We understand. We’re just trying to fix our timeline, that’s all. I’m sorry if Rin-san upset you in any way.”   
  
“She’s upsetting a lot of people.” Hanayo advised them stiffly, crossing her arms in front of her chest. “This whole thing was already a mess without all of you showing up. We don’t even know you.”   
  
The words rung in Isla’s ears and she bolted from the room.    
  
“Whoa.” Nico blinked in surprise. “I forgot she was a speedster. What’s up with her?”   
  
“You wouldn’t understand.” Natsuki said with a heavy sigh as she stared after her girlfriend. “Don’t worry about her, it’s nothing.”   
  
“It’s not nothing.” Kikyo mumbled thoughtfully to herself. She couldn’t remember ever seeing Isla so upset before.    
  
“Well I know that.” Natsuki hissed in response. She did know that Isla wasn’t fine. Being in the timeline they were in had to be hard for her. Isla wasn’t acting like herself either. She was pulling away from her, shrugging her off. She knew that Isla was happy for her, that she had gotten to speak to Kotori but it seemed to her that Isla resented that a little bit too.   
  
“Sorry, I have to go after her.” Natsuki excused herself, hurrying out of the kitchen and down to the basement where she was sure Isla would have retreated. Thankfully nobody else was down there, at least in the main room. “Isla.”   
  
“Leave me alone, Nat-chan.” Isla said, her voice thick with emotion. “I don’t want to talk, I don’t want to...be here! This is all wrong.”   
  
“Maybe our timeline’s the one that’s wrong. You know yourself, your dad isn’t in most of them.”   
  
Isla turned on Natsuki, her teeth gritted and her eyes moist. “So you’re saying I just shouldn’t exist? That Hana just shouldn’t…”   
  
“I would never say that and you know it!” Natsuki snapped, offended by the implication. “I love Hana! We all love your sister, I’m just saying maybe this timeline and our timeline are anomalies. You’re still going to exist, Isla. And so is Hana. Nothing is going to happen to either of you. Hell, this Hanayo isn’t even your mom! Your mom was your mom. You should know that. You remember how your mom was.”   
  
Isla nodded, tears spilling down her cheeks. “What if this is our timeline? W-What if it’s screwed up and Rin-senpai just doesn’t want to scare me? What if you go back and you’re with Hoshi o-or Tsubaki or someone? What if I’m just stuck in the speed force and Hana just stops existing a-and…?”   
  
Natsuki walked over to Isla and kissed her hard. “You’re MY girlfriend and you always will be. I don’t care who the version of me from this timeline is. She’s NOT me.”   
  
“I-It’s just not fair. Even if Hana is gonna exist.” Isla said tearfully. “I just want to speak to them. I want to hear their voices one more time, the way I used to. I-If I could speak to my dad...”   
  
“I know.” Natsuki’s voice softened. She gave a slight smile. “Like my mom used to say your dad is always the same. He never changes. But Isla...this is a different timeline. You can’t confuse him. So it’s not a good idea.”   
  
Isla let go of Natsuki, shrugging her off with a whimper. “I’m tired of this. I want to go home and see my sister. The only reason I came here was the idea that I could see my parents. Rin-senpai said I could.”   
  
“Rin lies more than most of us.”  Natsuki said softly. “But listen, Isla. It’s only been a couple of days. Just give us more time to…”   
  
“BULLSHIT!” Isla blurted out. “It’s been  _ months _ for me, Nat-chan. I’ve been in the damn speed force for  _ months _ without seeing you and Hana. You know time moves faster in there.”   
  
“I…” Natsuki blinked. She hadn’t even thought about that. Speechless, she stepped forward and hugged Isla as tightly as she could. Tears clouded her eyes as she felt the turmoil of Isla’s thoughts. Her fears and anxieties all coming to the surface. “I’m not going anywhere. And Hana is safe, I swear. Once we fix this you’ll be home, I promise.”   
  
\---   
  
Honoka breathed out a sigh of relief when she finally found Eli in the training room, sparring with Nico. She closed the door behind her, her eyes fixated on the two. She winced as Nico delivered a sharp blow to Eli’s chin.    
  
“Seriously, are you taking it easy on me today or something?” Nico mocked, falling back as Eli moved forward. She dodged a half hearted punch from the blonde. “Is that all you’ve got?”   
  
Eli opened her mouth to retort but then Nico was surging forward again, kicking her legs out from under her. She hit the floor hard, grimacing at the sudden ache. “Damn it, Nico.”   
  
“What? It’s not my fault you’re not paying attention.”   
  
Eli sighed. “I’m just distracted, that’s all.” She sat up, rubbing her head. She couldn’t stop thinking about meeting her future daughter. It wasn’t something people got to do every day, after all. She wanted nothing more than to talk to Vera but she couldn’t. She knew it was a terrible idea for her or Honoka to have any interaction with the girl.    
  
“Eli-senpai?”   
  
Eli looked up to see Honoka walking toward her, a serious look on her face. Her stomach plummeted. Maybe Honoka had found out. “Y-Yeah?”   
  
“Can I talk to you?” Honoka held out her hand to Eli.    
  
Eli felt herself panic but nodded and took Honoka’s hand, letting her help her up. A second later she felt the familiar feeling of the floor disappearing from under her feet as Honoka teleported them. Finding herself on a surface that wasn’t entirely straight she grasped onto Honoka tightly for balance. “What the…?” She looked around, finding herself slipping. “The ROOF?!”   
  
“I need to talk to you in private.” Honoka said quietly, gently helping Eli to regain her footing.    
  
Eli swallowed thickly. Whatever the issue was it seemed to be serious. “Alright, we can talk. Just...let me sit down. I feel like I’m slipping.”   
  
Honoka nodded and let Eli hold onto her while she lowered herself into a sitting position on the roof. Honoka sat down too, next to the blonde, her hands falling to her lap. “So um...I was talking to Umi-chan’s future self a couple of days ago. She said that she’s dating me in the future.”   
  
“Okay.” Eli nodded for Honoka to go on.    
  
“She said that she didn’t think Eli-senpai from the future would be okay with being in an arrangement like we are now.” Honoka said quietly, staring down at her hands in her lap. “And that she didn’t think she would like it either.”   
  
Eli frowned, starting to see where the conversation was heading. “Okay?”   
  
“She said that in the future we just...kiss. That we’re friends who um...are physically close but we don’t go past kissing.” Honoka felt her cheeks flush at the thought of what a future Eli would be like. “So we’re not together and you’re still with Nozomi-chan.” She watched as Eli nodded silently and took a deep breath before continuing. “Are you not happy with me and Umi-chan? I know we should have talked about it more before we all started...doing this but I couldn’t choose between you.”   
  
Eli shook her head. “I don’t want to leave you, Honoka. If that’s what you’re asking.”   
  
Honoka’s brow furrowed slightly. “In the future I’m not with you though. In...in Umi-chan’s future self’s timeline. Ugh, this is so confusing...I just feel like this is the only future we’re together in a-and I’m always with Umi-chan and I don’t want either of you to feel like I favor the other more. I wouldn’t want anything different to what we are now.”   
  
Eli winced a little at that. She had to admit she did get the feeling that Honoka loved Umi more than she loved Eli but she didn’t want to mention that. She reassured herself with the fact that she was with Honoka in another timeline. She wished she could tell Honoka that.   
  
“A-And I know it’s not easy now either.” Honoka fretted anxiously. “We don’t even sleep in the same bed anymore and we haven’t...you know, in a while. But I can have Umi-chan whenever I want...whenever both of us want b-but I just feel like me and you are…”   
  
Eli leaned in and turned Honoka’s head toward her, interrupting her with a gentle kiss. “It’s okay, Honoka. We’re fine, I promise.”   
  
Honoka slid her arms around Eli’s waist and hugged her tightly. “I feel like there’s more distance between us now. I miss you. I want you to be in my life. In Yuki’s life. But I-I feel like you’re getting further away from us. Come and sleep in our room again. Please? You say you want to make this work and so do I. I love you.”   
  
“I love you too, Honoka.” Eli sighed softly. “But you know I can’t. I don’t trust my abilities around Yuki. Especially with…the nightmares. I can’t come back yet. I’m sorry. But we can do this. We can make it work.”   
  
Honoka visibly deflated, her eyes growing damp. “Oh.”   
  
Eli felt her heart wrench at the reaction. “Sleep with me tonight.” She proposed gently. “We can use a different room or…”   
  
“There are no rooms.” Honoka mumbled unhappily.    
  
“We’ll go to a hotel then. I have some money saved for emergencies and you can just...tell Umi we need some time together. She’ll be okay with it...I think.” Eli offered hopefully. She kissed Honoka lightly once more. “We’ll pack a bag and spend the night alone, just the two of us.”   
  
“Minami-sensei won’t be happy if she finds out.” Honoka’s gaze flitted up to Eli’s. “Neither will Nishikino-san.”   
  
“So we won’t let them find out. Kotori would cover for us, right?”   
  
“I-I don’t know, I just don’t think it’s a good idea.” Honoka briefly bit her lip. “But I want to be with you.”   
  
“So do I.” Eli said softly.    
  
“I need you.”   
  
“I need you too.” Eli whispered, her hand going to the back of Honoka’s head. She gently pressed their foreheads together, exhaling slowly. “I’m not going anywhere, Honoka. Even if it feels like I’m...distant at times I’m in this for the long run. I promise.”   
  
“You do? You promise?”   
  
“I swear to it.” Eli said sincerely. “Come on, let’s go and talk to Umi. I’m sure we can figure something out.”   
  
Honoka let out a soft sigh, not satisfied with the response but nodded anyway. She took Eli’s hand and teleported them back to her bedroom.    
  
Umi, who was sitting on the bed with Yuki in her lap, jumped at their arrival. “Couldn’t you have just walked in? Maki keeps telling you you need to use your ability less, Honoka.”   
  
“Sorry.” Honoka mumbled, glancing at Eli. “Um...I wanted to ask you something.”   
  
“We wanted to.” Eli corrected softly, giving Honoka’s hand a gentle squeeze.   
  
Umi sighed. “Go on…”   
  
“I-I want to spend the night with Eli-senpai.” Honoka said awkwardly, her cheeks flushing. She watched as Umi frowned. “Not that I don’t like being with you, Umi-chan. But I miss Eli-senpai…”   
  
“Understood.”

  
“Huh?” Eli was surprised. She had expected Umi to agree but reluctantly.    
  
“You have been distant, Eli. It’ll be good for both of you, I suppose.” Umi said with a small smile. “Yuki and I can stay with Arisa for the night. We’ll pretend it’s a sleepover or something.”   
  
“Thank you, Umi-chan.” Honoka said with a sigh of relief. “I-It’s just for the night.”   
  
“It’s okay.” Umi said honestly. “I know how much you miss her.” She looked toward Eli. “I had gotten used to you being here too, I suppose.”   
  
Honoka’s eyes lit up. “Maybe we could…”   
  
“No.” Umi let her eyes go to Yuki. “Someone needs to keep an eye on her.”   
  
Honoka sighed softly. “I can’t wait until this is over and we can find somewhere of our own. Yuki could have her own room and she’d be safe.”   
  
Eli looked at Honoka. “You mean all four of us?”   
  
“Of course.” Honoka said with a sincere nod. “Don’t think you’re gonna escape me that easily. I want you in Yuki’s life. Mine and Umi-chan’s too.”   
  
Umi glanced at Eli. “I kind of want that too. All four of us.”   
  
Eli beamed, tears appearing at the corners of her eyes. “I guess I have no choice.”   
  
“No.” Honoka and Umi said in unison, shaking their heads.    
  
\------   
  
You glanced around to make sure nobody was following her before she let herself out of the Minami household using the back door. She wasn’t sure she could stand being inside anymore. Before everything had gone wrong she used to always be at the beach or out with her friends.    
  
She slid the door shut behind her only to pause when she saw a girl standing in the yard, looking down at the rocks on the ground. She squinted against the sun, noticing ginger hair. “Honoka?”   
  
The girl turned around to look at You before she disappeared suddenly.    
  
“Huh?” You whirled around to see the girl reappear behind her and start to make her way into the house. Quickly, You grabbed the girls jacket and easily pulled her toward her. “Honoka-chan, what the…?”   
  
“Argh, let me go!” The girl complained loudly. “I didn’t do anything this time!”   
  
“Honoka-chan!” You turned the girl toward her only to pause when she finally got a good look. “You’re not Honoka-chan…”   
  
“No. I’m...Vera. My name is Vera.” Vera replied hesitantly, making sure to keep her eyes closed. She had dropped her sunglasses a few minutes ago. “Can you let go of me?”   
  
“Oh. S-Sorry!” You quickly let go of the girl, blushing at her own mistake. The girl really did look a lot like Honoka to her, at least from behind and at a glance. “I thought you were someone else.”   
  
The girl almost fell backwards due to You letting go while she still had her eyes shut. You’s eyes widened in surprise. “Hey, open your eyes.”   
  
“I can’t, it’s the rule.”   
  
“Huh?”   
  
“Number one rule.” Vera said, her eyes still tightly shut. “Never show my eyes to anyone outside of my family. No strangers.”   
  
“You’re weird.” You said with a roll of her eyes. She glanced around, noticing the girl’s shades on the ground and went to pick them up. Walking back to the girl she slid them onto her face. “There. Now I can’t see them. Just open your eyes so you don’t fall again.”   
  
Vera hesitantly opened her eyes. “I’m sorry.”   
  
“No, it’s my fault anyway. What were you doing?” You asked curiously.    
  
“Something…”   
  
You raised an eyebrow. “Something like what?”   
  
“Why should I tell you?”   
  
“You are super weird.” You said thoughtfully, puzzled by the girl.    
  
“I am NOT WEIRD!” Vera scowled. “My ability was acting up, if you must know.”   
  
“You teleport, right? I just saw that.” You said thoughtfully.    
  
Vera sighed, remembering what the girl had told her in the alleyway. “I think there’s more to it than that but I can’t talk to anyone about it. Everyone is always keeping things from me and I’m older than Isla!”   
  
“Who?”   
  
“Ugh!” Vera threw her arms up in exasperation. “J-Just forget it. I was told by the adults not to talk about myself. I’m sorry. I don’t like hiding.”   
  
“You don’t need to apologize.”   
  
“I’m scared something has happened to me and now I’m dangerous to my friends…” Vera said hesitantly, looking up into You’s warm eyes. “You ever felt that way?”   
  
“All of the time.” You answered with a slight smile, remembering when she felt the exact same way about her abilities.   
  
“Right…” Vera groaned at her behavior. She was giving too much away. But she was so curious about this new ability. “You’re Watanabe You, right?”   
  
You’s eyes widened in surprise. “How do you know my name?”   
  
“S-Sorry, um...I just feel like I can talk to you. I talked to you a lot in my...”   
  
“Timeline?” You finished knowingly. She tilted her head, wondering if she should keep going but the kid clearly needed to talk. You sat down on the edge of the porch. “Okay, let’s talk.”   
  
Vera hesitated for a moment before she sat down next to You and removed her shades to reveal bright icy blue eyes. “Okay. I-I think I might be another time manipulator. Like my mother.”   
  
\----   
  
Kotori braced herself by taking a deep breath before she knocked lightly on the door to the room Hanayo and Nico were sharing. Her chest fluttered with nerves and she waited for a moment before she pushed the door open and entered the room.    
  
Hanayo, who was sitting on the bed, looked up in surprise. “Kotori?”   
  
“Hey.” Kotori said with a small smile. She glanced to her right, finding Nico at the desk, seemingly going over some notes. “Um...Nico-chan? Are you busy?”   
  
“Very busy.” Nico answered with a sigh without looking up. She paused for a moment but when Kotori didn’t say anything she looked up. Her brow furrowed when she noticed Kotori fidgeting nervously. “What’s wrong with you?”   
  
“I need your help with something.” Kotori replied, closing the door behind her. She glanced toward Hanayo but figured it wouldn’t hurt to let her stay. “Um...do you remember when I was taken by Sonoda?”   
  
“Obviously.” Nico stood up from her seat, forgetting about the notes she had been reading through. “What about it?”   
  
“I told you after Rei-san healed me that I was fine. That I didn’t have any more injuries?” Kotori asked hesitantly. She received a nod from Nico and realized that Hanayo was watching in concern too. “Well...I lied.”   
  
Nico’s hands tightened into fists. She felt her nails dig into her palms and winced slightly. It seemed Raven’s interference with her senses had started to allow her senses to linger long after he had left. “What the hell does that mean?”   
  
Kotori took a deep breath. She had never told Nico in detail what had happened but she didn’t have a choice now. “Sonoda kept me chained up with my arms above my head. It must have been...a few days until she left me down. I lost feeling in my arms and I couldn’t move them until Rei-san healed me. But now they’re still weak. I can’t lift them for long and…”   
  
“Stop.” Nico held her hand up to interrupt Kotori. “Hanayo, get the syringe.”   
  
Hanayo, who had been staring at Kotori in horror looked even more horrified by Nico’s request. “B-But it’ll hurt you.”   
  
“Just do it. Please.” Nico rolled up her sleeve. “We need to help Kotori.”   
  
“B-But Maki-chan needs to do it. I’m not a doctor.”   
  
“You are in the future. I trust you.” Nico said bluntly. She noticed shock cross Hanayo’s face. “Honoka told me you’re Maki’s assistant.”   
  
Hanayo hesitated but eventually nodded, going to the desk and opening a drawer. A moment later she crossed to Nico with a syringe in her hand as well as some cotton, some alcohol and a belt. She carefully sat next to Nico on the bed, tying the belt around her arm before she poured some alcohol onto the cotton buds. She gently dabbed at Nico’s arm. “You ready?”   
  
“Yeah.” Nico whispered, meeting Hanayo’s gaze for a moment. “It’s okay.”   
  
Hanayo swallowed thickly, seeing the pain in Nico’s eyes. She remembered their time in the facility, when Nico had sobbed relentlessly because she was in so much physical and emotional pain. She lowered the syringe to Nico’s arm only for a hand to be thrust in the way. She flinched back.    
  
“Wait, wait.” Kotori said quickly, her eyes wide. “I can’t. I can’t let you do that, Nico-chan.”   
  
“It’s just blood, Kotori.”  Nico said with a sigh. “I need to do this. Does it hurt? Your arms. Do they hurt?”   
  
“Y-Yes.”    
  
“So I need to do this.” Nico watched as Hanayo drew the needle away from her arm. “At the minute this is the only way I can help any of you.”   
  
“You’re feeling it though.” Kotori protested meekly. She hadn’t known that until Hanayo had said it. “I can’t do it, Nico-chan. Raven-kun’s ability is having a stronger effect on you than we thought.”   
  
Nico frowned at the needle. She had never been scared of them before, not since she was a kid. “You came to me for help, Kotori. I-I can take it, okay?”   
  
Kotori frowned guiltily. “You don’t have to be brave Nico-chan.”   
  
“I’m not brave, I’m terrified.” Nico said softly.    
  
Kotori noticed Nico’s hand shaking. “I’m sorry.” She leaned down and carefully hugged Nico, being as gentle as she could. “Thank you, Nico-chan. You’re a good friend.”   
  
She leaned back, taking the needle from Hanayo’s hand. She crossed the room, placing the needle on the desk and headed for the door.   
  
“Wait!” Nico called out for Kotori. “What about you? You said you were in pain.”   
  
Kotori hesitated with her hand on the door handle. She turned, forcing a smile to her lips. “I’m getting used to it. Don’t worry about me, Nico-chan. Thank you for listening to me anyway. I’ll...see you both later.”   
  
“Damn it.” Nico hurriedly took the belt off of her arm when Kotori left. It fell to the floor next to the bed and she leaned forward, burying her head in her hands as her eyes welled up with tears. “Damn it. I can’t keep doing this, Hanayo. I can’t keep feeling. I’m becoming useless. It’s making me weak.”   
  
“It’s not.” Hanayo disagreed, wrapping an arm gently around Nico. “It’s making you stronger. Pain is what keeps people knowing they’re alive. Pain is what reminds you you’re human and it’ll make you stronger with each hit. I promise. It’s okay to feel pain, Nico-chan.”   
  
“I couldn’t even do anything to help Kotori.” Nico protested tearfully, looking up at Hanayo. “I still have my ability. It’s just a little pain, what am I so afraid of?!”   
  
“You’re not used to it yet.” Hanayo said gently, rubbing her girlfriend’s back. “Kotori will understand.”   
  
Nico nodded and wiped at her teary eyes though she still looked pained.    
  
“Nico-chan.” Hanayo waited until she had Nico’s attention before she spoke again. “Bite me.”   
  
“What?!”   
  
“Let me feel your pain. Maybe it’ll help you process things better. If you can imagine you’re passing it on. Like how people say you can give a cold away, right?” Hanayo asked thoughtfully. “It’s worth a try.”   
  
“I don’t want to hurt you.”   
  
“I trust you. You’re not gonna hurt me. Well just a little bit. Please? It’s worth a try, Nico-chan.”    
  
“Fine.” Nico swallowed thickly. “You’re becoming more of a masochist than me.”   
  
Hanayo gave a gentle chuckle. “Do remember I used to bite you just as hard.”   
  
“You drew blood.” Nico pointed out.    
  
“And you loved it.”   
  
“I still will.” Nico closed the space between them, her hand clutching Hanayo’s shoulder. She gave a gasp as Hanayo gripped her arm, tugging her into her lap.    
  
“It’s better this way.” Hanayo said as Nico straddled her lap. “Go ahead, Nico-chan.”   
  
“Okay.” Nico took a deep breath before she leaned forward. She kissed Hanayo’s neck before lightly nipping at it. She tried to be gentle at first but gradually Hanayo’s soft sighs and moans encouraged her to bite down harder, sucking hard at the same time. She could feel Hanayo clutching at her tightly, breathily telling her to be rougher but Nico held herself back, aware that she needed to be careful.    
  
\----   
  
Honoka was watching with a small smile as Arisa sat with Yuki, reading quietly to her while the young girl listened with rapt attention. It was sweet that that the two were becoming so close.    
  
She looked up at the sound of a knock at the door.    
  
“Honoka?” Raven called through the door. “Meeting in the basement. Your future self wants to talk about the new guests.”   
  
“Right, coming.” Honoka stood up from the bed. She had known this would be coming. Her future self had warned them all. She smiled softly as Arisa and Yuki looked up at her. “I won’t be long. Arisa-chan, will you stay in here with Yuki, please?”   
  
Arisa nodded sincerely. “I will.”   
  
“Thank you.” Honoka said gratefully. She took a breath before she turned and left the room where she found Raven waiting outside for her. “Are Eli-senpai and Umi-chan downstairs already?”   
  
Raven nodded in response. “They were just waiting for you. They didn’t want to start without you and your future self isn’t there yet anyway.”   
  
“So she wanted all of us to be there?”    
  
“Yeah. She seemed confused. And she didn’t want Rin’s future self to be there either.” Raven said, shrugging his shoulders.    
  
“Can’t blame her. I don’t even think Nozomi-chan likes this new Rin-chan.” Honoka asked as they began to walk toward the stairs.    
  
“She’s a lot different from the Speedy I’m used to.” Raven said in agreement as they walked down the stairs. “Dia-san is there too. And Sarah, I think her name is. I think your future self asked for them to be there. Me too though I don’t know why she wants me there.”   
  
“Maybe because you’re connected to CORPS. Or maybe because of whatever your reason is for staying here with us.” Honoka said thoughtfully. “Why are you?”   
  
“I don’t really have anywhere else to go. Besides, I have friends here now. I guess.” Raven shrugged sheepishly. “Kotori, Speedy and Doodler. And Hanayo and Nico. I haven’t had that before so I don’t want to leave if I can help it. Not right now, at least. Besides, I think I’m helping here.”   
  
“Like Nico-chan. You helped her.” Honoka paused for a moment at the bottom of the stairs. They continued slowly on their way to the kitchen, neither in a hurry to get to the meeting. “And Hanayo-chan.”   
  
“Yeah, I’m like stuck with those two now.” Raven said with a sheepish laugh.    
  
“Well you’re Hanayo’s wingman, right? And Nico-chan needs someone to baby her sometimes. She can be too much of an adult.” Honoka said seriously before a smile tugged at her lips. “There’s Yuki too. She really looks up to you, probably because you saved her.”   
  
Raven shrugged his shoulders. “Well Nico reminds me of Hisa...my older sister. And Yuki is a good kid.”   
  
“She is.” Honoka said with a smile. She took a deep breath before she opened the basement door and led Raven down the stairs.    
  
Upon reaching the bottom she found the group waiting in the basement. Maki was at her computer and Honoka noticed in surprise that Future Maki and Future Nico were standing behind her. Glancing around she noticed everyone else from Muse standing around, even Future Umi and Future Kotori were standing together. Dia and Sarah were talking quietly between themselves. But there was no sign of Future Rin.    
  
Honoka watched as Raven drifted over to Rin and Hibiki. Letting out a slow breath she walked over to Eli and Umi. Before she opened her mouth to speak though, Honoka appeared suddenly in front of the large group, Tsubasa’s wrist gripped in her hand. Erena was lightly clutching Honoka’s sleeve on the other side.    
  
At the sight of Tsubasa, Eli’s hands lit up with flames and she positioned herself in front of Honoka and Umi, her eyes narrowing. Rin used her speed to run forward, situating herself next to Eli while Kotori quickly looked away.    
  
“What the hell are they doing here?!” Eli hissed at Future Honoka who merely shook her head in silence.    
  
“You’re late.” Maki deadpanned with a sigh.    
  
“Yeah, sorry. Had to get here with these two.” Future Honoka said apologetically.    
  
Tsubasa raised her hand in a slight wave. “Um...hi.”   
  
Eli frowned at the rather timid gesture. “So this is the great crazy Tsubasa? The one who’s going to kill us all?”   
  
“I-I’m not crazy!” Tsubasa exclaimed hurriedly. “It’s just a split personality. Don’t you guys have parasite ability users too?”   
  
“I am.” Hanayo said quietly, causing Tsubasa to glance over at her.    
  
Dia looked away, her mind flitting to Mari.    
  
Kotori backed away slightly, her hands trembling at her sides. She hadn’t known that Tsubasa was going to be there. She felt a hand come to rest lightly on her shoulder and looked up to see Raven standing there, Hibiki next to him.    
  
“Don’t worry.” He said softly.    
  
Kotori took a deep breath and glanced around the room to check where Maki was. She found her girlfriend sitting at her computer staring intently at Tsubasa.    
  
Tsubasa’s gaze locked with the girl who had moved. “Minami-san…”   
  
Maki bolted from her seat at her computer, jumping toward Tsubasa.    
  
Future Maki quickly followed, jumping after Maki before she could reach Tsubasa. She grabbed Maki by the shoulders, taking her to the floor.    
  
“Maki-chan!” Kotori gasped as her girlfriend and the future version of her girlfriend both hit the floor.    
  
“Let me go!” Maki growled, struggling against the girl on top of her. The future version of herself was holding her down, a knee placed in the middle of her back to hold her there. “Why the fuck is she here?!”   
  
“Damn it, calm down.” Future Maki said through gritted teeth, struggling to keep Maki on the floor. “What the hell is wrong with you?!”   
  
“She’s the one who took Kotori.” Maki replied, her eyes brimming with tears as she tried to reach Tsubasa. She remembered vividly seeing Tsubasa teleport away with her girlfriend. “Get OFF me!”   
  
Future Honoka sighed, rubbing her temples. “Get off of her.” She watched as Future Maki did as she was told, albeit reluctantly. Immediately, Maki was on her feet, rushing toward Tsubasa but Honoka stepped in front of the nervous girl. “Maki, stop. We need them. I don’t like it either but we have to work together.”   
  
Maki tried to push past Future Honoka but Future Honoka grasped her arms to keep her still. “ _ Maki! _ . Stand down.”   
  
Maki gritted her teeth, looking past Honoka at Tsubasa. “This isn’t over.”   
  
Future Honoka gently pushed Maki back and waited for her to walk back to her computer before she let out a sigh. “I know this isn’t ideal. But we need to work together if we want to defend ourselves against A-Rise from the future. And Anju. Tsubasa and Erena are on our side. For now, at least.”   
  
“You really think we can trust them?” Dia spoke up from the back of the room. She didn’t pay much attention to the gazes that turned to her. “Their team member killed my friend. The people they work with killed another of my friends and kidnapped another. What makes you think we can trust them?”   
  
“I think we don’t have a choice, that’s all.” Future Honoka replied seriously. “Since the timelines started seeping through, this has gotten a lot worse. We have two more versions of Tsubasa out there. Both of them more powerful than this one. Or at least...crazier than this one.”   
  
“This timeline thing is getting ridiculous.” Future Nico said with a huff of annoyance.   
  
Future Honoka ignored the comment. “We all need to stay vigilant. Either Tsubasa could attack us at any time. Especially the Tsubasa from future Rin’s timeline. From what I’ve heard from Rin she’ll stop at nothing to get what she wants. And what she wants right now is the ability Isla has. Not only Isla in this timeline but Chika too.”   
  
Tsubasa flinched at the mention of Chika’s name. She recalled with a sickening feeling that she had taken the girl’s ability.    
  
“We need to protect Vera too.” Future Honoka added.    
  
“The teleporter with the sunglasses?” Future Umi asked in confusion.   
  
“She’s not a damn teleporter!” Future Honoka snapped irritably. “And about this future version of Rin, I don’t want any of you to thi-” She trailed off suddenly as a streak of orange lightning flashed into the room. Future Rin appeared in front of her and before Honoka could say anything else, Rin had grabbed her and used her speed to run off again.    
  
“Guess the meeting’s over.” Nico concluded thoughtfully, staring at Tsubasa and Erena.    
  
Sarah blinked in confusion. “What...just happened?”   
  
“Looks like Rin’s future self was eavesdropping.” Eli said with a sigh.    
  
“What does she mean, Eli-senpai?” Honoka asked, glancing at her girlfriend. “I thought you said one of the new girls was a teleporter.”   
  
“I don’t know.”   
  
Umi frowned at the simple response. She could tell that Eli was lying to Honoka but she wasn’t sure why. She decided not to press the issue for now.    
  
Maki glared at Tsubasa. Now that Future Honoka was gone she was tempted to go over there and finish what she had started but her anger had ebbed a bit now. She sought out Kotori, finding her standing with Raven and future Maki, the two of them talking quietly to her. It was clear that Kotori was still quite shaken.    
  
Sarah walked closer to Tsubasa, stopping in front of her. “You’ll be with me until Taichou gets back.”   
  
“Right.” Tsubasa noticed movement out of the corner of her eye and looked in that direction to see Hanayo inching closer. She raised a questioning eyebrow. “Koizumi-san, right?”   
  
Hanayo nodded in response. “Yeah. S-So um...you have that whisper in your head too?”   
  
Tsubasa’s brow furrowed as she moved closer, warily. “Yes. The same one that keeps trying to make me take more abilities.”   
  
“Mine is more like wanting to take the hearts out of people.”   
  
“Oh.” Tsubasa said in surprise. “I’m more for brains than hearts.”   
  
“Brains?”   
  
“Yeah, opening up the head and examining the brain gets addictive. Before this whole thing I tried to never go to that extreme but now…”   
  
“It’s hard to control.” Hanayo finished knowingly for Tsubasa.    
  
“Tell me about it.”   
  
Nico frowned as she watched Hanayo and Tsubasa talking. She wasn’t sure if it was even a good idea for them to even be in each other’s vicinity but she knew she couldn’t step in to stop them.    
  
Maki slowly rose to her feet and took a step forward to Kotori, noticing her fiance’s lower lip trembling. She watched as her future self pulled Kotori into a light hug, gently rubbing her back. She paused, her expression troubled. Somehow she got the impression that Kotori was keeping something from her but she wasn’t sure what it was.    
  
“Do you need a hug too, little Maki-chan?”   
  
Maki glanced to her left to see Future Kotori standing there with a small smile on her face. She nodded slightly and gratefully accepted the hug Kotori gave her. She turned into the older version of her girlfriend, tears welling up in her eyes once more and buried her face in Kotori’s chest, hugging her tightly like a scared child.    
  
\----   
  
“What the hell did you do that for?!” Future Honoka snapped, yanking her arm away from Rin as soon as they came to a stop. She vaguely noticed they were outside but she didn’t pay much attention to where they were. “I was in the middle of an important meeting!”   
  
Rin gritted her teeth. “What were you thinking telling them everything you know about the future. God, you really are an IDIOT, aren’t you?! The future is the future for a reason. Nothing has happened yet! Those kids haven’t even been born yet!”   
  
“What does that have to do with anything?!” Honoka scowled in response. She cast a quick glance around to assess where they were and found that they were on the school roof. “That kid needs to learn. She’s a time and space manipulator, Rin! She needs to get control of it and who better to teach her than…”   
  
“Do NOT say you.” Rin warned seriously. “You’re not going anywhere near Vera, do you understand?! As soon as I speak to Maki...the older Maki, we can get this damn ability locked again.”   
  
“Why?!” Honoka asked in frustration. “Why must this be kept a secret. I mean the kid is even forced to wear sunglasses! What the hell is wrong with you people?!”   
  
“Vera needs to be protected!” Rin growled, offended by the insinuation that she was somehow mistreating Vera. “Because her mother doesn’t want Tsubasa or the remnants of CORPS or the world for that matter to find out about Vera’s ability. I’m not trying to hurt her by keeping it a secret, just like Nico wasn’t trying to hurt Isla by forcing me to take her into the speed force. Isla and Vera are complicated cases, okay?”   
  
Honoka exhaled slowly, trying to calm herself down. “Tell me what’s going on.”   
  
Rin stared at Honoka for a long moment before she spoke again. “It’ll hurt you but it will be the best way to shut you up. If you’re willing to hurt yourself with this go ahead and ask me.”   
  
Honoka frowned in confusion at Rin’s answer. “Who are they? All of them.”   
  
“I’ll start with the two easier ones.” Rin said quietly, turning and walking away a couple of steps. She stopped near the fence surrounding the roof and turned to Honoka. “Natsuki is Maki’s. Isla is Hanayo’s.”   
  
Honoka stared at Rin in surprise for a long moment. “Who are their fathers?”   
  
“Natsuki had a donor. Raven is Isla’s father. In my timeline he got Hanayo. Though Nico and I are joint godmothers.”   
  
“The other two?” Honoka asked hesitantly.    
  
Rin clicked her tongue. “Kikyo is adopted. She was found during the liberation of the camp she was in when she was one. She sensed your auras with her ability and she got your attention by crying. You and Umi found her in the arms of a dead agent.”   
  
Honoka blinked at Rin. “So she’s mine? I mean...from the future. From your timeline.” She paused, shaking her head. “Wait, they had babies in those camps?”   
  
“Well her birth was forbidden.” Rin exclaimed, leaning back against the fence. She crossed her arms in front of her chest. “They were going to take her to the ‘orphanage’ to become a special agent.”   
  
Honoka nodded slowly, mulling over the idea. “Right.”   
  
“Vera on the other hand is biological.” Rin continued, watching Honoka closely. “You wanted a child of your own and Umi decided that seeing as she had Kikyo, she wanted Eli to be the kid’s second mom.”   
  
“Eli-senpai is?” Honoka felt her eyes mist with tears and she blinked rapidly against them. “So in the future we’re together a-and we…”   
  
“Have a kid. Yeah.” Rin answered with a sigh. She had known Honoka would find that upsetting. “We have to keep her sunglasses on because if you looked into her eyes you’d know. Anyone would know she’s yours and Eli’s.”   
  
“I think I need to sit down.” Honoka muttered, her hand going to her head. “So I have a kid. In the future. And me and Eli-senpai are together.”   
  
“I didn’t say that.” Rin interrupted bluntly. When Honoka looked up sharply she glanced away.    
  
“With Umi-chan?”   
  
“No…”   
  
“With Nozomi?”   
  
“No. Stop guessing.” Rin bit her lip apprehensively. “Look, Honoka...something happened in the future. Something bad. You...it’s complicated but...well Eli manage to save the kid and she lived too but you...you transferred your ability into Vera while you died in Eli’s arms.”   
  
“W-Wha…?” Honoka felt her knees give out beneath her and grabbed onto the metal fence to keep herself standing. She stared at Rin, feeling her face pale. “I’m dead in your future. I died.”   
  
Rin nodded grimly. “There was nothing anyone could do. Um...Vera went with Eli and Kikyo stayed with Umi.”   
  
“So I’m dead and my kids are seperated...I feel sick.” Honoka muttered. She slowly lowered herself to sit on the floor, burying her head in her hands.    
  
“Eli and Umi still care about each other but they’re more concerned with their own kid.” Rin replied, taking a step closer to Honoka. “You, Eli and Umi were together for three years with Kikyo so Eli and Kikyo are still close. But Umi couldn’t...it was difficult for her after you died. It was hard for both of them but Eli threw herself into taking care of Vera. Umi didn’t have that kind of distraction. Kikyo kept asking about you and Yuki was so upset for such a long time after your death...and that just made it so much harder for Umi. We helped her as best we could of course but she had lost Kotori too.”   
  
A sob sprung from Honoka’s throat, her hands fisting into her hair. “Tell me Maki is taking good care of her kid.”   
  
“She’s doing her best.” Rin crouched down near Honoka but didn’t move to comfort her. “But Maki had lost Kotori too. Nico and Nozomi helped her with Natsuki until Natsuki turned fourteen.”   
  
Honoka glanced up, hope shimmering in her teary eyes. “Nozomi. Is she...okay in the future?”   
  
She had to hope that at least one of her friends was happy in the future.    
  
“Better than most.” Rin said slowly. “She’s practically all of the kids godmother. Even my little twins, Sora and Riku. They’re only seven. All of the kids love Nozomi. You know how she is.”   
  
“Yeah, I do.” Honoka dashed her tears away, sniffling softly. It was a relief to know that Nozomi was alive at least. “What about um...she doesn’t have any kids? Nozomi?”   
  
“Neither her or Nico do.”   
  
Honoka frowned at that. “Nico makes sense but Nozomi…” She paused, struggling to think of a reason for that. “She didn’t want them?”   
  
“No, I think she did.” Rin answered quietly. “It’s complicated, you know?”   
  
“Eli-senpai left her, didn’t she?”   
  
“No. She let Eli go from what I could tell. After Eli there wasn’t really anyone else. Nothing serious anyway. A couple of flings but that’s all. She...well she mainly supports the rest of the group. You know how she is, Nozomi is the mother of the group.”   
  
Honoka looked down at the ground, taking a few minutes to take that in. “Nozomi deserves more.”   
  
“I told you it would hurt. But do you understand now?” Rin said in a whisper.    
  
Honoka swallowed against the lump in her throat. “Let’s talk to Maki.”   
  
Rin nodded and got to her feet. “Hopefully she knows how to lock abilities by now.” She held out her hand to Honoka who paused for a moment before taking it, letting herself be pulled to her feet.    
  
“Honoka. You can’t tell anyone about this. Even Nozomi. Do you understand?”   
  
“I don’t keep things from Nozomi.” Honoka replied, frowning at the suggestion. “I won’t lie to her.”   
  
“You have to.”   
  
TBC.    



	56. Chapter 56

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for the comments guys! Hope you like the chapter!
> 
> Warning(s): Sexual scenes, angst.

“You prefer to be on your own a lot, huh?”  
  
Vera flinched at the sudden question. She had been staring out into the garden out back from the porch but she whirled around to find Kousaka Honoka standing behind there. She recognized her right away from the pictures she had seen as well as the vivid description her other mother had given her. Her hand flew to her face to make sure her shades were still on. “Huh?”   
  
“Sorry.” Honoka smiled sheepishly at the fact that she had managed to startle the girl. “I was just saying you prefer to be alone. I’ve noticed the others...prefer to be in a group.”   
  
“Oh.” Vera fell silent for a moment, unsure as to what to say. She felt overwhelmed at actually seeing her mother. Finally she shrugged. “It’s not that or anything…well maybe a little. Kikyo-nee...Kikyo just thinks I should be more inclusive. But I-I prefer to be alone. I think it’s genetic. Maybe.   
  
Honoka gave a soft smile. “You should rely more on people.”   
  
“Yeah. No.” Vera rolled her eyes. “I’ve done that since I was a kid. I need to be more independent, not less.”   
  
“Hmm.” Honoka leaned against the doorway. “Do you have any hobbies?”   
  
“W-Well...I used to do ballet…”   
  
“Really?!” Honoka perked up at that. “My girlfriend dances too!”   
  
Vera bit her tongue. She didn’t want to say too much.   
  
“I bet you’re really good.” Honoka said brightly.   
  
“Me? N-No way. Not even close. I’m…” Vera trailed off, feeling herself blush. She felt anxious and uncomfortable, her usual cool facade completely disappearing. If Nozomi or Natsuki saw her acting so awkwardly they would tease her mercilessly.   
  
“I’m sure you are.” Honoka disagreed. She took another small step outside but didn’t close the door behind her. She didn’t notice Future Umi stepped closer to the ajar door, having been watching her silently from a few feet back. “Your name is Vera, right?”   
  
Vera nodded silently.   
  
“It’s nice to meet you, Vera-san. I’m Kousaka Honoka.”   
  
“I know.” Vera noticed confusion flit across Honoka’s face and hastened to explain. “I mean everyone knows. You’re the leader, right?”   
  
Honoka gave a nervous laugh and rubbed the back of her neck. “Just for my group. Chika-chan’s a leader too. And Sarah-san…” She frowned thoughtfully to herself. “I don’t really know if I could be called the leader of my group anymore. A-Anyway, do you have a last name?”   
  
“Classified.” Vera said quickly. “Sorry but you shouldn’t be prying into the future, Kousaka-san.”   
  
Honoka twitched at the comment. That tone was almost exactly the same tone as the one Eli had used back when she was student council president. “Right, sorry…” She muttered, frowning. She couldn’t help but feel curious about the newcomes to the house but she knew she shouldn’t press things. “Um so how do you know Rin-chan in the future?”   
  
“Classi…” Vera trailed off, noticing movement behind Honoka. She watched as a familiar white haired girl walked out of the house, pausing at the sight of them.   
  
“Oh.” Isla glanced between Vera and Honoka as if she was surprised to see the two of them together. “What are you doing, Vera?”   
  
“Nothing, don’t worry.” Vera answered stiffly. “I wasn’t doing anything so you can go and tell Rin-san that.”   
  
Isla huffed out a sigh. “You could be a little nicer to me, you know. Even if you don’t like me. Oh and I don’t report to Rin-senpai.”   
  
Isla scoffed and rolled her eyes. “Sure you don’t.”   
  
Honoka glanced between the two in confusion. “Wait, so you two aren’t friends…?”   
  
“No.” Isla answered firmly while Vera shook her head. “She says I irritate her too much.”   
  
“Well you do.”   
  
“Not the point!” Isla exclaimed in frustration. “We’re practically family! You’re meant to like me at least a little bit, you know? Your sister likes me just fine!”   
  
“Kikyo thinks you’re reckless, annoying and stubborn.” Vera corrected matter of factly. “She’s just too nice to be mean about it.”   
  
“Too bad you don’t have that problem…”   
  
“Wait…” Honoka shook her head, frowning slightly. “I’m confused. So are you two...what are you two to each other?”   
  
Vera glared at Isla. “She’s a pain in my…”   
  
“Language!” Isla intervened, holding a hand up.   
  
“Oh, you two are like me and Eli-senpai before she joined the group!” Honoka exclaimed suddenly, her eyes widening.   
  
“WHAT?!” Isla exclaimed loudly. “I have a girlfriend!”   
  
“She’s a pain in my ass!” Vera said in agreement, staring at Honoka in disbelief. “We would never get along!”   
  
“Uh-huh.” Honoka said with a skeptical smile.   
  
“You seriously think we’re dating or something? That’s crazy!” Isla said bluntly.   
  
“Yeah.” Vera agreed though she couldn’t help but blush slightly as she looked at Isla. “It’s not like she even likes me as a friend. Right, Isla?”   
  
“What? Of course I do, it’s you that doesn’t like me.” Isla turned, frowning at Vera. “I wouldn’t say no to being your friend. You’re funny. And you can be sweet at times, you just have...a front that you put up around people you don’t like. Like me.”   
  
Vera hesitated. “I just…”   
  
“Honoka!” Eli’s voice sounded suddenly, causing the three to look toward the door just in time to see her step outside.   
  
Eli’s eyes flitted between the small group and she hurried over to Honoka, lightly gripping her wrist. “What are you doing?”   
  
“Um...just talking to the new people.” Honoka said sheepishly. “I wasn’t doing anything.”   
  
“Come on, we need to go. We can’t talk to them, it might change the future.” Eli tugged at Honoka’s wrist but frowned when Honoka resisted her tugging. “Honoka!”   
  
“I was just talking to them.” Honoka said, clearly confused. “We weren’t talking about the future or anything like that. We were just trying to fix their friendship.”   
  
“We aren’t even friends!” Isla disagreed.   
  
“But you just called her sweet! And you obviously like her so why no-”   
  
“Okay, stop!” Eli interrupted loudly, feeling her head beginning to pound. She was relieved when the three fell silent. “Honoka, you need to leave them alone. It’s not a good idea to get involved with people from the future. It’s dangerous.”   
  
“Vera-chan doesn’t seem dangerous. And didn’t you sleep with my future self?!” Honoka asked, confused by Eli’s blunt behavior.”   
  
“Okay, ew.” Isla said with a distasteful expression.   
  
Honoka frowned over at Isla. “Didn’t you say you have a girlfriend?”   
  
“Yeah but we don’t…” Isla trailed off, blushing profusely.   
  
“Wait.” Vera glanced at Isla in shock. “You and Natsuki have never…”   
  
“No!”   
  
Vera smirked. “Oh so Natsuki is taking it slowly, huh?”   
  
“Shut up.”   
  
“It’s cute.”   
  
“Shut up. For your information, Natsuki wants to.” Isla straightened up, trying to look confident. “I’m the one who said no.”   
  
“Huh? But...oh, you’re nervous!” Vera chuckled softly to herself. “Want me to teach you a few things so you’re not as nervous when the time comes for you to do it properly.”   
  
“Sure.” Isla noticed Vera’s eyes widen in surprise and she smirked to herself. “Kidding. I’m just kidding.”   
  
“Okay, that’s enough!” Eli finally interrupted the group again, her voice loud enough to make Honoka flinch in surprise. “Honoka, come on. We’re going.”   
  
“What? But I wanna talk to Vera-chan and Isla-chan some more…”   
  
“Damn it, Honoka! Would you just do as I ask FOR ONCE?!”   
  
Honoka tugged her hand from Eli’s grip and took a few steps back.   
  
Isla watched as Vera flinched in response too. “We’d better go. You still want those lessons?” She didn’t wait for an answer before Isla grabbed her hand and used her speed to run off.   
  
Eli was left staring at Honoka. “I-I’m sorry. I’m so sorry, Honoka. Just...you need to remember that these people could be anyone. We don’t know how they know Rin. Or us. You need to keep your distance.”   
  
“No.” Honoka answered firmly even as she stared at Eli with hurt in her eyes. “I won’t. Nobody else has to so why should I? I saw Hanayo-chan talking to the blue haired girl earlier. And Kotori is always with the red haired girl.”   
  
“It doesn’t matter! It’s not about them, it’s about…” Eli trailed off, realizing she was about to say too much. “Just stay away from them, Honoka. I’m asking you. Please. I love you. It’s for your safety, just trust me on this.”   
  
Honoka stared at Eli. “You’re keeping something from me.”   
  
Eli grimaced. “Honoka, I…”   
  
“Fine.” Honoka interrupted, looking away from Eli. “I’ll stay away from them because you asked me to.” She hesitated for a moment, unsure as to what else to say. She couldn’t help but feel a little upset about Eli ordering her around and keeping things from her. She let out a soft sigh and moved past Eli, heading back toward the door.   
  
“Honoka.” Eli caught Honoka’s hand on the way to the door. “I just want to protect you. I need you to be safe, that’s all.”   
  
Honoka frowned down at their hands. “You won’t tell me why though, right?”   
  
“Because you’re dead in their future!” Eli blurted out hurriedly.   
  
Honoka stared at Eli for a long moment. She had to admit it didn’t come as a surprise. “Why does that matter? Who am I to them?”   
  
Eli gritted her teeth. “Honoka, I can’t.” She felt Honoka’s hand slip from hers and her own fell back to her side.   
  
“I thought so.” Honoka mumbled, sliding her hands into her jacket pocket. She took a deep breath. She knew that she didn’t match up to her future self but it was as though nobody trusted her at all.   
  
“I can’t.” Eli repeated, a growing lump in her throat. “It’ll only hurt you. E-Even future Honoka isn’t talking to the future kids.”   
  
Honoka’s brow furrowed. “They’re around our age though…”   
  
Eli paled at her own slip up. “I-I didn’t mean that. I just mean...they seem a lot younger than us. Will you promise me you’ll keep your distance?”

  
“I guess.” Honoka muttered, looking away in annoyance.   
  
Eli swallowed thickly. “Are you angry with me?”   
  
“Yes.”  Honoka briefly closed her eyes. “I’m going to find Yuki. I think she’s with Rin-chan and Hibiki-chan again.”   
  
“I want to tell you!” Eli exclaimed, tears brimming in her eyes. “I really do but it’ll only hurt you. Honoka, you being dead is the worst thing for Muse. I know you hate people lying to you, I know you especially hate _me_ lying to you but...please don’t leave me. I just want to protect you, I-I don’t have a choice.”   
  
Honoka felt her own eyes prickle with tears as she noticed Eli’s tears. “There’s always a choice, Eli-senpai.” Her shoulders slumped in defeat. “I’m not a stupid kid. I’m NOT. I want to be useful to the group too but even _you_ talk to me like I’m a stupid kid sometimes. I lost my family and I handled it, I almost lost my best friends twice, I know I’m going to die in the future because I’ve already SEEN it. I can handle whatever this is.”   
  
“I’m sorry. Please...please try to understand, Honoka. This is something we both need to stay away from. Those girls...we should keep our distance from all of them. Just trust me. Not just for us but for them. You trigger them.”   
  
“I’ll stay away from them. I promise.” Honoka said softly, avoiding Eli’s gaze. “You asked me to and I trust you. I just wish you trusted me too.”   
  
“I DO TRUST YOU!” Eli’s words rang out around the yard and Honoka’s eyes snapped up to lock with tearful icy blue. “I trust you with my life, Honoka. But there are things you shouldn’t have to deal with. This is one of them. You already have enough to think about with Yuki and Umi and Yukiho. And everyone else who relies on you. I wish I could tell you, I wish the future wasn’t what it is but...”   
  
Honoka felt her anger ebb a bit as Eli’s voice cracked. Watching tears slide down Eli’s cheeks she couldn’t help but step forward to hug the tearful blonde. She felt Eli gasp and hug her back tightly.   
  
“I’m still angry with you.” Honoka said softly as Eli buried her face in her crook of her neck.   
  
“I’m sorry.”   
  
“You’re lucky I love you so much.” Honoka mumbled before she slowly drew away from the embrace. She pressed her lips briefly to Eli’s forehead, feeling Eli take a shuddering breath.   
  
“Are we okay?” Eli whispered nervously.   
  
Honoka hesitated. “We will be.” She slowly let go of Eli and turned, walking back into the house.   
  
Eli cursed under her breath, her chest aching and her eyes prickling once more.   
  
\----   
  
“You know I’m not dumb, right?”   
  
Isla flinched at the question. She had been busy staring at Isla as the girl paced so she hadn’t expected the question. Her breath caught as icy blue eyes turned to her. “Huh?”   
  
“I know that my ability isn’t teleportation. It’s something else.” Vera explained simply.   
  
Isla‘s brow furrowed in confusion. “Have you learned something?”   
  
“Take my hand.” Vera reached her hand out to Isla who seemed to hesitate for a moment before taking it. Focusing, she stopped time around them.   
  
Isla glanced around. She felt like she was in the speed force but she wasn’t. Everything was so much stiller suddenly. “Vera.”   
  
“See, we both have complications.” Vera muttered. “So...you want to be my friend or something, right?” She waited for Isla to nod before she continued. “I want to trust you. I just feel afraid.”   
  
Isla smiled softly. Vera was just like Eli, it seemed. “I won’t tell anyone, you know. If you don’t want them to know you’re friends with me. You can still call me annoying and reckless if you want to.”   
  
Vera smiled genuinely for what seemed like the first time in a long time. “Thank you. I-I can’t believe I’ve been shielded from this for so long. Like I’m some fragile doll.”   
  
“You’re not, you’re strong. I mean you didn’t even freak out when you saw your mom.” Isla said, wide eyed. “I saw mine for a few minutes and I ended up a mess. Pretty stupid, huh?” She blushed sheepishly, averting her eyes.   
  
“Damn it, you’re too cute to stay mad at.” Vera said playfully. She gently yet briefly touched Isla’s arm, ice blue eyes melting into something softer. “I-I guess we could be friends.”   
  
“Opposites attract, huh?”   
  
“Really? You’re using that phrase?” Vera raised an eyebrow playfully and leaned in.   
  
Isla blushed and backed away. “Um, I mean…”   
  
“It’s fine. You can say anything here.” Vera said, awed by the sense of freedom she felt. “I know Honoka will sense it and even Rin-san but I don’t care. I can be myself here.”   
  
“You can always be yourself when you’re with me.” Isla mumbled, earning herself a surprised look. “W-What? I’m just saying! I already wanted you to be my friend before so...ugh, stop laughing at me.”   
  
“I’m not laughing.” Vera said despite grinning. “So you’re saying you were attracted before?”   
  
“W-Well I mean I kinda knew you since elementary and always thought you were kind of pretty but always totally out of my league. And you acted like I was bothering you too so I decided to stay away. I-I mean...what am I saying?!”   
  
Vera smiled softly but didn’t comment. She instead tugged out her necklace from under her shirt, just a simple cross. “I can finally let this be free instead of hiding it. I know my mother has the same one.”   
  
Isla looked at the necklace, inadvertently looking at Vera’s chest too. She had to admit, the girl’s chest was nice.   
  
“Up here, speedy.” Vera teased, nudging Isla’s chin with her fingers to get her to look up. She smiled warmly when forest green eyes met her own. “Not that I don’t like the attention but we were talking so…”   
  
Isla shook her head in disbelief. “As if you don’t get enough attention already. I mean you’re hot.”   
  
Vera felt her cheeks flush. “I-I don’t get that much attention. It’s not like anyone sees me in that way. My friends just think of me as family and...”   
  
“Good thing we’re not friends then.” Isla joked, a nervous smile tugging at her lips. She noticed shock cross Vera’s face. “Ah, maybe that was too far. Sorry.”   
  
Vera looked away. “I guess since we’re being honest...I am slightly attracted to you. Physically. For being a year younger you actually have a well defined body.”   
  
Isla gave a slight laugh as Vera blushed. “Ah, thanks.”   
  
Icy blue eyes daringly locked with forest green. “So in this place we can let our emotions out, right?”   
  
“Yes.”   
  
“Don’t kill me.” Vera requested, inching forward. “I just want to get this out, nothing more, nothing less.”   
  
“I don’t judge. Promise.” Isla signed a cross over her heart, earning herself a exasperated sigh from Isla.   
  
“You’re an idiot. Well here’s to an eventually broken friendship.” Vera took Isla’s face in her hands and kissed her on the lips. She felt Isla kiss back for a moment before she slowly drew away. “Um...was that okay?”   
  
“Yeah.” Isla rasped in response. “W-Wait, I mean no. I mean it was nice. But I have a girlfriend.”   
  
“It’s our secret. Nobody will know anything.” Vera soothed gently, noticing Isla looked panicked. “I mean don’t you just want to get away from everything?”   
  
Isla thought about that for a moment before she lunged forward and kissed Vera hard. The two stumbled back against the wall and as Isla deepened the kiss she reached down to grasp the back of her newfound friend’s thighs, picking her up. She pinned her to the walls using her hips and felt legs lock around her waist. She growled under her breath, feeling nimble fingers tug her hair out of her signature ponytail. She had never felt such primal desire. With Natsuki it was sweet but with Vera it was just passionate.   
  
Isla didn’t want to pull away from the kiss but eventually her chest started to feel tight and she was forced to draw away to take a breath. Her hands, which had been resting under Vera’s legs shifted up slightly to keep her steady. She looked up at Vera, forest green eyes meeting soft blue. “I hate hiding. In the damn speed force. Always having to do what Rin-senpai says. I’m tired of ignoring my parents. Even if my mom is with Nico-san. I shouldn’t have to hide.”   
  
“I know.” Vera rested her hands gently on Isla’s shoulders, content to stay where she was for now. “It’s the same for me. Having no clue about my true ability. A stranger had to tell me! They’ve always been so overprotective. Always forcing me to stay indoors when other children could go out...I want to be free. I want to do what I want.”   
  
“Well you’re doing what you want now, aren’t you?” Isla said with a small smile.   
  
“That’s because we’re in this...whatever this is.” Vera said, glancing around in confusion. Everything around them looked the same but she could tell everything had stopped. “Do you...want to stop?”   
  
“No. But you have to save your energy. And I have a…”   
  
“Girlfriend. I know.” Vera said softly. “Then you should probably let go, Isla.”   
  
“I don’t want to.” Isla blurted out. She noticed Vera raise an eyebrow and blushed. “Sorry. It’s just...we’re friends now, right? In this...place. What if when we step out of it, we go back to normal? What if you go back to being pissed at me all of the time and I have to go back to pretending that you annoy me too even though I just want to talk to you and...and I’m talking too much. You must think I’m an idiot.”   
  
Vera smirked at the rambling. “How didn’t I know you had this kind of side to you?” She asked thoughtfully before she shook her head. “We could keep doing this. If you want.”   
  
Isla blinked up at Vera. “The kissing?”   
  
“No! I mean...well that too maybe but we could use this place more.” Vera said hurriedly. “I do want to explore more of this power and since you have so many different abilities we could...train together or other stuff.”   
  
“I don’t know.” Isla said hesitantly, her mind flitting to her girlfriend. “I don’t want to hurt Natsuki.”   
  
Vera gave a soft sigh. “Well...time isn’t really passing while we do this. So...I guess that means it doesn’t count, right?”   
  
Isla’s brow furrowed. “That doesn’t make sense. Does it? Ugh. I don’t know.” She carefully lowered Vera back to the floor but made sure she left a hand on her so as not to break their connection.   
  
“Nothing makes sense anymore.” Vera lightly pecked Isla’s cheek. “It’s okay, you can think about it. Maybe I’m just being selfish. Huh, I never thought I’d use that word. Sorry, I need to go to Kikyo-nee-san. She’ll be worried about me.”   
  
Isla felt time start around them, her brow furrowing slightly. She quickly took her hands away from Vera and watched as the girl put her shades on before teleporting away.   
  
“What are you doing?”   
  
Isla turned around only to find Hanayo narrowing her eyes at her. “Uh…”   
  
“Why were you with her and not your girlfriend?”   
  
Isla’s eyes widened. She knew that Hanayo couldn’t have seen anything really. “Uh…”   
  
“What’s wrong with you?” Hanayo frowned, unnerved by the girl’s reaction.   
  
“N-Nothing!” Isla exclaimed, her voice a little higher than usual. “Vera was just upset a-and…”   
  
Hanayo’s eyes glowed. “Don’t brush me off damn it. You’re worse than Hibiki, all of you coming in here, acting like you’re in charge…”   
  
Isla shrunk back toward the ajar door behind her, her eyes wide.   
  
“I should just pull your hearts out.” Hanayo’s eyes pulsed, glowing bright purple. “Especially that future version of Rin. She’s pissing off everyone, even my Rin-chan!”   
  
“M-Mo...I-I mean Hanayo, please...please calm down.” Isla backed away, her hands raised in front of her as Hanayo approached. Suddenly she felt her back collide with something and saw someone dart past out of the corner of her eye.   
  
“Hanayo, calm down.” Nico grabbed onto Hanayo’s hand and glanced over her shoulder as Nozomi and Maki entered too the room behind her. She glared at Isla. “How the hell did you activate her parasite?! She was getting BETTER!”   
  
“I-I…” Isla shook her head, her heart pounding against her chest. She could barely take in what Nico was saying.   
  
“I have to stop them.” Hanayo growled furiously. “I have to kill them.”   
  
“Okay, enough!” Maki stepped forward and pressed her hand to Hanayo’s forehead just as Nozomi grasped the girl’s other arm. She focused her ability and watched as Hanayo’s eyes rolled back into her head before she fell into Nico’s arms.   
  
“You okay?”   
  
Isla looked up at the person who had been clutching her shoulder, her eyes widening when she found her dad standing there. Her eyes clouded with tears and she surged forward, hugging him tightly. She couldn’t help it. She had never seen her mother look at her like that before.   
  
“Oh.” Raven’s eyes widened at the sudden embrace. “There’s...hugging. Right.” He glanced over at Nico, Nozomi and Maki, at a loss as he hesitantly hugged the girl back.   
  
“What the hell did you say to her?” Nico growled, ignorant of Isla’s state. “How did you do this?!”   
  
“Nico.” Raven frowned at Nico and shook his head. “Just leave her alone, okay? Not now.”   
  
“Seriously?!” Nico threw her hands up in frustration. “You don’t even know her.”   
  
“So what? I didn’t know any of you before and I still helped you. You’re scaring her.” Raven said, frowning at Nico. “Make sure Hanayo is okay. I’ll help...um…”   
  
“I think her name is Isla.” Nozomi said quietly, rubbing her temples. She wasn’t sure what she could feel from the girl in question but she knew it was a _lot_ . “She’s a speedster.”   
  
“Right. Isla. I’ve got this.” Raven lightly gripped Isla’s shoulders, gently urging her away. “Come on, I’ll make you some tea. Or I’ll ask Kotori to, I’m not so good at it.”   
  
Isla let out a tearful laugh and nodded her head quickly in response. She forced herself not to look back at Hanayo as Raven led her from the room.   
  
“What’s the deal with that?” Maki asked in confusion.   
  
Nozomi sighed and shrugged her shoulders. “This timeline situation is getting ridiculous…”   
  
\---   
  
Hanayo stirred to a pressure upon the top of her head. Her eyes fluttered open and she frowned sleepily when she saw Nozomi sitting at her side. She glanced around, noticing Nico sitting at her other side while Maki was standing at the end of the bed.   
  
“What happened?”   
  
“You almost attacked one of the new girls.” Maki answered pointedly, crossing her arms in front of her chest.   
  
Hanayo groaned. “How bad was it? Did I scare her as much as I scared Hibiki?”   
  
“Well we stopped you before you phased your hand so…” Nico said, trying to reassure her girlfriend.   
  
“Yes, you did.” Nozomi interjected with a sigh. “You really scared her. I could feel it.”   
  
Hanayo pushed herself into a sitting position, frowning at Nozomi. “This isn’t my fault. She shouldn’t be here. None of them should be here!”   
  
“That’s not for you to decide and it’s not okay that you’re threatening to rip people’s hearts out.” Maki said stiffly, narrowing her eyes at Hanayo. “I thought you were getting this under control.”   
  
“I thought I was! I can’t help it!” Hanayo exclaimed loudly. “Split personality, remember? It’s not like I _want_ to kill people.”   
  
“Your problem is you’re irrationally angry at the wrong people.” Nozomi pointed out, doing her best to speak gently despite how much the situation was frustrating her. “You don’t lose your temper like this around Tsubasa. And that girl hasn’t done anything to you. In fact I‘m fairly certain you were friends or something in the future. She wasn’t just scared when you tried to attack her. She was hurt. Betrayed.”   
  
“I don’t care, it’s NOT my future!” Hanayo pounded her fist down onto the bed, causing Nozomi to flinch slightly. “What? Are you scared of me now?”   
  
“Yes.” Nozomi answered simply. “Of course I am. You’re dangerous, Hanayo. You know that.”   
  
“Maybe we should have her be trained by Tsubasa.” Nico suggested, earning herself shocked looks from Nozomi and Maki. “Tsubasa seems to be able to control herself without help. Maybe she can help us. Hanayo needs help. She needs a mentor.”   
  
Maki and Nozomi shared a look before they both nodded reluctantly.   
  
“I guess we don’t have much of a choice.” Nozomi relented quietly. She didn’t like the idea but she didn’t know what else to do. “I don’t know what else we could try.”   
  
Hanayo frowned at the fact that they were talking about her as if she weren’t even in the room. She relaxed as Nico gripped her hand, squeezing it gently.   
  
\----   
  
Vera stared at the ceiling, struggling to doze off. She couldn’t stop thinking about what had happened earlier. About using her ability for the first time. It both scared and excited her. She sighed softly, closing her eyes as her thoughts shifted to Isla. She didn’t know why she had done what she had. It was a spur of the moment decision. Usually Isla infuriated her.   


Her eyes darted open at the feeling of a sudden gust of wind. She pushed herself up in bed to find Isla standing at the side of her bed.   
  
“Isla?” She whispered. She didn’t dare speak louder. Given that the only free beds were in the infirmary, most of the girl’s were staying together with the exception of Isla and future Rin.   
  
“Will you come with me?” Isla asked softly, holding out a hand to Vera. “I really need…” Her voice cracked and she briefly closed her eyes. “Please?”   
  
“Okay.” Vera slipped her hand into Isla’s and watched as the girl moved, lightning quick to pick her up before dashing from the room.   
  
Vera blinked and the next thing she knew she was outside. She didn’t recognize where they were, only that they were outside, seemingly in a park of some kind. She shivered as Isla set her down on her feet.   
  
“Sorry.” Isla took her jacket off and wrapped it around Vera’s shoulders.   
  
“What do you want to talk abou-” Vera was cut off as Isla suddenly hugged her tightly. Her eyes widened in surprise at the abruptness of the action. “Um...okay, what’s happening?”   
  
“I’m sorry. Can you just hug me back? Just for a minute. I need this.” Isla’s voice was thick with emotion as she spoke. “Please, Vera.”   
  
Vera hesitated for a moment before she hugged Isla back. “What’s wrong?”   
  
“I just want to forget everything. I want to go home.” Isla whimpered, clutching Isla tightly. “I-I think my mom wants to kill me.”   
  
“Wait, what?!”   
  
“She said she’d tear my heart out. And that I shouldn’t...shouldn’t be here.” Isla said tearfully. “She doesn’t know who I am but...she hates me, Vera. She really hates me.”   
  
“That’s crazy.” Vera slowly drew away, clutching Isla’s arms and tugged her over to a nearby bench, sitting her down. She took a seat next to her. “I mean there has to be a reason!”   
  
Isla shrugged her shoulders. “Her eyes were glowing. She hates me.”   
  
Vera sighed softly as tears tracked down Isla’s cheeks. “I’m sorry.” She lifted her hand, gently wiping Isla’s tears.   
  
“What’s wrong with me?” Isla asked in a whisper. “It has to be me, right? My mom hates me, you hated me, I-I don’t even have any friends besides Kikyo and Natsuki. And my aunts.” She bowed her head, blinking back tears. “What’s wrong with me, Vera?”   
  
Vera opened and closed her mouth. She didn’t know what to say. She wanted to reassure Isla and tell her she had a lot of friends. She did, in the future. And Isla’s sister adored her. But she couldn’t force the words. Instead she cupped Isla’s face in her hands and kissed her gently.   
  
Isla sniffled softly when Vera drew away. “What are you doing? We’re not in your...time thing.”   
  
“Shhh.” Vera kissed Isla again, more insistent this time and felt the girl slowly relax. She slowly crawled into Isla’s lap, intent on distracting the girl from what she was worrying about. She felt hands settle at her waist and allowed her lips to wander from Isla’s down to her neck.   
  
“I don’t hate you.” Vera whispered hotly into Isla’s ear. “I never did.”   
  
Isla shuddered at the comment, warm breath brushing against her ear. “Vera…”   
  
“Isla.” Vera said back, her voice husky. She lightly nipped at the skin beneath her lips, her breathing growing heavier. “Should I stop?”   
  
Isla shook her head quickly. She turned her head, catching Vera’s lips in a deep kiss as she drew the girl closer to her. It once more struck her by surprise that kissing Vera felt so right, even though it wasn’t right at all. She had a girlfriend. But not even kissing Natsuki felt like kissing Vera.   
  
She pressed her tongue past Vera’s parted lips, deepening the kiss and heard her whimper softly, the sound causing a shiver to course through her own body. It was only when she felt a hand trail down to her chest that she pulled away.   
  
“V-Vera-san, wait. What are we doing?”   
  
Vera looked away guiltily. “You’re right. My apologies. You’re still not ready for that.”   
  
Isla blushed. “That’s not what I mean. Just...I’m a mess. And I have…”   
  
“I know.”   
  
“But I want you.” Isla said softly, her brow furrowed in confusion. “But I have a…”   
  
“I know.” Vera interrupted again.   
  
“I have to talk to her. I can’t...this is so confusing.” Isla sighed and tilted her head back to look up at Vera. She didn’t know what to make of her sudden attraction to her. A day ago they hadn’t even been friends. “Let me take you home. Thank you for...this.”   
  
Vera flashed Isla a teasing smirk. “It was good for me too.”   
  
“Vera!” Isla sighed and shook her head but surprised Vera with another quick hug.   
  
Before Vera could think to say anything else, Isla took off running and a matter of seconds later, Vera found herself in bed again, Isla nowhere to be found. Sighing, she lay back down, staring at the ceiling once more. It seemed like it wasn’t going to get any easier to sleep.   
  
\----   
  
Natsuki was just dozing off when she heard a creak behind her followed by a dip in the mattress. She turned over to see Isla sitting on the edge of the bed. “Isla? Hey, you coming to bed?”   
  
Isla shook her head, wringing her hands nervously.   
  
“What’s wrong?” Natsuki asked in concern, pushing herself into a sitting position.   
  
“Nothing, I’m fine, Nat-chan.” Isla replied quietly, looking down at her hands. “Well...I-I need to talk to you about something.”   
  
Natsuki frowned. “What is it?”   
  
“Do you love me? I-I mean I know I’m your friend but are you...in love with me?” Isla noticed Natsuki looked surprise. “You can say no.  I just want to know how you feel about me?”   
  
“W-Well I’m not really ready to say... _in_ love but…”   
  
“Nat-chan.” Isla interrupted quickly. “I-I think we should maybe...go back to being friends.”   
  
Natsuki’s eye twitched. “A-Are you serious…? What? _WHAT?!”_ _  
_ _  
_ Isla cringed at the hurt tone in Natsuki’s voice. “Don’t make me say it.” She hesitated when Natsuki narrowed her eyes. “I think I like Vera. And it wouldn’t be fair for me to stay with you when I want to…” She trailed off, blushing at the thoughts that had crossed her mind more than a few times.   
  
“So that’s it, huh?” Natsuki asked softly. “I thought you liked me too. You told me you loved me.”   
  
“I-I know but...I do. I meant it. You’re my best friend. But I have feelings for Vera and…”   
  
“Okay, Isla.” Natsuki interrupted hurriedly. “Alright. I understand. If you want to see where things go with Vera, it’s fine. I figured this might happen anyway so...I hope it works out.”   
  
Isla stared at Natsuki in surprise as the girl settled back down in bed. “Wait, are you serious?”   
  
“Yeah.” Natsuki threw an arm over her eyes with a tired sigh. “Goodnight, Isla.”   
  
“R-Right. Goodnight.” Isla stood from the bed, her stomach in knots and her chest tight. She slowly backed away from Natsuki and turned, leaving the room.   
  
Natsuki waited until she was sure Isla had left before she turned onto her side, her shoulders shaking with silent sobs as she curled up under her blankets.   
  
She wasn’t sure how long she lay there, going over what Isla had said before she felt her blankets being tugged away. She looked up, catching a flash of blue hair.   
  
“Move over, I’m getting in.” Kikyo said softly. She waited until Natsuki scooted over before she climbed into bed with her. “I...I heard.”   
  
“I am in love with her.” Natsuki whispered tearfully, almost afraid to admit it. “I love her.”   
  
“I know.” Kikyo shifted, letting Natsuki moved closer to her. She wrapped her arms around Natsuki and gently rubbed her back. “She might come back.”   
  
“Why would she? It’s been obvious since we were kids that they liked each other. Your sister just doesn’t know how to speak to Isla properly. I don’t know what I was thinking, getting myself into this...”   
  
Kikyo sighed, running her fingers gently through red locks. “I’m sorry.”   
  
“Yeah. I know.”   
  
“No, I mean I’m sorry. Vera’s my sister and...I’m sorry that she...that they hurt you.” Kikyo said quietly, her brow furrowing. “You know Vera understands Isla. And I know they both yearn for freedom from different things. So maybe it’s not anything more than them being attracted to each other and trying to make something more out of it. There’s more to a relationship than what they have. You and Isla are good for each other. She’ll be back, I know it.”   
  
“She never wanted to go all the way with me either.” Natsuki said thoughtfully, mostly to herself. “Maybe she wasn’t that attracted.”   
  
Kikyo buried her face in Natsuki’s shoulder. “Shameless.”   
  
“At least I’m not the only single person, huh?” Natsuki joked weakly. “You’re twenty one and you still can’t talk about sex.”   
  
“Natsuki, shut up!”   
  
Natsuki smiled softly at the response. “Will you stay here tonight? If anyone asks tomorrow I’ll make something up. I’ll tell them I had a nightmare or…”   
  
“I’m staying.” Kikyo replied without hesitation. “I don’t care what you tell everyone.”   
  
“Thank you.” Natsuki breathed a sigh of relief and closed her eyes.   
  
Across the room, Vera gritted her teeth. She was shocked and angry that Isla had broken up with Natsuki but at the same time she felt giddy at the idea that Isla might be thinking of choosing her. Still, she felt guilty too as she listened to Natsuki sniffle across the room. Natsuki was a close friend to her and she didn’t want to do anything to hurt her.   
  
She sighed softly. She needed to talk to Isla but she wasn’t even sure what she would say to the girl. She didn’t want to turn her down, she just wished that Natsuki could be happy too.   
  
\-----   
  
Kanan couldn’t help but notice that You seemed a little distracted as they trained together. Or not exactly distracted but like she was focusing intently on what they were doing, to the point that she wasn’t moving as naturally as she usually would have, Kanan realized after a few moments.   
  
“You okay?” She asked, ducking another of You’s punches. Naturally she felt the urge to use her power in response but that wasn’t what the training was about.   
  
“Yeah. Just trying to focus.” You answered, turning to face Kanan. She half-heartedly blocked a kick from Kanan, using her right arm.   
  
“Okay, let’s take a break.” Kanan stepped back, her breathing slightly heavy. She turned, making her way over to the towel she’d dropped on the floor. “What’s going on? You seem like you’re overthinking this too much. We’re just training.”   
  
“I’m not, I’m just...thinking about other things.” You answered vaguely. She watched as Kanan wiped her face with the towel. “Were you guys ever scared of my ability?”   
  
“No.” Kanan answered without hesitation. “Why would we be scared?”   
  
You shrugged her shoulders. “I could really hurt someone. You know the kind of things I can do with this ability. I could kill someone.”   
  
“I could too. Are you scared of me?”   
  
“It’s not the same.” You said, frowning to herself. “I have super strength, I could accidentally hurt any of you.”   
  
“But you never have.” Kanan sat down on the floor, leaning against the wall and patted the space next to her. She waited until You sat down before she spoke again. “Where is all of this coming from?”   
  
“I have before. I hurt Chika-chan.” You drew her knees to her chest, distress evident on her face. “When she wasn’t feeling anything, I-I had to punch her. That’s how we got her to feel again. She could only feel me touching her so I was the only person who could do it and Raven-san said he could amplify her senses to fix her. I didn’t want to.”   
  
Kanan shifted closer to You, wrapping an arm around her shoulders. “Hey, calm down. Do you remember when your abiility first started to develop?”   
  
You’s flinched, tears pricking at her eyes as she thought about it   
  
“You pushed me really hard.” Kanan reminded You. “You were about seven then. My ribs were fractured and I couldn’t swim for a month.”   
  
“Why are you making me remember that?!”   
  
“What did I say to you after it happened?” Kanan asked patiently, refusing to draw away from You.   
  
“Y-You said you weren’t scared of me! But you should have been!” You exclaimed loudly. “I hurt you. I hurt you really bad, Kanan!” She turned to look at Kanan in anguish. “If I did that now it would be worse. A lot worse.”   
  
“I know. But you wouldn’t. You only did it then because you didn’t know your own strength. You do now. And you have control. I trust you, You.”   
  
You bowed her head, tears streaming their way down her cheeks. “I’m scared I’ll lose control. What if I get so angry that I just lash out? What if I hurt you or Chika-chan or someone else from our group of Honoka-chan’s group? I promised I would protect you and Chika with this ability but i-it’s useless! It’s not good for anything but hurting people.”   
  
Kanna gripped You’s arm, gently turning her before she hugged her tightly. “You protect us all of the time, You. You…”   
  
“I couldn’t protect Riko-chan!” You blurted out, pressing her face into Kanan’s shoulder. “I couldn’t do anything but watch her die! And I couldn’t protect Chika-chan when Tsubasa attacked her!”   
  
“You can’t do everything, You. I should have protected Riko-chan too. I’m more responsible for that than you, I-I’m the oldest. I was meant to protect you.” Kanan gently rubbed You’s back, trying to soothe her. “It’s not your fault. If you ask Chika she’ll tell you the same thing. You should talk to her. Sounds like you need some love and Chika’s the best person to give you that…”   
  
“Kanan-chan!” You pulled away, blushing and teary but still managed a small laugh.   
  
“I mean because you love her the most. You’re a pervert.” Kanan teased, giving You a gentle nudge. She was glad she’d managed to get a laugh from her friend though. “But really, you should talk to her.”   
  
You nodded slowly, brushing away the rest of her tears. “Yeah. Yeah, thanks, Kanan-chan. I’ll talk to her.”   
  
“Good. But don’t forget you can talk to me about anything too. Unless it’s about how good sex with Chika is. I don’t need to know that.”   
  
You gently swatted Kanan’s knee, earning herself a soft laugh.   
  
“See? I told you you had control.”   
  
“Yeah, yeah…”   
  
\---   
  
Future Umi scanned the attic surrounding, taking in the dusty walls and boxes that surrounded her. She wasn’t sure she had ever been in Kotori’s attic, even when they were children and used to play hide and seek around the spacious house. She remember that Honoka had always been in awe whenever she had visited either Umi or Kotori’s houses because Honoka’s was so much smaller than theirs.   
  
She sighed softly, looking down at the futon she was sitting on. She had figured she would be fine in the attic but she felt nothing but lonely when she was sitting on her own. She longed to get back to her own Honoka in her own timeline.   
  
Lost in her thoughts, she jumped in surprise when Future Honoka suddenly appeared in front of her. “Honoka!” She gasped, her hand going to her chest. “You shouldn’t use your ability for trivial thi...what’s wrong?”   
  
“I just wanted to see you.” Future Honoka dropped to her knees in front of Umi and hugged her tightly, her eyes shrouded with tears.   
  
Surprised by the suddenness of the embrace, the collision caused Umi to tumble onto her back, Honoka going with her. “Honoka…”   
  
“I-I’m sorry.” Honoka said tearfully. “I didn’t know who else to go to, I can’t...I can’t…”   
  
“Shh, it’s okay.” Umi wrapped her arms around Honoka even as her heart pounded against her chest at the position they were in. “What happened?”   
  
“Those kids are ours and Eli-senpai’s. Kikyo is yours and mine and Vera is mine and Eli’s. Kotori is dead, I’m dead, Hanayo is dead...Screw future Rin. _Damn_ it.”   
  
“H-Honoka…” Umi wasn’t sure what to say, overwhelmed by information.   
  
“I’m sorry.” Honoka whimpered again, pressing close to Umi’s warmth. “I wish I could tell Nozomi but Rin won’t goddamn let me! She’s probably spying on me but you’re part of the future so you can know. It’s just...nobody from this timeline can know.”   
  
“It’s okay.” Umi soothed, her hand moving briefly to Honoka’s hip. She let it rest there, lightly caressing and fought the urge to kiss Honoka’s head. This Honoka wasn’t her Honoka but they were built so similarly. “It’s going to be okay, I promise.”   
  
“You smell like her.” Honoka buried her nose in Umi’s collar. “Like my Umi.”   
  
Umi exhaled slowly. “I thought I could handle being here with you but...damn it. I’m not going to lose focus on my mission and I’ll certainly keep focus enough to give you and Nozomi your happy ending.”   
  
“You’re so selfless it’s sickening.” Honoka muttered.   
  
“I know. But remember we are friends and I’ll do anything to make you happy.” Umi said hesitantly. She hoped Honoka believed her. She knew Honoka was probably still a bit wary of her though it didn’t seem like that was the case at the moment. “Nozomi makes you happy.”   
  
“I don’t think I make her happy.” Honoka whispered sadly, her heart wrenching at the thought. “I thought I did but I don’t think so now.”   
  
“She’s dating a time traveller. I kind of understand why she’s scared.” Umi said softly. “You may be there one day but the next day you could be gone.”   
  
“Am I difficult for you?” Honoka lifted her head to look into Umi’s eyes.   
  
“I like difficult. I love it.” Umi said softly, locking eyes with Honoka. “I wouldn’t want anything else.”   
  
Honoka managed a small smile at that. “I love you.” She watched as Umi’s eyes widened and blushed. “Ah, I’m sorry. That was...really selfish to say. I meant to say I loved you. I loved...my Umi. But you’re the closest I have an I didn’t get to tell her before she died protecting me. I love you. That’s why it hurt so badly when you betrayed me. I knew I was with Kotori but I always...thought about you when I’m most scared. When I was about to die. And then Eli-senpai took that place. And then Nozomi. But I did have feelings for you. And I want to just have one more thing before I finally move on from you. I wanted to tell you how I felt. I’m sorry if that made you uncomfortable or…”   
  
“I love you too.” Umi answered, effectively silencing Honoka. “I loved you too. Even when I...did what I did.”   
  
Honoka leaned in carefully and pressed her lips to Umi’s cheek. Slowly, Honoka eased away. “Thank you...for letting me tell you.”   
  
Umi didn’t say anything else as Honoka slid off of her and lay down on her side next to her, her head resting on Umi’s shoulder.   
  
Umi stared at the ceiling as Honoka slowly drifted off.   
  
\----   
  
Vera was halfway down the stairs when a gust of wind blew her hair up and isla appeared in front of her. “Damn it! Isla, what the hell?!”   
  
“Sorry. I didn’t mean to scare you.” Isla said with a sheepish smile. “Can we talk? I-I wanted to ask you something.”   
  
Vera stared at Isla. “I heard what you did to Natsuki. What the hell was that about?”   
  
“Huh?” Isla blinked at Vera in surprise. “Oh, I was...I was just...I-I don’t know. It wasn’t working between us and I like…”   
  
Vera scoffed and pushed past Isla before the speedster could finish speaking. “Whatever. I have things to do, Isla. Can you ask Kikyo or someone whatever it is you need to ask?”   
  
“I didn’t want to ask them, I want to ask you.” Isla jogged down the stairs after Vera and grabbed her hand. “Wait. Vera…”   
  
“Damn it, Isla. I’m BUSY!” Vera snatched her hand away, glaring angrily at Isla. “Maybe you should be talking to Natsuki, not me. You broke her heart you know.”   
  
“That’s not true.” Isla frowned at the comment. “Nat-chan didn’t even care when I told her last night. She just told me to leave. She doesn’t love me.”   
  
“You really don’t know her at all. Unbelievable.”   
  
“Huh?”   
  
“Just leave me alone for a bit. I’ll talk to you later when I’m not in the mood to yell at you.”   
  
Isla felt herself flush with anger as Vera turned to walk away from her. “When _aren’t_ you in the mood to yell at me?! I thought it would be different with us now. I thought we could be friends but it’s just the same, isn’t it?”   
  
Vera paused for a moment at the accusation. “Leave it alone, Isla. I can’t talk to you about this right now. You need to sort out the mess you made with Natsuki.”   
  
Isla watched Vera leave, her shoulders slumped in defeat. She didn’t know what to say to stop her. She didn’t even know if she should try. She bit the inside of her cheek, feeling her eyes mist with tears. She cursed and quickly wiped them away. She shouldn’t be getting upset. She had expected this, at least somewhat. She took a deep breath and took off running. She didn’t know where, she just had to get away from the house.   
  
\---   
  
Vera crept down the dark hallway to the office at the far end. She knew that was where Isla was staying with Rin but she’d never been there before. She’d never felt the need to go there. Reaching the door at the end she slowly pushed it open and let herself into the darkened room. She saw two futons but only one of them was occupied.   
  
Taking a deep breath she walked over to the futon on the floor, pausing next to Isla’s form. Her hair was down, she noticed. Splayed across the pillow and it seemed like Isla was sleeping. She didn’t even stir. Taking a deep breath, Vera slipped into the bed next to Isla, tugging the blanket over both of them.   
  
“Isla.” She whispered, pressing close to Isla’s back. She curled her arm around the speedsters waist, vaguely noticing how warm the other girl was. She pressed her lips lightly to the nape of Isla’s neck. “Isla.”   
  
Isla’s brow furrowed but she didn’t respond. Vera could tell that she wasn’t sleeping though, she was simply trying to ignore her.   
  
“Wake up.” Vera whispered against the bare skin her lips were pressed against. “Isla. You can’t stay mad at me all night.”   
  
Isla didn’t reply and Vera pouted, stubbornly deciding that she was going to convince Isla to talk to her. She slid her hand under Isla’s shirt, running her fingers over the girl’s stomach. “Isla.”   
  
Isla bit the inside of her cheek to stay quiet, not wanting to be the one to give in. It was only when Vera’s hand crept a bit too high, fingers brushing the underside of her breast that she let out a breathy moan. She quickly drew away though, her cheeks burning with embarrassment. “VERA! Damn it, you are so confusing.”   
  
“Most girls are.”   
  
Isla glared angrily. “Oh so now you want to talk?!”   
  
“I was in a bad mood, I told you!”   
  
“You made me think you were going to go back to ignoring me, you…” Isla trailed off as Vera sighed and straddled her in a single movement. She flushed in response. Vera really looked like the second in command Pyro even with her ginger hair. “What are you doing?”   
  
“What do you think? I’m going to make you feel better.” Vera reached down, lightly caressing Isla’s cheek. “I’m not good at expressing my feelings…”   
  
“You don’t say…” Isla muttered.   
  
“I’m trying, okay?” Vera said with a sigh. “But Natsuki was my friend too. One of my first actually.”   
  
“Why are we talking about Natsuki?” A flash of hurt crossed Isla’s face. “She didn’t love me. I probably did her a favor by breaking up with her. Maybe she was just staying with me out of guilt or something. But she didn’t care when I broke it off. So what does it matter?”   
  
Vera frowned at that. She knew that Natsuki had been hiding her real feelings with her reaction. “I just don’t want to hurt her. You were her girlfriend first.”   
  
Isla scoffed slightly in response. “It won’t hurt her.”   
  
“You’re so…” Vera trailed off, barely managing to stop herself calling Isla dense. “I understand. Just talk to her tomorrow. But be a little careful or Kikyo-nee-san. She’s always been protective.”   
  
Isla stared at Vera for a moment before she looked off to the side.   
  
“I’m sorry I caused all of this. I just…”   
  
“Don’t apologize.” Isla said with a shake of her head. “I wanted to kiss you just as much. Stubborn fool…”   
  
Vera felt her eyes prickle with tears and she quickly leaned down, catching Isla’s lips in a deep, open mouthed kiss. She felt arms go around her waist and pressed close to Isla, holding herself up with one hand.   
  
She pulled away after a moment, deep aqua eyes meeting forest green before Vera moved down, her teeth finding skin and her hands bunching up Isla’s shirt, tugging it up. As she tugged the shirt over Isla’s head she felt her tank top being pulled up her back too.   
  
Isla wasn’t sure what it was about Vera that turned her on so much, only that she’d never felt like this with Natsuki. She moaned softly as Vera sucked hard at her neck. Quickly she tugged Vera’s top all the way off, craving more skin. It seemed Vera had the same idea as her hands roamed eagerly over her stomach and chest, lips fixed to her neck. As quickly as it was happening Isla couldn’t stop it. She didn’t want to.   
  
\------   
  
Future Honoka was about to open the door to her bedroom when it was pulled open instead and Hanayo stepped out, almost bumping right into her. “Oh sorry, I didn’t know you were in there.”   
  
“It’s fine.” Hanayo muttered simply before she slipped past Honoka and continued down the hallway.   
  
“Weird.” Honoka said thoughtfully as she entered the bedroom. She found Nozomi sitting on the bed, a tired look on her face. “You’re working from home now?”   
  
Nozomi smiled softly at the joke. “You could say that. Hanayo needed a session. Maybe I do too.”   
  
“Hmm?” Honoka closed the door and walked over to Nozomi, climbing onto the bed behind her. She hugged her from behind, resting her chin on her girlfriend’s shoulder. “Why? What’s wrong?”   
  
“Everything.” Nozomi leaned back into Honoka’s embrace, closing her eyes. “Hanayo is shaken and scared. She’s scaring other people. Even me. Nicocchi is full of guilt because she can’t...well it doesn’t matter. Kotori-chan is still affected by when she was with Sonoda. Elichi is scared she’s losing Honoka-chan. Maki-chan is overworking herself…”   
  
“Maki’s not the only one.” Honoka said gently, giving Nozomi a squeeze.   
  
“Yeah, I guess.”   
  
“Tell me what you’re thinking.”   
  
Nozomi’s lips turned up. “I figured you would know.”   
  
“I’m not a mind reader. I can feel that you’re stressed.” Honoka gently brushed her fingers over Nozomi’s chest and closed her eyes. “You’re worried. And you’re hurting. But I don’t know why.”   
  
“I just want to get away from this. From everything. I just want to be with you.” Nozomi admitted quietly, her own eyes closing. “It feels like we’re so far away from all of this being over.”   
  
“At least we’re together through it.” Honoka pointed out quietly. “We still don’t know what this being over means.”   
  
“You’re not going to die. I won’t let you.” Nozomi said strictly.   
  
Honoka gave a gentle laugh. “I know you won’t. But anything could happen, you know that.”   
  
“You’re not going into that continuum without me.”   
  
Honoka fondly rolled her eyes. “I love you, Nozomi. You always have an answer for everything, huh?”   
  
“Damn right I do. When it comes to us, I do.” Nozomi turned in Honoka’s embrace so that she was sitting sideways on the bed. “We’ll be together. That’s all that matters.”   
  
“You’ll be stuck in the continuum. If you stayed you could find someone else and-”   
  
“We both know that’s not going to happen.” Nozomi looked away, frowning. “Even if I wanted it to. Which I don’t.”   
  
Honoka didn’t know how to answer that so she settled for pressing a warm kiss to Nozomi’s lips. “I love you.” She repeated softly as she drew away. “I won’t leave you behind. No matter what.”   
  
\-----   
  
“Are you sure we should be going this far away?” Chika asked breathlessly as she jogged after Kanan who was tugging her along by the hand. “I-I mean it’s a train ride away and Minami-san said we shouldn’t even go outside. It’s dangerous.”   
  
Kanan grinned over her shoulder. “Don’t worry, I can protect us. Besides, don’t you want to smell the sea air again?”   
  
“I think You-chan would have liked this more than me.” Chika commented though she followed Kanan nonetheless.   
  
“Yeah, that girl practically lives on mine and he dad’s boats.” Kanan said thoughtfully, spotting the beach ahead. She picked up her pace slightly. “She told me she’s thinking of maritime school. I think I want to go to a diving school. Or be a marine biologist.”   
  
“Wow, Kanan-chan. You’re smart, you could do it.”   
  
Kanan laughed. “Only because Dia pushes my face into books. I do like working at the aquarium though.”   
  
“I don’t know what I want to be.” Chika said quietly as she followed Kanan. “I guess that’s always been a fear of mine.”   
  
“You’ll figure it out.” Kanan said supportively as she stepped onto the beach. Feeling Chika’s hand leave her own she stopped and turned, finding Chika in tears. “Chika?”   
  
“I met Riko-chan on the beach.” Chika said tearfully. “I-I don’t even know if I’m going to be alive before graduation. I don’t want to lose any more of my friends, I-I want Riko-chan, Yoshiko-chan and Hanamaru-chan back! I don’t want you or You-chan to die!”   
  
Chika choked on a sob before she felt strong arms wrap around her, drawing her close. She collapsed into the embrace, hugging Kanan back.   
  
“Why does all of this have to happen to us?! We haven’t even seen our future selves, w-what if we’re dead in the future?”   
  
“That’s not going to happen.” Kanan soother gently. “Us not being here doesn’t mean anything. Maybe the timeline issues focus around Honoka’s group. We’re not them so that’s why. Don’t worry, Chika. We’re going to have a future. All of us.”   
  
“Really?”   
  
“Yes.” Kanan drew back, lightly kissing Chika’s forehead. “I promise. I’ll keep us safe. And we have the others too. Dia and Ruby and You. We’ll be fine.”   
  
Chika breathed a sigh of relief, leaning into Kanan. “I miss Riko-chan.”   
  
“I know. Me too.” Kanan whispered, her eyes shifting to the ocean.   
  
\----   
  
Honoka flinched as she felt arms go around her waist from behind. She turned her head to the right only to catch a glimpse of familiar blue hair. She slowly allowed herself to relax. “Umi-chan.”   
  
“Since when do you make your own breakfast?” Umi joked, giving Honoka a light squeeze.   
  
“Since we stay in bed until eleven.” Honoka replied, giving Umi a quick kiss. “And I’m only making toast. I figured I’d let you sleep a little longer.”   
  
Umi smiled softly at the comment and let her chin rest on Honoka’s shoulder. She peeked over at the tea her girlfriend was making. “You were going to bring me breakfast?”   
  
“Well yeah.” Honoka mumbled in embarrassment.   
  
Umi chuckled, deciding to spare Honoka any further teasing. Usually it was the other way around and Honoka was teasing her. “You don’t think Yukiho minded Yuki sleeping in her room last night, do you?”   
  
Honoka shook her head. “I think Yukiho was just as excited as Yuki. I’m glad they’re getting close.”   
  
“Me too.” Umi mumbled, trying not to think about what would happen when Yukiho had to go back to her own timeline. “It was nice having the night to ourselves at least.”   
  
Honoka smirked, leaning her head back against Umi’s shoulder. “It was nice having you to myself.”   
  
Umi blushed, just like Honoka had predicted she would. “Honoka.”   
  
“Sorry.” Honoka turned in Umi’s loose embrace. She tugged at Umi’s shirt to draw her close but paused as she noticed movement at the doorway. Clearing her throat, she turned back to making the tea.   
  
Umi turned in confusion to see Eli walk into the kitchen in a sports bra and track pants. She was sweaty and her hands were wrapped, a bandage on her cheek. Umi raised an eyebrow. “Did you sleep at all?”   
  
“Wasn’t tired. Needed to burn things.” Eli answered simply.   
  
“Burn things?!”   
  
“Just some targets.” Eli paused, her gaze shifting toward Honoka whose back was to her. She swallowed anxiously. “You didn’t come to say goodnight last night.”   
  
“Sorry.” Honoka answered hesitantly. “Yuki stayed with Yukiho and I was busy with Umi-chan for a while. It just slipped my mind.”   
  
“You should sleep at least a little.” Umi said, frowning at Eli in concern. “You’re going to make yourself sick.”   
  
“I’m fine.” Eli answered with a stubborn shake of her head despite the fact that she looked exhausted. “I can sleep later.”   
  
Umi glanced between Honoka and Eli with a troubled look on her face. It wasn’t often that those two disagreed on anything. Certainly not disagreed to the point that they argued. She wasn’t sure she would be able to play the role of mediator. Even between herself and Honoka, Kotori was always the mediator. She looked down, her brow furrowing when she noticed a slight redness to Eli’s hand. She couldn’t see below the bandages. “You burnt your hands.”   
  
“A little. It’ll be fine.” Eli replied simply as she walked to the fridge. She glanced at Honoka, noticing her girlfriend had turned slightly to look at her. She was relieved at that at least.   
  
“Can I take a look?” Umi asked, following Eli across the kitchen.   
  
“No.” Eli replied, ducking out of Umi’s way as she reached for her. “Do you want to spar later?”   
  
Umi sighed heavily, her hands falling back to her sides. She supposed that would give her the opportunity to talk to Eli about Honoka at least. “Sure. If you want.”   
  
“Great.”   
  
“Eli.” Umi moved forward and grasped Eli’s wrist, tugging it up as the bandage slipped down slightly to reveal blistered, bleeding hands. “What the hell is…?”   
  
Eli wrenched her wrist away quickly, hiding her hand behind her back. She stepped back when Umi advanced. “Don’t.”   
  
“I just want to…” Umi reached out a hand only to have it swatted away by Eli who immediately cringed in pain. “Eli…”   
  
Honoka frowned, having noticed the action. “What are you doing?!”   
  
Eli’s gaze shifted to Honoka. “I just…”   
  
“It’s fine, Honoka.” Umi said softly.   
  
“It’s not fine.” Honoka growled angrily, walking over to Umi. She grasped the girl’s hand, tugging her close to her side. “I don’t know what’s wrong with you, Eli.”   
  
Umi’s eyes darted to Honoka in surprise.   
  
Eli opened and shut her mouth, her eyes shifting between Umi and Honoka. “I’m sorry. I’m sorry, I just...I can’t get rid of it. I don’t know how to keep this from you a-and I want to tell you but it’ll just cause chaos and I...damn it.” She felt tears cloud her vision and her shoulders slumped. “I just don’t want this secret anymore.”   
  
“Umi-chan, can you go and get Rei-san, please?” Honoka asked, letting go of Umi’s hand.   
  
Eli’s eyes darted up. “What? I don’t want that, I…”   
  
“Umi-chan.” Honoka glanced at Umi who nodded in response and quickly left the kitchen. She waited until Umi had left before she turned to Eli. “Sit down.”   
  
Eli’s lower lip trembled in response, her eyes shimmering with tears. Nevertheless she lowered herself into her seat. “Honoka, I’m…”   
  
“I’m sorry.” Honoka interrupted before Eli could continue. “I-I’m sorry I tried to force you to tell me. It still hurts that you won’t but I understand that whatever the secret is you’re keeping, you’re keeping it to protect me. If I had to do that, I-I think I would keep secrets from you too. I know I would. But it still hurts. Sometimes I feel like you just see me as some dumb kid you have to protect.” She slowly reached out and gripped Eli’s wrist, pulling the bandages off. “Rei-san will help. But why did you hurt yourself?”   
  
“I don’t know. I thought if I kept turning the temperature of my flames up, I could forget everything. I hurt you, I was being horrible to you but I just can’t tell you anything even if I wanted to. I’ve been having nightmare after nightmare of you dying and I don’t want that to happen.”   
  
Honoka hesitated, biting her lip. They’d both had the same nightmare more than once so she could only imagine it was something more. She didn’t mention it though.   
  
“I just want to protect you. So you can have a future.” Eli whispered tearfully, staring down at her reddened hands. “So we can have a future together. I know it’s hard right now. We’re not together as much as we want to be and I can’t even sleep with you but I want this to work. I love you, Honoka. If I didn’t have to keep this a secret I wouldn’t.”   
  
“I know.” Honoka said quietly.   
  
“What do you want me to do, Honoka?” Eli asked pleadingly. “Just tell me and I’ll do it.”   
  
“Sleep in my room again. Please.” Honoka crouched down in front of Eli and gently grasped her wrist, wary of touching her hands. “I want us to go back to how we were before. I miss you.”   
  
Eli’s eyes filled with tears. “You don’t hate me?”   
  
“I could never hate you.” Honoka replied before she kissed Eli softly.   
  
Eli leaned further into the kiss, sliding to her knees in front of Honoka. Her burned hands went to Honoka’s waist. They slipped under Honoka’s shirt and she cringed slightly at the heat from Honoka’s skin. She had forgotten her palms were still injured.   
  
“You’re sure you don’t hate me?” Eli checked, drawing away slightly. She pressed her forehead to Honoka’s. “I would. Maybe.”   
  
“Of course not. I love you more than anyone. You’re my Eli-senpai.”   
  
“Even Umi?” Eli felt her stomach drop as the question left her. “Sorry. That wasn’t fair.”   
  
Honoka didn’t respond. Instead she kissed Eli again, her arms going around the girl’s shoulders. Just as Eli deepened the kiss though she heard someone clear their throat. She pulled away, looking to the doorway to see Rei standing there shaking her head while Umi stood next to her, blushing.   
  
“Seriously?” Umi muttered. “Now?”   
  
Honoka smiled at the question. “I couldn’t help it. Eli-senpai is ho-”   
  
“Honoka!” Umi warned as Rei walked into the room.   
  
Honoka stood up, gently helping Eli up too. She stepped away after a moment to give Rei time to heal Eli’s hands.   
  
“Did you figure things out?” Umi asked quietly as Honoka stepped toward her.   
  
“I think so.” Honoka said softly.   
  
TBC.


	57. Chapter 57

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for the comments/likes etc. Hope you enjoy the chapter.

“I can’t believe we fell asleep.” Kanan said for what must have been the tenth time since they’d woken up at the beach. “At the beach, of all places. I hope nobody noticed we were gone.”   
  
“I thought you said yesterday that you didn’t care.” Chika said as they let themselves into the Minami household. She glanced around to make sure nobody had noticed them enter before she took Kanan’s hand and tugged her toward the stairs. It was still early enough that You would be asleep, she figured.    
  
“Yeah, well I don’t want Dia to find out.” Kanan muttered, earning herself a grin from Chika. She followed her friend up the stairs and let herself be tugged down the hallway to the room Chika was sharing with You.    
  
The two of them stepped into the room and Kanan’s eyes were drawn instantly to the four holes in the wall. “What the hell…?”   
  
“You-chan!”   
  
Kanan glanced at Chika as she pulled her hand away and darted toward the bed. Focusing on the bed Kanan noticed You lying atop the covers, blood smeared on her clothes and the sheets she was lying on top of. Her hands were covered in blood too, messily wrapped in bandages.    
  
“You-chan!” Chika gripped You’s shoulders, guiding her into a sitting position and Kanan noticed for the first time that You was wide awake, tears sliding silently down her cheeks. She watched as Chika positioned herself in You’s line of sight. “You-chan, what happened? Are you okay?!”   
  
You’s gaze focused on Chika and her features crumbled. “Chika-chan. I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to…”   
  
Chika hugged You hard, panic coursing through her. “It’s okay, You-chan. It’s gonna be okay.” She drew away after a moment, gently brushing You’s tears away. “What happened?”   
  
Kanan moved toward the two of them, crouching next to You. She uncapped the small bottle she always kept at her belt for emergencies before she took You’s hand on hers. She used her free hand to draw the water, gently cleaning the wounds.    
  
You sniffled softly. “I-I was just so angry and I-I don’t know.”   
  
Chika frowned, stroking You’s hair. “What were you angry about?”   
  
You shrugged her shoulders, her eyes flitting away. “I was just angry with myself. With everything that’s happening. I hate this situation. I’m powerless, I’m weak and I-I can’t do ANYTHING!”   
  
“You’re not weak.” Chika said quickly. She glanced at Kanan who was focused intently on soothing You’s wounds. “You’re the strongest person I know.”

  
You scoffed and shook her head. “Physically.”   
  
“Not just physically!” Chika said quickly, her voice insistent. “In every way. You’ve always been there for me, You-chan. You and Kanan-chan!”   
  
“What? I couldn't even save you from drowning when we were kids...which I caused by the way!”   
  
Chika winced, recalling the memory of that. Kanan had saved her then. She had even grown a slight fear of the sea for some time after that. It had faded, of course, after some time. “It wasn’t your fault, You-chan. I always told you that.”   
  
You drew a now blood free hand away from Kanan and wiped at her cheeks. “Because you were trying to make me feel better. I can’t do anything, I couldn’t even save Riko-chan.”   
  
Chika froze at the comment, her stomach plunging. She looked down at her lap, a lump forming in her throat. Finally she took a deep breath and looked up. “It’s not your fault.” She said again before she hugged You tightly.    
  
Kanan moved closer too, hugging You as tightly as she could. Her hand came to rest on Chika’s shoulder and she gave a gentle rub.    
  
\----   
  
Future Honoka walked down the hallway to Arisa’s room, a frown on her face. She had been looking for Eli for fifteen minutes now and hadn’t managed to find her. She hadn’t been in the gym, nor had she been in Honoka and Umi’s bedroom. She hadn’t been in the basement either and Maki and Kotori hadn’t seen her since the previous night.    
  
There was only one other place Eli could be and Honoka was already struggling to keep herself from worrying that the blonde might have gone off somewhere by herself or that something might have happened to her. 

 

Finally she reached Arisa’s room and knocked lightly on the door. She half hoped that Arisa wouldn’t be in there. Seeing the girl still caused an uncomfortable wrenching feeling in her chest at the thought of what Eli had been through.    
  
She waited a moment until Eli called for her to enter the room and she breathed a sigh of relief. She pushed open the door, finding Eli lying on the bed on her back. Arisa on the other hand was nowhere in sight. She entered the room, closing the door behind her.    
  
“You okay?”   
  
“Hmm?” Eli looked up, surprised to see Future Honoka standing near the door. She pushed herself into a sitting position and swung her legs over the edge of the bed. “Yeah, I’m fine. Just...nevermind. I’m fine. What’s going on?”   
  
Honoka raised an eyebrow. It didn’t seem like everything was fine. “I have something for you.” She stepped forward, holding out a closed fist to Eli who hesitated for a moment before placing her open hand beneath it, palm up.    
  
Eli was surprised when a familiar looking necklace was dropped into her hand. “My necklace? But I thought…”   
  
“I...don’t need it anymore.” Honoka answered quietly, giving a slight shrug of her shoulders. “Thank you for letting me hold onto it.”   
  
Eli nodded, lowering her hand. She stared at Honoka for a long moment. “Does this have anything to do with Nozomi?”   
  
“Partially. Mostly it’s to do with me though.” Honoka looked sadly at the necklace Eli was holding. “I miss her. I’m never going to not feel that way but you’re not her and I need to stop clinging to my past.”   
  
“Do you ever wish you could go back?” Eli asked softly, looking up at Honoka. “Even just to five minutes before it happened? So you could save them?”   
  
“Of course I do.” Honoka sat down next to Eli on the bed, sighing softly. “But I know I can’t do that. Anyway, um...do you want to talk to me about anything? You look like you’re worrying about something.”   
  
Eli sighed. She didn’t know if Honoka could actually help her. “Maybe. Um...you know who Vera is, don’t you? You know she’s...yours?”   
  
Honoka froze at the comment, her eyes going wide. “How do you…?”   
  
“It doesn’t matter. I just need you to...can you just keep her and Honoka away from each other?” Eli asked pleadingly, turning to Future Honoka. I don’t want her to end up hurt again.”   
  
“Okay. I’ll do what I can.” Honoka agreed after a moment of hesitation. “But you should take your own advice.”   
  
“Honoka.” Eli reached out and gripped Honoka’s hand before she could stand up to leave. “I need to tell you something too. I care about you. A lot. You’re not my Honoka but you are Honoka. You’re...your own Honoka. And I love every version of Honoka.”   
  
“Thanks?” Honoka’s brow furrowed slightly in confusion. “I love you too but…”   
  
“But I love Nozomi too. She’s my best friend.” Eli interrupted before Honoka could continue. “I know what you’re planning to do. And what she’s planning. I’m not going to let that happen.”   
  
Honoka smiled sadly, looking down at her lap. “You’re really becoming more like my Eli.” She looked up at Eli. “Do you know she dances?”   
  
“Huh?”   
  
“Our kid. She dances.” Honoka explained with a soft chuckle at the confused look on Honoka’s face. “And she has your blue eyes.”   
  
“I noticed.” Eli glanced toward the door to make sure it was still shut. “I’m trying not to...think about it too much.”   
  
Honoka nodded understandingly. She supposed it made sense. “You know, Nozomi is alone in that future.”   
  
Eli frowned. “What are you saying?”   
  
“I don’t know.” Honoka sighed heavily. It pained her to think of Nozomi being alone. “Just...we don’t know the specifics of where they’re from. Maybe it IS our future. In this timeline. Maybe I leave Nozomi behind and she ends up alone. Is that what you want?”   
  
“She’ll have us.” Eli said confidently. “I know you’re not going to take her. You wouldn’t.”   
  
“Why wouldn’t I?” Honoka asked bluntly. “I’m not selfless like Umi-chan.”   
  
“I know you won’t.” Eli repeated, shaking her head. “You don’t have to pretend with me. Even if you’re telling her you’ll take her.”   
  
Honoka silently stood up from the bed and headed toward the door. “I’ll see you later, Eli.”   
  
“Right…” Eli watched as Honoka left the room, noticing the way her shoulders were slumped. Deciding to find her Honoka she got up and crossed to the door, stepping out into her hallway. She gasped, stepping back when Natsuki stormed past her, Vera following close behind.    
  
“Come on, Natsuki-chan!” Vera pleaded loudly. “Talk to me, please!”   
  
Natsuki groaned and drew to a stop. “You know I need to focus, right?” Her eyes widened as Vera stepped further into her space. “Ugh, personal space!”   
  
Vera moved in further. “I won’t stop until you talk to me!”   
  
“Too close!” Natsuki flushed, taking a step back only to back herself against the wall.    
  
“Start talking. I’m the leader here.” Vera said, narrowing her eyes. “I…”   
  
Eli watched in amusement as the blue haired girl who had walked briskly down the hallway grabbed Vera’s hand and yanked her away.    
  
“Honestly, you need to stop getting into people’s personal space!” Kikyo said, clearly annoyed. “Hasn’t Eli-san taught you that?!”   
  
Vera pouted. “I want her to talk!”   
  
Kikyo sighed and looked at Natsuki. “I’ll get her to talk. Just be good, okay?”   
  
“Fine, Kikyo-nee.”   
  
Natsuki scowled as she watched Vera walk away. “Why is she always so childish around me?”   
  
“It’s because you two are friends. You must know by now that her ice queen persona is just a facade, right?” Kikyo smirked.    
  
Natsuki shook her head in disdain. “I’m not going to talk to her, Kikyo. I’m not in the mood.”   
  
Kikyo nodded understandingly. “Want to go to the piano room?”   
  
Natsuki shrugged her shoulders. “I don’t know…”   
  
“Come on, it’ll take your mind off of this Isla thing.” Kikyo said insistently. “I did write some things…”   
  
“Lyrics?”   
  
Kikyo blushed. “You know I just do that to get stuff off my chest! But yes, lyrics. Maybe you could take a look at them for me?”   
  
“Alright, fine.” Natsuki sighed. “I guess an hour wouldn’t hurt.”   
  
Eli, who had stepped back into her room to avoid being noticed waited until the two had left before she stepped out of her room. She closed the door behind her and headed down the hallway toward Honoka’s room.    
  
\----   
  
Future Hibiki was sitting in the kitchen, waiting for Rin when a gust of wind swept past her, coupled with Rin’s signature lightning trail. She blinked and suddenly Rin was standing in front of the fridge, digging through it. She smiled to herself. “Nice to see some things don’t change.”   
  
Rin whirled around at Hibiki’s voice. “H-Hibiki...san?”   
  
Hibiki chuckled under her breath and shook her head. “Hibiki is fine, Rin. You’ve never called me anything besides that.”   
  
“Right, sorry.” Rin awkwardly rubbed the back of her neck. “So you’re...Hibiki’s future self.”   
  
Hibiki nodded her head in response. “Well in a way. The timelines are different. I don’t think my present is your future.”   
  
“Huh…” Rin murmured thoughtfully, nodding to herself. She reached into the fridge, taking out a bottle of water. “But we’re...together in your present, right?”   
  
“Of course.” Hibiki said with a knowing smile. “But we got together when we were eighteen and everything was dangerous.”   
  
Rin gave a laugh and walked to the table, sitting down with Hibiki. “You haven’t been here for very long. It’s dangerous here too. Sometimes I feel like we’re waiting for A-Rise to come to try to kill us.”   
  
Hibiki frowned at that. “It could be worse, trust me. You seem to have more control over your ability than my Rin did back then anyway. Maybe you’ll win this time.”   
  
“Maybe we will.” Rin mused to herself. She nodded determinedly. “We will! I just have to keep training!”   
  
“Speaking of training, little me is getting better.” Hibiki said thoughtfully as she leaned back in her seat. “I’ve been training her a bit.”   
  
“Yeah, Hibiki really wants to be able to control her ability.” Rin said sincerely. “It’s important to her.”   
  
“It’s tricky though. I don’t always know when there’s something important I need to see. So there has to be some lack of control. At least a little bit.” Hibiki explained, her brow furrowing at the thought. “Some things she doesn’t need to see though.”   
  
Rin was about to open her mouth to reply when she felt a strange stabbing pain in her chest, Hibiki’s voice echoing through her mind. “Hibiki…” She gasped at the strange feeling, her eyes prickling with tears. Without another word to Future Hibiki Rin turned and used her speed to bolt toward the basement. She needed to get to her Hibiki.    
  
\-----   
  
Hibiki walked down the stairs to the basement, her chest fluttering with anticipation. Rin had gone out with Nico. To train, they had said, but she couldn’t help but worry. They weren’t even meant to be leaving the house.    
  
She paused at the bottom of the steps, finding Rin’s future self standing in the middle of the room. She cleared her throat. “Um...are you lost?”   
  
“Lost?” Future Rin turned toward the sound of Hibiki’s voice. “No, I was just...it’s been a long time since I’ve seen this, that’s all.”   
  
Hibiki raised an eyebrow. “You’re strange. You know that, future girl?”   
  
“Oh?” Rin asked pointedly. She crossed her arms in front of her chest. “You mean different to your version of me?”   
  
“Way different. A little bitchier.”   
  
Rin rolled her eyes. “Time changes people, Hibiki. I suppose you’ll learn that more than anyone else.”   
  
“What’s that meant to mean?”   
  
Rin shook her head in response, falling silent for a moment. She wasn’t sure how to talk to a younger version of her wife. “Your ability.”   
  
Hibiki frowned. “That’s a low blow.”   
  
“Maybe.” Rin replied with a shrug of her shoulders. “But you know it’s true. Your Rin isn’t going to be the same forever you know.”   
  
“She’s already changing.” Hibiki pointed out. “I don’t mind.”   
  
“She’s choosing to do that. For herself.” Rin replied seriously. “What do you think’s going to happen when that choice is take from her hands? When she loses people?”   
  
Hibiki stared at Rin, noticing a flicker of grief in her eyes. “Hanayo?”   
  
Future Rin turned away, cursing herself. Even this version of Hibiki could see right through her.    
  
“Nico-san will keep her safe.” Hibiki said confidently even as her stomach knotted at the thought of what losing Hanayo would do to Rin. “Plus she can beat pretty much anyone with that parasite of hers.”   
  
Future Rin was silent.    
  
“Rin?” Hibiki prompted carefully, stepping closer to Rin. “Are you listening to me?”   
  
“Yeah. I’m listening.” Rin turned around, a passive expression on her face. “I was just thinking.”   
  
Hibiki frowned. It was obvious what Rin would have been thinking about. “Could you not run back? To save…”   
  
“I did.” Rin interrupted bluntly. “You don’t know how many times I tried and I only managed to scar the timeline. I almost…” She paused, realizing what she was saying. “You’re just a kid. Why am I even talking to you about this?”   
  
Hibiki flashed Rin a smile. “Maybe you trust me.” She sighed when Rin merely stared back at her. “Your timeline really is nothing like this one. At least there’s another timeline where I end up with Rin though. It has to mean something, right?”   
  
Rin couldn’t help but smile at that. “I’ll always end up with...Hibiki. We’re soulmates.”   
  
“Wow.” Hibiki raised an eyebrow, smirking slightly. She was surprised at how Rin seemed to light up at the mention of their relationship. “Seriously?”   
  
“What?” Rin blushed. “It’s true. I felt like I was searching for her since I can remember. Longing for her. I just didn’t know it yet.”   
  
Hibiki stared at Rin for a long moment. “How old were you when you met me?”   
  
“Eighteen.” Rin answered without hesitating. “She went by Oracle back then.”   
  
“That means you saved her. That you managed to protect her.” Hibiki said, her eyes widening in realization. “I knew it! Your timeline is more similar to Future Honoka’s. This one is the strangest timeline. I guess because of Honoka’s meddling. It’s…”   
  
“I know, Hibiki.” Rin said with a slight smile. “I know all of the timelines.”   
  
“ALL of them?!”   
  
Rin looked from one side to another. “I’m from a timeline that went well in the end...until we started rebuilding the earth. Umi came back to our side. Hibiki wasn’t killed in the ambush. Everything went well until Honoka died. After Vera was born and she transferred her ability into her.”   
  
Hibiki looked down. “She did the same thing my mom did.”   
  
“I know. I’m sorry, Hibiki.” Rin’s voice softened as she stepped closer to Hibiki.    
  
Hibiki briefly bit her lip. “Does Vera think it’s her fault? I used to wish I wasn’t born because I thought I killed my mom. That I made her weak and…”   
  
“It wasn’t your fault.” Rin said softly, shaking her head. “And Vera...she knows that too. She still thinks about it sometimes of course but she knows. She has Eli to tell her it’s not her fault.”   
  
Hibiki nodded shakily. She inhaled sharply when Rin stepped forward and hugged her. Nevertheless she automatically melted into the embrace.    
  
“I’m right here.” Rin said softly. “Both me and your Rin. I’m glad you found her earlier. It took me a year to learn my Hibiki’s real name. Because she still felt like she was a bad luck charm. Untrustworthy.”   
  
Hibiki nodded slightly in response, feeling herself choke up. She still felt like that sometimes.    
  
“You’re not.” Rin said as if she knew what Hibiki was thinking. “You’re the best thing that’s ever happened to me in any timeline. I promise.”   
  
Hibiki didn’t draw away, crying softly into Future Rin’s shoulder until she felt a gust of wind. She turned to see her Rin behind her. “R-Rin?”   
  
“I heard you.” Rin said, her breath heavy. Tears clogged her voice. “I had to check on you. Hibiki…”   
  
Hibiki darted forward into her Rin’s arms, leaving Future Rin to stare at them pensively.    
  
Past Rin glanced at her future self with a frown before she ran out of the room using her speed, taking Hibiki with her.    
  
\----   
  
Eli was walking down the hallway to Honoka’s bedroom when her girlfriend stepped out of the room. She paused as their eyes locked.    
  
“Can we talk?” Eli asked with a nervous smile.    
  
“Yeah, of course.” Honoka glanced back at her bedroom door. “Um...Umi-chan and Yuki-chan are in there though. We could go to the roof?”   
  
“Arisa isn’t in our bedroom.  She’s with Yukiho.” Eli said with a slight shake of her head. “We could go there if that’s okay with you.”   
  
Honoka nodded her approval, her stomach fluttering with nerves and she apprehensively followed Eli down the hallway to the bedroom. She walked in past Eli, hearing the blonde girl close the door behind them. “I missed you last night. I thought…”   
  
“I’m sorry!” Eli exclaimed as Honoka turned toward her. “I wanted to stay with you. I really did, I was just...scared. I don’t trust myself around Yuki-chan and I’m still having the nightmares. You know my ability is triggered by my emotions. I could hurt her.”   
  
Honoka gave a slight sigh, bowing her head. “It’s okay. Umi-chan told me that’s what might have happened. I understand. I just wish we could...be together more. I wish things were different.”   
  
“Me too.” Eli said softly as she stepped forward. She stopped a few inches from Honoka. “This doesn’t mean we’re not together anymore. We are. And we’ll figure it out. Even if we have to sneak out to a hotel room. I don’t care as long as I still get to be with you.”   
  
“I could switch with Arisa-chan every few days.” Honoka suggested with a meek smile. “She likes spending time with Umi-chan and Yuki-chan.”   
  
“I’m sorry.” Eli murmured, feeling her heart wrench at the downtrodden look in Honoka’s eyes. “We just need to give it some time. Once everything has calmed down we can go back to normal. I promise.”   
  
“You know, Vera-chan reminds me of you.” Honoka mentioned thoughtfully, her eyes locking with Eli’s. “I really like the name too. What does it mean?”   
  
“F-Faith.” Eli stuttered. She took a deep breath, trying to pull herself together. “I thought you weren’t going to talk to her again?”   
  
Honoka shrugged her shoulders. “Something about her draws me to her. I don’t want to stay away from her. Is that weird?”   
  
Eli sighed, rubbing her temples. “Honoka, you promised…”   
  
“I haven’t said anything to her!” Honoka said quickly, sensing frustration in Eli’s voice. “N-Not yet anyway. But I want to keep talking to her.”   
  
“Don’t. Please.” Eli grasped Honoka’s hands tightly. “Just don’t. You need to stay away from her. We all do.”   
  
Honoka huffed out an annoyed sigh. “But you won’t tell me why. She doesn’t seem dangerous to me. She seems...normal. And she seems so normal, I just...I just want to help her, Eli-senpai.”   
  
“You need to leave this alone.” Eli said firmly. “Honoka, look at me.” She waited until Honoka did so before she continued. “If you care about me, Umi and Yuki at all you’ll stay away from her. You don’t know...you don’t know who she is. The trouble she could cause.”   
  
“Fine.” Honoka said with a sigh. She supposed she shouldn’t have pushed it, given that Eli had already asked her to keep her distance. She just didn’t understand why. “Can you just...hold me for a while then? I miss you.”   
  
“Yeah. Of course.” Eli breathed a sigh of relief as Honoka made her way to the bed. She followed and crawled onto the bed, taking Honoka into her arms. She gently kissed her girlfriend’s forehead. “I just want you to be safe.”   
  
“I know.” Honoka mumbled, closing her eyes. “I trust you.”   
  
\---   
Future Honoka stepped out of the back door into the garden behind the Minami’s house. She liked to go out there to think, to get her thoughts straight. After what Eli had said to her she needed a few minutes alone to process her options. Before she could take more than a couple of steps though, she heard the sound of sniffling.    
  
She glanced to her right, finding Vera sitting on the porch a few meters away, her knees hugged to her chest as she cried softly into them. “Crap.” She muttered to herself. She took a step back, thinking about turning around to walk back inside but the decking creaked loudly and Vera looked up.    
  
“W-What do you want?!” Vera quickly pushed her shades back down from the top of her head to cover her eyes.    
  
“Ah, nothing. I was just coming out to get some air.” Honoka replied with a shrug of her shoulders. “You okay?”   
  
Vera silently shook her head. “Not really.”   
  
“That’s...too bad.” Future Honoka awkwardly rubbed the back of her neck. She knew she couldn’t talk to the girl. A small part of her wanted to but if she’d learned anything over the past few months it was not to mess with time. “Look, I would...help but you probably know it’s a bad idea for us to be talking, right?”   
  
Vera tensed. “You know?”   
  
Future Honoka gave a slight nod of her head. “I made Rin tell me. Look, um...Vera...it’s gonna be fine. Whatever it is you’re going through, it’s going to get better. Don’t worry about that. A-Anyway, I should...”   
  
“Natsuki talked to her moms.” Vera pushed her sunglasses up to her head once more and stood up, taking a step forward. “Why...why can’t I talk to mine?”   
  
“Ugh, don’t look at me with those...eyes.” Honoka grimaced, quickly averting her own eyes. “You have…”   
  
“My mom’s eyes. I know.” Vera replied softly, taking another step forward. “Please. I just want to talk. What could it hurt if you already know who I am?”   
  
“Vera, listen to your mother and Rin then…”   
  
“I never even met you!” Vera exclaimed desperately. “I just want to know what you’re like. I just want to talk to you.”   
  
Future Honoka clenched her jaw. “You’d be disappointed. Look...I-I’m not your mother, Vera. Not this version of me and not yet. Definitely not yet.”   
  
“You’re dead, you know.” Vera stopped a couple of feet in front of Honoka. “I don’t care if you’re not my mother. You’re Kousaka Honoka. I tried speaking to the younger one...but you’re closer to my mother than her. She’s too young and innocent.”   
  
Honoka let out a slow breath before she dared to make eye contact with Vera again. “Listen, Vera.” Her voice softened slightly and she carefully reached out to place a hand on Vera’s shoulder. “I’m closer to your mother’s age but that’s all. You have your mom and it-”   
  
“I DON’T have her! SHE’S DEAD, remember?!”   
  
“I mean Eli.” Honoka squeezed the shoulder under her hand gently   
  
“But she’s not here! And younger Eli is too different.” Vera argued, clearly distressed. “Now I think I’m losing my sister. I just want to talk to someone. Someone who can understand a confusing heart.”   
  
“Actually, I think I know just the person to talk to…”   
  
“Huh?!”   
  
“Put your glasses on.” Honoka waited until Vera had done as she was told before she grabbed her wrist. She teleported them upstairs to her bedroom where she found Nozomi sitting at her desk, writing something. “Nozomi. Can you please talk to her? She needs counselling. Heavy duty.”   
  
Nozomi turned to look at Honoka in surprise. “Um...what? Did you teleport up here?”   
  
“Y-Yes, look she needs someone to talk to.” Honoka said hesitantly. “I just think you’d be the one who can do it. I know you’re overworked as it is but...please? I don’t like seeing her upset. Or any of these kids.”   
  
“Fine, I’ll do it. But Honoka, Maki-chan says you need to stop using your ability so much. You’ll…”   
  
Honoka groaned in annoyance. “What are you, my girlfriend or my mother?”   
  
Vera raised an eyebrow. “Girlfriend?  _ Tojo-san?” _   
  
Nozomi stared at Honoka for a moment, taken aback by the irritation in her voice.    
  
“Can you just talk to her?” Honoka sighed, running her fingers through her hair in exasperation. “Her name is…”   
  
“Vera. I know.” Nozomi interrupted before Honoka could finish what she was saying. “Do...we need to talk later too?”   
  
“No.” Honoka said meekly. She swallowed thickly and shook her head. “No. I have some things I need to do. Just...take care of her. Please. This is important to me.”   
  
“Okay.” Nozomi stepped forward and gently kissed Honoka, trying to soothe her. Next to them, Vera tugged off her glasses and just blinked at the two.    
  
“Thank you.” Honoka murmured. She briefly thought about using her ability to leave the room but remembering Nozomi’s words, she walked out instead.    
  
Vera raised an eyebrow as Honoka left. “Are you two fighting or something?”   
  
“Hmm? Oh...no.” Nozomi said, turning to face Vera.    
  
“She seems pretty annoyed.” Vera observed, crossing her arms in front of her chest.    
  
“Don’t give me that Elichi look.”   
  
Vera blushed and uncrossed her arms, letting them fall to her sides. “So you know too?”   
  
“I know about Isla-chan. And you look like Elichi, it’s not hard to figure out.” Nozomi said, looking Vera over. She gave an appraising nod.    
  
“My mom always said I look more like my other mom…” Vera mumbled, glancing down at the floor.    
  
“If you acted more childish I would assume so.” Nozomi sank down onto the edge of the bed, keeping her eyes trained on Vera. “You have her hair color and skin. I’m guessing this is a relationship problem you’re having? Elichi always had many admirers. I’m guessing you’re having the same...issue?”   
  
“I stole my best friend’s girlfriend...I think. I screwed up their relationship and now they’re broken up.” Vera admitted awkwardly. She wished it was her version of Nozomi she was talking to. “Natsuki did love Isla. But I-I like her so much. She just makes me feel like my own age and...damn it.”   
  
“This kind of thing is going to happen at your ages.” Nozomi said thoughtfully. “Don’t beat yourself up over it. Just talk to them both. At the same time. I’ve seen how Natsuki-chan has been less talkative since a week ago. How serious is this thing with Isla-chan?”   
  
Vera blushed and buried her face in her hands.    
  
“Hey, calm down. Sit down, come here.” Nozomi patted the bed next to her and watched as Vera walked over, sitting down. “It’s okay to rush things. You’re teenagers. I was the same with my first girlfriend.”   
  
“I wish Kikiyo-nee wasn’t so embarrassed about this subject...then I could talk to her about it.” Vera huffed, staring at her hands in her lap. “I’m just so...frustrated and guilty and I don’t know what to do!”   
  
“You just need to calm down. Take a deep breath.” Nozomi took a deep breath herself and nodded for Vera to do the same. She waited until Vera had before she slowly exhaled. “Natsuki-chan will forgive you. You just have to be honest with her. And Isla-chan. If you have feelings for her tell her. How does she think you…?”   
  
“I don’t know.” Vera confessed guiltily. “Sometimes I can be really...mean to her. She thinks I don’t like her. She’s lonely too and I keep pushing her away.”   
  
“Pushing her away? You know, your mother used to do that a lot until I became her first friend. You shouldn’t be afraid of someone you like.”   
  
“Natsuki is more like my Tojo-san.” Vera said sadly. “She bulldozed all of my barriers when we were in elementary.”   
  
Nozomi stared at Vera for a moment before she spoke. “It sounds to me like...maybe you have to decide which is more important to you. It sounds like you care about Natsuki a lot. You do have a choice in this, Vera-san.”   
  
Vera nodded, frowning to herself. “I should choose Natsuki. Isla knows I would if I had to choose.”   
  
Nozomi gave a slight smile at the comment. “So?”   
  
“I want Isla.” Vera whispered. “I want to be with her. Besides...I had sex with her! I can’t just stop what we have. She’s the only one I bring to my time. My sacred place. Surely you understand…”   
  
“Oh trust me, I do.” Nozomi said with a knowing look. “I’m the only one allowed in future Honoka’s time.”   
  
“Time stops, the wind stills…” Vera mused, closing her eyes. “And I can just let my emotions melt. When I’m with Isla I can be myself. I don’t want to give that up.”   
  
“Then you should tell her how you feel about her.” Nozomi said gently, touching Vera’s arm. “If you don’t want to lose that.”   
  
Vera looked down. “I should...I will. Then I’ll confront Natsuki. With Isla beside me. No more running away.”   
  
Nozomi smiled as Vera nodded determinedly. “If you need anything else, I’m always here, Vera-chan.”   
  
“Thanks.” Vera nervously smiled back. “Um, I should go and...talk to Isla. Thank you for the advice.”   
  
Nozomi gave a nod in response and watched as Vera headed for the door.   
  
\----   
  
Hanayo had just walked into the kitchen, on her way to the basement to check in with Kotori and Maki when a gust of wind caused her hair to fly up around her face. She gasped in surprise. “Rin-chan, I…” She hurriedly pushed her hair out of her face only to find herself staring at Isla as the girl heaved some shopping bags onto the counter. “Oh, it’s you…”   
  
Isla tensed for a second at the sound of Hanayo’s voice. She looked up slowly, noticing Hanayo frowning at her. “Sorry, I didn’t know you were in here. I wasn’t really paying attention. I’ll just um...go.”   
  
“No, it’s fine.” Hanayo said through gritted teeth. She had promised Nico and Raven that she would try to keep her cool around Isla. She wanted to do it for herself too. Before their lives had changed she remembered wanting to be kind to everyone she met. And Isla didn’t seem like a bad person. “So you’re a speedster? Like Rin-chan?”   
  
“Uh...yeah. But not really.” Isla answered quietly. She felt a little awkward around Hanayo thought he knew that she shouldn’t. It was her mother after all. “I guess it wouldn’t hurt to tell you the truth. My ability used to be different. It was a form of phasing, like yours. But I was close to Chika-san in the future and when...when everything got messed up, she passed her abilities to me. So I have eight abilities now, including my speed.”   
  
“So what you’re saying is you’re probably the strongest ability user in the world right now?” Hanayo asked slowly, her hand twitching at her side. The idea that Isla could easily wipe all of them out occurred to her but she gritted her teeth, pushing it back down.    
  
Isla felt her heart sink in her chest as Hanayo’s eyes flickered to a glowing purple for a moment. “I-I don’t want to hurt anyone, I swear! The only thing I care about is keeping my younger sister safe. My...my parents are gone now and I don’t want anything to happen to her. But these...abilities I have now mean that everyone who wants power wants to kill me for them. Especially A-Rise. So all I was doing was putting Hana in danger. That’s...that’s why I’m staying in the speedforce now. If I’m not in my time nobody will find out I’m linked to Hana.”   
  
Hanayo stared at Isla in confusion. “Why are you telling me all of this?”   
  
“I trust you.”

  
“You don’t even know me.”   
  
“I know you in the future.” Isla replied. She figured it was best to be at least somewhat honest with Hanayo. “And I know you’re a good person.”   
  
“How do you know me?” Hanayo stepped forward, studying Isla closely as if she were trying to recall who she was.    
  
“Let’s just say...you’re close to my parents in the future. That’s all I can say.” Isla looked away, biting her lip. She wish she could tell Hanayo the full truth but she couldn’t. Rin had forbidden her. She couldn’t help but feel angry at that. Natsuki had been sent back to apparently keep her under control and yet the second she had appeared she had confessed everything to Kotori.    
  
Hanayo reached forward, lightly touching the strands of hair that had fallen free from Isla’s ponytail. “I don’t know anyone with white hair…”   
  
“Ah, this?” Isla asked sheepishly. “My hair wasn’t this color before. It happened when Yuki used her ability on me. And when I took the ability as one of my own...we’re not really sure why it happened. Neither is anyone…”   
  
“Hanayo!”    
  
Nico’s voice drew the attention of both Hanayo and Isla toward the door in time to see her storm into the room.    
  
Nico paced quickly over to Hanayo and gripped the girl’s hand, drawing it away from Isla’s hair. She angrily narrowed her eyes at Isla once more. “What the hell did you say to her?”   
  
“What? N-Nothing.” Isla stuttered, her eyes widening as she took a shaky step back. She wasn’t used to seeing Nico looking at her like that. “I didn’t say anything. We were just talking.”   
  
“Calm down, Nico-chan.” Hanayo said with a small smile.    
  
Nico’s eyes widened. “R-Right. Well this is a change of roles…” She squeaked in surprise when Hanayo phased her hand under her shirt to lightly rub her back. “H-Hey! I’m sensitive back there.”   
  
Hanayo smirked. “Raven’s ability is really starting to last longer than we thought.”   
  
“Yeah…” Nico murmured thoughtfully before she glanced at an uncomfortable looking Isla. “Punch me.”   
  
“WHAT?!”   
  
“I want to see if I can feel anyone else or if it’s just her.” Nico explained simply, rolling her eyes. “That or cut me.”   
  
“Do I have to?” Isla grimaced at the thought. “I know you can heal but…”   
  
“Just do i-” Nico was cut off as Isla lifted a hand and slapped her firmly. “Did you just slap me?”   
  
“I did. Weird, right?” Isla said with a strangely satisfied smile. It felt strangely good to hit the girl who was getting in the way of her parents being together. She watched as Nico touched her cheek with a frown but didn’t seem in the least bit phased by the strike.    
  
“I didn’t feel anything.” Nico said with a shrug of her shoulders. “Guess it must just be her.”   
  
Isla looked away, doing her best not to roll her eyes.    
  
“At least I can’t be hurt by other people.” Nico said with a hint of relief. “The enemy won’t be able to hurt me physically.”   
  
“Unless they use Hanayo against you.” Isla pointed out, earning herself a frown from Hanayo and an irritated look from Nico. “What? I’m just saying. It’s what I would do.”   
  
“I’ll never let them get to her.” Nico muttered.    
  
“You sure that we can trust you? Or that we’re close in the future?” Hanayo growled angrily. She lifted a hand, clutching her head and gritted her teeth. “Damn it. Parasite. I’m sorry.”   
  
“It’s fine. And yes, you can trust me.” Isla said softly, her eyes lingering worriedly on Hanayo. “I’m not going to do anything to any of you. I was just saying Nico-san still has a weakness.”   
  
Nico frowned but nodded her head. “Hey, do I have a kid in the future? I heard Kotori talking…”   
  
Isla froze at the question. “Uh...I have to go and find...Rin-senpai. I’ll see you later, Hanayo-san. Nico-san.” She nodded to the both of them and turned on her heel, dashing out of the kitchen as quickly as she could.    
  
“I guess that’s a no.” Nico said, her brow furrowed in confusion as she stared after Nico. She shook her head in disdain. “She’s really weird.”

  
Realizing Hanayo hadn’t answered, she glanced toward her to see her still clutching her head. “You okay?”   
  
“No. Headache.” Hanayo said with a slight wince. She closed her eyes, taking a deep breath. She noticed that Nico looked worried and forced a smile to her face. “I’ll be fine. I’m going to lie down for a while. I’ll see you later, Nico-chan.”   
  
Nico closed her eyes as Hanayo briefly kissed her and turned to watch as her girlfriend walked away.    
  
\----   
  
Nozomi was lying on her back on her bed, staring at the ceiling when she heard a knock at the door. She wearily pushed herself into a sitting position, calling for the person to come in despite wanting nothing more than to ask them to leave. With so many people in the house it was getting harder to block everyone out. It didn’t help that her own emotions were in overdrive.    
  
The door creaked open and Eli stepped into the room, flashing a small smile. “Hey. Do you have a minute to talk?”   
  
Nozomi tiredly rubbed her eyes before she pushed herself along to the edge of the bed. “Sure. What’s going on? Is everything okay with Honoka? You said the two of you were trying to work out the sleeping arrangement, right?”   
  
Eli nodded in response as she took a seat next to Nozomi. “That’s what I wanted to talk to you about. I don’t know what to do. I’m...I’m trying to make it work but I can tell that Honoka isn’t happy with the way things are now. But what can I do? You know why we can’t go back to the way things were.”   
  
Nozomi gave a soft sigh. “I know. It’s too complicated.” She mused, biting her lip. Her eyes darted to the closed door. “Sometimes I miss the way things used to be. Back when we were still at school, back when we had normal lives and…”   
  
“And we were still together?” Eli asked, raising an eyebrow. She watched as surprise flitted across Nozomi’s face. “It’s okay if you miss it. You’re not betraying your Honoka by saying it. I miss it too. Everything was so...simple and easy when we were together. I didn’t have to worry about hurting people, I didn’t have to worry about someone else being in my relationship.”   
  
Nozomi was silent for a long moment, staring at Eli.    
  
“You miss it too, right?” Eli asked, nervousness seeping into her voice as she looked to Nozomi. “I’m not the only one?”   
  
“Yeah. I-I guess.”   
  
“What?” A mischievous grin crossed Eli’s face and she lightly bumped her shoulder against Nozomi’s. “You  _ can _ say it, you know. I promise I won’t tell anyone.”   
  
Nozomi gave a soft laugh at Eli’s teasing. “Fine, I miss it! I miss how easy our relationship was and how...simple everything was back then. Happy now?”   
  
“No.” Eli’s simple answer caught Nozomi by surprise but what came as even more of a surprise was the serious look on Eli’s face and the sadness shimmering in her eyes. Nozomi barely noticed the fact that she couldn’t feel the same sadness emanating from Eli. “I miss you, Nozomi. I miss us.”   
  
“What? But you have Hono-” Nozomi’s eyes widened as Eli leaned in and kissed her suddenly. “Mmph!” She grasped at Eli’s arms, drawing quickly away. “Elichi, what are you doing?”   
  
“Kissing you.” Eli said simply, feeling Nozomi’s grip on her arms slowly relax. She leaned in again only to have Nozomi lean away from her. “What’s wrong?”   
  
“What’s wrong? I have a girlfriend.” Nozomi said, wide eyed. She didn’t know what was wrong with Eli but she wasn’t acting like herself. “And so do you.”   
  
Eli scoffed in response. “Come on. My girlfriend  _ has  _ a girlfriend and yours is either going to wind up killing herself or she’s going to leave you behind while she runs off to spend the rest of her life in the continuum.”   
  
Nozomi frowned. “That’s not true. I’m going with her. She wouldn’t lea...” Her eyes widened suddenly in realization. “You’re not Eli...stay back!”   
  
Nozomi scrambled backwards off of the bed, almost falling in her hast. “Eli is in love with Honoka. Despite everything those two would go through thick and thin to be together. So would me and MY Honoka.”   
  
Eli scowled and stood up from the bed. “You always have to ruin my fun.” She walked forward to Nozomi who was walking backwards away from he. Her features sl into those of Anju. An older version of her at least.   
  
“I knew it.” Nozomi growled, reaching the desk. She reached under it, grasping the handle of the knife taped to the bottom. She gave a sharp tug to dislodge it and just as Anju reached her she held it up threateningly in front of her. “Stay aw-”   
  
Anju slapped Nozomi’s hand hard, sending the knife flying across the room. “If it makes you feel any better you’re just as weak in the future.” She gripped Nozomi’s face, forcing their eyes to meet. “Admit it. You liked it a little bit.”   
  
“You’re disgusting.” Nozomi seethed, her eyes alight with hatred. She cried out in pain as Anju delivered a sharp punch to her stomach.    
  
“Alright, Anju. That’s enough.”   
  
Nozomi’s gaze shifted over Anju’s shoulder at the sound of a new voice just in time to see an older Tsubasa materialize in front of her. She realized with a sinking feeling that it was Kotori’s ability she had used. “If you hurt Kotori-chan…”   
  
“Hurt her?” Tsubasa smirked at the reminder as she paced toward the two. “I killed her.” She watched as Nozomi’s eyes shifted to the door. “What? You can feel your precious Honoka getting closer? Too bad for you she won’t be able to do anything to help.”   
  
Nozomi’s heart leapt as the door to the bedroom flew open and Honoka burst into the room.    
  
“Nozomi!” Honoka cried out as she took in the sight of them. She dashed forward, lunging over the bed just as Tsubasa gripped Anju’s shoulder, teleporting all three of them away. She hit the floor with a hard thud. “No, no...NOZOMI! Damn it!”   
  
\---   
  
Hanayo frowned as she slowly approached the front door to the Minami household. Hearing footsteps thundering down the stairs she turned around to find Raven running down them.    
  
“Do you hear that?”   
  
“Barking.” Raven answered breathlessly as he approached the door. “Yeah, I hear it.” He paused as Hanayo gripped his wrist. “Huh?”   
  
“What are you doing?” Hanayo asked in concern. “It could be a trap.”   
  
“It’s not, I know that sound.” Raven pulled his arm away from Hanayo’s grip and left the house as the barking became louder. “Senshi!”   
  
Hanayo growled under her breath before she reluctantly followed Raven out of the house. She couldn’t let him get himself killed after all. Finding him running toward the gate she quickly followed after him. A black and white akita with a red bandana around its neck stood at the gate. “Raven-kun!”   
  
“I’m following the dog!” Raven yelled back to her. As the door ran off again, he vaulted over the gate. “I’ll be right back!”   
  
“What the…?” Hanayo once more growled under her breath at the fact that he was ignoring her completely. She phased through the gate and seeing Raven turn into an alleyway a few metres ahead she quickly followed. “Goddamn idiot…”   
  
She reached the entrance to the alleyway, out of breath in time to see Raven walking toward a girl on her knees on the ground.    
  
“Taiga…?”   
  
“Good boy, Sen.” The girl said as the dog sat down next to her.    
  
Hanayo inched further into the alleyway, noticing the girl had dark purple hair tied into a messy ponytail as well as cat like golden eyes. She was wearing a brown bomber jacket, black jeans and muddy chucks. Moving closer Hanayo noticed the girl’s jeans were torn in places.    
  
“So this is where you’ve been all this time, huh, Ray-kun?” Taiga said with a soft smile.    
  
“Thought I told you not to call me that.” Raven muttered, turning red as he crouched down in front of her. He looked her over in concern for any injuries. He noticed the bandage around her leg. “What happened? I thought you were killed in the explosion! I went looking in the lab for you but you were gone.”   
  
“I made it out thanks to Senshi.” Taiga replied with a slight shrug of her shoulders.  “Just been running ever since. Can’t really run much now though.”   
  
“Oh…” Raven’s eyes widened in realization. “Here, let me help you. There’s a doctor in the house, maybe she can heal you. Hanayo? Can you help me with her?”   
  
Hanayo had been watching carefully but she looked up, momentarily distracted. “Y-Yeah. Sure.”   
  
She made her way over and reached down to take one of Taiga’s arms only for the dog to growl at her. She yelped, drawing back. Her hands phased out of instinct. “Um…”   
  
“Don’t worry about him. Senshi is just overprotective when it comes to new people.” Taiga said with a small smile. “He’s really kind when you get to know him.”   
  
Senshi barks.    
  
Taiga rolled her eyes. “I don’t care if she smells weird. No biting!”   
  
Hanayo raised an eyebrow. “Um…”   
  
“Her ability is to speak to animals.” Raven explained, amused by Hanayo’s reaction to the interaction.    
  
“Don’t worry, everyone thinks it’s weird.” Taiga winced as she got to her feet with Raven’s help. “You should've seen me when I was a kid, talking to the rats and everything. Only Ray-kun actually thought my ability was interesting. We only met last year by the way. So you’re his...girlfriend, right?”   
  
Hanayo blushed. “I have a girlfriend!”   
  
“Oh...shut up, Senshi!” Taiga looked toward the growling dog.    
  
“Why?” Hanayo pressed with a smirk, trying to ignore the dog. “Are you interested in him?”   
  
“O-Of course not!”    
  
Raven glanced between the two of them in confusion. “We should get back to the house quickly. It’ll be dark soon and we need to have Rei-san look at your leg.”   
  
“Right.” Taiga accepted his shoulder to lean on and limped alongside him to the house with Senshi trotting along at her side. Hanayo led the way.    
  
“Hanayo!” Nico was standing at the door, a panicked look on her face. As Hanayo entered she hugged her fiercely. “Where the hell were you?”   
  
“Finding an old friend of Raven’s.” Hanayo answered, lightly rubbing Nico’s back. “Sorry. I didn’t mean to scare you.”   
  
Nico pulled away from Hanayo before she gripped Hanayo’s arm. She noticed it was flickering in and out of phasing. “As long as you’re safe, I’m okay.”   
  
Hanayo felt herself calm down under the touch and leaned toward Nico. She only then realized Rin and Eli were standing nearby too.    
  
“Nyaa, a dog!” Rin exclaimed brightly as she bound over to Senshi, crouching in front of him. “He’s so cute!”   
  
Senshi immediately began to wag his tail and nuzzled Rin affectionately.    
  
“Oh so you like the cat girl.” Sighed Taiga.    
  
“Name’s Rin.” Rin said, looking up at Taiga. “Is he yours?”   
  
“Yes. Um...he says you smell nice.”    
  
Raven laughed at the comment and Taiga felt herself blush.    
  
Senshi gruffed.    
  
“What did he say?” Rin asked curiously, seemingly catching on quickly to what Taiga was doing.    
  
“I’m a coward.” Taiga muttered, crossing her arms in front of her chest.    
  
Eli raised an eyebrow and Hanayo sighed.    
  
“She can talk to animals and the dog likes to tease her.” Hanayo said, shaking her head.    
  
“You have to be freaking kidding me…” Eli muttered while Rin simply laughed. She quickly noticed Taiga’s bandaged leg. “Why are you letting her stand on that leg?! Pick her up! We need to get her to Rei!”   
  
“R-Right!” Raven picked Taiga up bridal style, muttering an apology to her before he hurried up the stairs. Behind them Senshi let out a bark.    
  
“SHUT UP, Senshi!”   
  
\----   
  
“Leah-chan?” Ruby knocked light on the slightly ajar door to the bedroom she was sharing with Leah. Given that they were still in the early stages of their relationship she didn’t want to walk in on Leah changing or anything like that. Getting no response she slipped into the room, pausing when she found Maki sitting on the bed with her legs casually crossed.    
  
“Oh. N-Nishikino-san.” Ruby said nervously. “I didn’t expect you to be in here. Are you…?”   
  
“Waiting for Leah.” Maki said with a small smile. “She’s with Kotori right now, I think. Something about extra training. Sorry, do you need me to wait outside…?”   
  
“No, no. This is your house.” Ruby said with a hurried shake of her head.    
  
“Not my house. Kotori’s.” Maki said, standing up from the edge of the bed.    
  
Ruby blinked at Maki. “You’re not Maki, are you? She’s usually frowny around people unless you’re a Muse member. For a shapeshifter you’re really bad at acting.”    
  
Anju’s eyes widened, her jaw dropping slightly as Ruby called her out. “How did you know? You’re meant to be the naive one of the group, right?”   
  
“Ruby has been around Nishikino-san a lot to know her quirks and attitude.” Ruby said, crossing her arms in front of her chest. “She’s never casual and she never waits for Leah-chan in her room. You either have business with her or you leave her to work. She doesn’t like people annoying her. Minami-senpai is the one person that can get her to come up from the basement. You should have at least shifted into Kanan-chan or You-chan. That would have gotten me.”   
  
Anju growled angrily. “We were sure you had a thing for Nishikino. Damn it.”   
  
Ruby shrugged. “Muse members and Aquors members aren’t really close to one another. Most of us stay in our groups. Leah-chan and I are only being trained by Maki-chan and Kotori-senpai. It’s just business.”   
  
“Alright, alright. Shut up!” Anju exclaimed, having heard enough already.  “You’re coming wi-” She clamped her hands over her ears as Ruby opened her mouth. Not a second later she was knocked off of her feet by a sonic scream. She felt her earsdrums throb with pain and then suddenly everything went silent. For a moment she was sure that her eardrums had burst and she was deaf. Until she heard Future Tsubasa’s voice.    
  
“Get the hell over here. We’re leaving. Now.”   
  
Anju scrambled up from the floor and rushed over to where Tsubasa was picking an unconscious Ruby up. Her future self was nearby, gripping Nozomi tightly. Anju ignored the smug smirk her future self was wearing and gripped Future Tsubasa’s arm instead. A second later Tsubasa teleported away.     
  
TBC  
  



	58. Chapter 58

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you guys enjoy!

“What did she call us all down here for, nya?” Rin asked in confusion as she paused next to Nico and Hanayo. A few minutes earlier she’d been told by Kotori that Honoka wanted everyone from Muse to gather in the basement. 

“I don’t know. It seems important though.” Hanayo said with a thoughtful frown. She glanced across to where Eli was waiting with Honoka and Umi. She vaguely noticed that Eli was looking around too, a worried look on her face. 

She did a quick headcount. Future Umi, Future Kotori, Future Nico and Future Maki stood at the back of the room while Kotori and Maki stood off to the side, talking between themselves. “Nozomi-chan isn’t here.”

“Probably trying to calm her idiot girlfriend down.” Nico said with a roll of her eyes. 

“Something’s not right.” Hanayo murmured thoughtfully, feeling a shudder course through her. She didn’t know what it was but she knew not everything was as it should be. 

Nico glanced at Hanayo but before she could say anything Future Honoka had teleported into the room once more. Nico noticed in surprise that Honoka was covered in cuts, bruises and blood. “What the hell happened to you?”

“It doesn’t matter.” Future Honoka said gruffly. She gripped her arm, blood seeping through her fingers from an especially deep wound. “Nozomi’s gone.”

“Gone?!” Eli and Nico echoed in unison. It was Eli who continued though. “What do you mean she’s gone?!”

“Anju took her. Future Anju.” Honoka said, her voice growing taut with emotion. “I saw it happen. I tried to follow but they blocked me somehow. All I could think was to go back to Sonoda’s office. They weren’t there. There were agents though. A lot of them.”

There was a moment of silence during which everyone stared at Future Honoka before the room exploded in an uproar of voices. 

“We have to get her back, nya!”

“I knew it had been too quiet on their side!” Nico growled angrily, clenching her fists. “FUCK!”

“What are we going to do?!” Honoka fretted anxiously, looking to Umi. “We have to do something!”

“How the HELL did you let this happen?!” Eli stormed right up to Future Honoka, only pausing an inch or so in front of her. “You were meant to be protecting her. You were meant to watch her!”

“I…” Future Honoka gasped as Eli shoved at her shoulder with an angry growl. She bit the inside of her cheek, blinking back tears. Defeated, she bowed her head. “I don’t know what happened. I thought she was safe, I…”

“Well obviously you were fucki-” Eli trailed off as she felt a hand grab her arm and yank her back. 

“Cut it out.” Future Nico growled, pushing Eli lightly away. “You know you’re a trigger for her!”

“I don’t fucking care. Nozomi is my best friend.” Eli said angrily, brushing Future Nico’s hand off. “She was supposed to be protecting her!”

“Yeah well we can’t always protect the people we care about.” Nico warned icily, her eyes locked with Eli’s. “This isn’t her fault.”

“It is.” Future Honoka’s voice interrupted the two of them and they glanced at her in time to see her slump to the floor in defeat. “I should have been watching her. I should have known they would use her to get to me. This is all my damn fault.”

Future Umi stepped forward with a frown as she watched Future Honoka begin to cry softly into her hands. She looked to Nico, trying to decide what to do but Nico answered her question for her by nodding toward Honoka. 

Future Umi went to Future Honoka, sinking down to her knees next to her and drew her into a natural embrace. 

Eli gritted her teeth as she watched the two of them before she turned on Future Nico. “Why the hell did you…?”

“Because she needs someone to calm her down!” Future Nico growled back, her hands clenched into fists at her sides. “Christ, you idiot. Do you know what losing Nozomi will do to her?! Do you know how many people she’s lost already? And you’re just standing there yelling at her. Some goddamn Eli you’ve turned out to be.”

Eli gritted her teeth. “What the hell does that mean?”

“It means that my version of Eli loves every version of Honoka. Clearly you don’t give a damn.” Future Nico glared at Eli once more before she stepped away to address the others. “I know you all want to find Nozomi but there’s nothing we can do right now.”

“I can run around the streets!” Rin announced loudly, stepping forward. “I’ll leave right away.”

“Rin, no.” Future Nico said strictly. “And nobody else is going to do anything either. We need to find out where she is first and then we make a move.”

“Arisa can track her.” Eli said raspily. “Without Sonoda around it’ll be easier to do.”

Future Nico gave a sharp nod in Eli’s direction. “You deal with that. Me and Umi will deal with Honoka.”

Umi looked up briefly at the sound of her name but quickly turned her attention back to the sobbing girl clinging to her. She gently stroked Honoka’s hair, resisting the urge to do anything that could be misconstrued as being too intimate. 

Eli was halfway to the stairs leading up from the basement when she heard hurried footsteps running down them. She paused, her heart sinking but quickly relaxed when she found it was only Dia. Leah and Mari were hot on her heels. Chika and You trailed down the stairs after them. 

“Ruby is missing.” Dia blurted out, her eyes wide with panic. “Have any of you seen her?”

Eli frowned while everyone else in the basement averted their eyes. 

“What?!” Dia demanded frantically, glancing between the group. “What is it?”

“Someone from our group was taken.” Maki spoke up, figuring nobody else was going to. “Maybe they took Ruby too.”

Next to Chika, You tensed, clenching her hands into fists. She felt Chika rub her arm but it did little to calm her.

“Who? Who took Ruby?” Leah asked anxiously, stepping forward. She stared imploringly at Maki. “We have to get her back!”

“We feel the same way about our own friend.” Nico said from where she was standing next to Rin. “We have to figure out where they were taken before we get them back.”

“Like hell, I’m going to find her.” Leah turned and bolted for the door only for someone to grab the back of her shirt, keeping her from going. 

“Hold on lover girl.” Maki said with a roll of her eyes. “You’re not going anywhere.”

Sarah frowned at her sister’s behavior. “You’re supposed to be a thinker, not a reckless idiot.” She turned to Maki who was still holding onto Leah. “Even with her ability, Leah has always been the reckless type. Thank you for teaching her strategy, Nishikino.”

“Um…” A raspy voice sounded from the bottom of the stairs, drawing everyone’s attention to where Hibiki was standing with a canvas. “I drew something you should see…”

Slowly she flipped the canvas around to show a dead Hanamaru, sprawled on the ground and a hysterical Ruby. 

“Those bastards…” You tensed, accidentally applying more strength to her left foot and creating a dent in the floor. “Hanamaru-chan…”

“Ruby!” Dia yelled, storming over to Hibiki. She snatched the canvas away from her, frantically scanning it for a moment before she grabbed the front of Hibiki’s shirt and shoved her back against the wall. “Where the hell are they?!”

Hibiki grunted as her back hit the banister of the stairs hard. “I don’t know where. I only draw what I see!”

“Nya, get off of her NOW!” Rin exclaimed loudly, preparing to rush toward Dia and Hibiki. She felt hands grasp at her arms and glanced between Maki on her left and Hanayo on her right. 

“How can you not pinpoint a location with your art?!” Dia snarled furiously, her fear for her sister coming out as desperation. “This is USELESS TO ME!”

Hibiki bit her lip, looking down. “I-I’m only useful for drawing death. I’m sorry.”

“NYA!” Rin used her speed to run forward and grabbed Dia pulling her off of Hibiki. She gripped the front of Dia’s collar, practically lifting her off the ground. “Don’t talk to her like that again!”

Mari moved forward to intercept, her eyes glowing. Sarah, along with Kanan who had been walking down the stairs, grabbed her. 

“Calm down.” Kanan whispered into Mari’s ear. 

Dia let out a growl of annoyance and jerked her head forward, hitting Rin in the nose. The hit surprised Rin into letting go as she recoiled, clutching at her nose. 

“I’m going to find my sister.” Dia warned angrily as blood seeped from between Rin’s fingers. “Don’t try to stop me.”

“Dia-san!” Kotori walked forward, an equally annoyed and concerned look on her face. “You need to calm down. We let you stay here and the thanks we get is you attacking us?”

“She attacked me fi-” Dia trailed off with a shake of her head. “I don’t have time for this.”

“You can’t leave without knowing where your sister is.” Future Maki said logically, stepping forward. “You won’t know where to start looking.”

Hibiki moved around Dia to draw Rin toward her, cradling the girl to her chest. She frowned at Dia in annoyance. 

Dia gritted her teeth and turned toward Future Honoka, preparing to ask what she intended to do as the self-proclaimed leader of the group. Instead of seeing Future Honoka with Future Umi as she had a moment ago she found the space they had occupied empty. “Where did they go?!”

“She teleported away.” Honoka answered softly, earning a withering glare from Dia. 

Umi drew Honoka close to her, glaring right back at Dia. 

Dia scoffed and turned to Mari, her features softening slightly. “Mari-san.”

“Let’s go and look for her.” Mari jerked away from Kanan and Sarah’s hold on her and reached for Dia’s hand. She grasped it, tugging her toward the stairs. 

Eli watched the two of them go with a slight frown before she followed quickly. 

===

Future Umi didn’t realize what had happened until a moment after the noises of the basement had been replaced with complete quiet. Until the room around her changed and the hard floor under her knees was replaced by a soft mattress instead. 

She blinked upon realizing what had happened and slowly glanced around the room. She was in the bedroom Future Honoka shared with Nozomi. “Honoka…”

“I let them take her.” Honoka said tearfully as she looked up at Umi. “I should have been ready. Faster.”

Umi’s brow furrowed at the comment and she shook her head. “You couldn’t have known. We didn’t know they were going to attack yet.”

“I should have been with her.” Honoka continued as if she hadn’t even heard Umi, tears tracking their way steadily down her cheeks. “What was I thinking, leaving her alone?”

“You couldn’t have been with her all of the time. My past self isn’t with your past self all of the time. Just like Hibiki isn’t with Rin all of the time.” Umi reminded Honoka gently as she stroked her hair. “This isn’t your fault. It’s theirs.”

Anger suddenly crossed Honoka’s features. “I’m going to kill them.” She vowed in a low, furious tone of voice. “I’m going to kill them all. If they hurt her…”

Umi gave a quiet sigh and drew Honoka’s head back to her chest again. “I know. We’ll find her, I promise.”

Honoka hugged Umi tightly, sniffling into her chest. She didn’t know what she would do if Nozomi was hurt because of her. “I don’t know what I’ll do if anything happens to her.”

“I know.” Umi said again, her voice a mere whisper. She felt her heart wrench in her chest as she thought of her own version of Honoka. She was alone in her timeline and Umi wasn’t there to protect her anymore. “We’ll get her back.”

“We don’t even know where to start looking!” Honoka pulled back abruptly, her voice raising slightly in frustration. “What if she’s already…?”

“Honoka, stop it.” Umi said sharply before Honoka could finish her question. She watched as Honoka lowered her eyes. “I know you’re scared. But don’t think like that. Nozomi is going to be fine. We’ve been in worse situations than this before and we’ve always…”

“Always what? Gotten out of them?” Honoka’s voice rose again. “This isn’t your timeline, Umi-chan. Not everyone just lives. It’s not LIKE that for me. Everyone I’ve loved has…” Her voice broke and she cursed under her breath, rubbing at her tears as they quickened. “I have to go and find her. I have to do something!”

“You need to calm down.” Umi said gently, placing her hand on Honoka’s cheek. She gently encouraged their eyes to meet. “We’ll work on it. But we need to figure out where she is and we need you to rest. Let me look at your arm. You’re hurt.”

Honoka closed her eyes at the gentle touch and leaned into Umi’s hand, feeling herself relaxing slightly. 

“Honoka?” Umi gently pressed. “Can I look at your arm?”

Honoka gave a slight nod and Umi moved her hand away. She did her best to ignore Honoka’s frown and gently gripped the lapels of Honoka’s jacket instead, preparing to tug it off. 

“I miss my Umi-chan.” Honoka said softly, causing Umi to falter. Their eyes met intently. “I miss Eli-senpai too but it’s different with Umi-chan. We didn’t have enough time, we wasted all of the time we had being enemies.”

“I was never your enemy, Honoka.” Umi said dejectedly. “I’m always on your side.” 

Honoka’s lower lip trembled. “I need more time with Nozomi. I don’t want to lose her too. I’m so sick of losing.” She leaned in with the intention of sinking into Umi’s embrace again but Umi jerked back slightly. 

“Honoka, don’t.” Umi warned warily. “I have a girlfriend. And so do you. Just...don’t use me for comfort.”

“But I just wanted your warmth.” Honoka watched as Umi blushed. “I’m sorry. I’m just so frustrated a-and I needed...comfort. I don’t really know who else to go to here. My relationship with your past self isn’t very good and...n-nevermind. You’re right. I need to move.”

Umi felt her stomach churn with guilt as Honoka drew away from her, getting to her feet. “Wait, I mean...we can hug, just nothing too...intimate. I don’t want Nozomi to hate me. I’m already on thin ice with Eli.”

Honoka nodded and tugged off her jacket, crossing to the mirror next to the wall. Blood trails covered her arm, from the wound to her elbow but the wound itself was closed.

“It needs stitches.” Umi said quietly, getting to her feet. “You should talk to Maki.”

Honoka scoffed at the thought of being anywhere near Maki. 

Umi watched as Honoka turned back to her. She blinked and then suddenly Honoka was in front of her, clutching her hand. She gasped slightly at the sudden feeling. “Did you just…” She was about to ask if Honoka had teleported over to her but paused when she realized that everything had stopped around them. “Wh-why are you doing this?”

“What am I going to do if Nozomi dies?” Honoka asked Umi, her tone pleading. “Tell me, Umi because I really don’t know what to do.”

“You’re not going to think about it right now.” Umi said firmly, squeezing Honoka’s hands. “And if it does happen, you’ll get through it. You have friends here. Maki, Eli, Kotori...you’ll be okay. I’ll make sure of it.”

Honoka threw herself into Umi’s arms and cried. Harder than she ever thought she could, her fear for Nozomi getting the better of her. She knew she needed to do something but she felt paralyzed by fear. 

Umi gently stroked Honoka’s back, waiting for her to calm down. It took a short while but finally Honoka pulled away, sniffling. Around them, time resumed once more. 

Umi breathed a sigh of relief. “You need to get some slee-” She paused suddenly, her eyes darting to the door just as it was thrown open. She watched in concern as Eli stepped into the room, her arms ablaze. 

“Come on.” Eli looked to Honoka, her eyes burning with intent. “We need to be out there looking for Nozomi. Arisa couldn’t find her. She’s going to try again later.”

Umi tugged Honoka closer to her. “She needs to rest. She’s hurt.”

“Honoka, get your things together. We’re leaving in ten minutes.” Eli said seriously, completely ignoring Umi. 

Umi gently pushed Honoka behind her and took a step forward. “She’s not going anywhere. She can’t fight like that. And I’m not going to let her leave with you when you’re being this reckless. Besides, you need to wait until we have somewhere to search.”

“You must have some idea.” Eli said, not addressing Umi. She looked to Honoka instead. “Somewhere you know about from the future?”

“Maybe...maybe the facility I was in.” Honoka sank down onto the bed, her head falling into her hands. “I don’t know where it is, everything is blurry from when I escaped…”

Umi felt herself shudder at the mention of that facility. She knew exactly where it was. “She’s not going back there. She can’t.”

Honoka took a shuddering breath. “I-I can if it’s for Nozomi.”

“No!” Umi could see that Honoka was trembling, even from where she stood. She turned back to Eli, glaring. “If you want someone to go with you, I will. She stays away from that place.”

Eli stared at Umi for a moment. “I don’t trust you. I need it to be her. Only her.”

Umi stepped close to Eli, lowering her voice. “Do you want to trigger her PTSD?”

“Do you want to see what’s going to happen if she loses Nozomi?” Eli countered in an angry whisper. “You don’t know what she was like when she first got here. Until about a month ago she wanted to kill herself. We HAVE to save Nozomi.”

From the doorway someone cleared their throat and both Umi and Eli looked over to see Future Kotori step through the door with Future Maki behind her. 

Kotori glared at Eli. “If Eli-chan was here she would side with Umi-chan.”

“Like hell.” Eli snarled angrily. “Your opinion doesn’t count here. If you haven’t noticed nobody in our group wants the two of you here. You’ve both done enough damage already.”

Maki awkwardly stepped in. “As her doctor, I have to say she shouldn’t go. Not because it’ll trigger her PTSD but she can’t use her ability right now. If she does, she’ll die from the aneurysm in her head. It’ll be too much stress.”

“If it gets Nozomi back I don’t care what happens to me.” Honoka said as she got to her feet. “I’m going to be stuck in the continuum anyway, right?”

“What?” Umi looked between the people in the room in confusion. She could barely keep up. “Wait, why are you going there? Someone needs to explain!”

Honoka let out a sigh. “There’s a tear in the continuum. Caused by Rin saving my past self by running back in time. I’m going into the continuum as a...replacement. To fix things. Maybe. Nozomi was going to go with me...”

Maki stepped closer to Honoka. “You’ll die the moment you save her. You won’t be able to do anything about the continuum. I’m serious, Honoka. You’ll stop breathing in the middle of battle, causing the others to retreat. Do you really want others to die? Don’t be so fucking selfish!”

Honoka gritted her teeth, moving closer to Maki. “I don’t give a damn what you think.”

“Honoka, people will DIE!” Maki said firmly, refusing to back down. “Eli, Nozomi, Ruby, Dia, Rin...they’ll die because they’ll be focused on you, not ARise. Rin won’t even be able to focus because she’ll be busy trying to get you to breathe! We’ve been through this before in our own time. You rushing headfirst into a fight because you want to save someone. Almost getting our friends killed!”

She clutched at her chest, where she knew a scar to be. She had survived but she still had the scar to remind her of what had happened. 

Umi gripped her own shoulder, remembering blood seeping from it while she was protecting Honoka who was next to Eli. Eli herself had almost died that night too, seeing as she was stabbed in the heart. 

“Go to hell, Maki-chan.” Honoka said darkly, gritting her teeth. She felt her skin warm, her neck tingling as fury washed over her. 

“Honoka, I’m trying to help y-” Maki was cut off as Honoka shoved hardly at her shoulders, sending her stumbling back a couple of steps. 

“You know, all of this time I thought you were my friend. I trusted you, I thought you cared about me.” Honoka growled angrily. “I felt guilty because I was scared of you and it turns out I was right to be.”

Kotori sighed before she spoke up. “Honoka-chan, Maki-chan did not initiate our relationship. I did. If you want to be mad at someone let it be me. Maki had nothing to do with it. She stayed away from me because she loved you and wanted to take care of you. You are her top priority in the rebels. It was never for me. She was always worried about you. I was ALWAYS complaining about how you were closer to Eli. Maki-chan has done nothing but taken care of you. Keeping you healthy. Even happy at times. She is so afraid of losing you. Look at her. She’s doing everything she can to keep you from dying. You are DYING, Honoka. That tumor is going to kill you and it’s not going to be fast like being shot. It’s going to be slow and painful. You need to let Maki-chan help you.”

Honoka growled in annoyance. “If you think I’m letting her near me with a scalpel…”

“God, you’re so fucking stubborn.” Kotori said in exasperation. “Did you hear what I just said? If you keep acting like this Maki’s going to panic and she will screw up the only thing that can save you.”

“I don’t want her near me with any damn scalpels.” Honoka retorted angrily. 

“What else are you going to do? Get her past self to operate?”

“It would be better than her doing it!” Honoka said loudly, looking between the two. She failed to notice how downcast Maki looked. 

“Honoka, she’s only fifteen.” Maki said with a sigh. “She doesn’t know anything beyond the books. I can do this. What do you think she has that I don’t? I’ve had to forcefully learn through the crises of the virus. I’m a genius but I’m not that fast at learning.”

“At least I know that my Maki-chan cares about me.”

“Your Maki? I’m closer to that than she is!” Maki exclaimed in frustration. “I do care about you, damn it. I care way more than even my present self. I’d die for you. Would she? Would she actually shed blood for you because I have. Honoka, I was fucking stabbed because I wanted you safe. I WOULD die for you.” She gripped her collar, tugging her shirt down to reveal a scar stretching from her clavicle to right next to her heart. “Tsubasa did this, she cut down Umi’s shoulder, scraped across Kotori’s stomach. Slashed Rin’s legs. She even stabbed Eli in the heart. We would ALL die for you. How do you not see that? If it wasn’t for Nozomi and Nico we would have all died. Please. Let me save you.”

“Maki-chan.” Honoka frowned, looking away. 

“Yeah?” Maki perked up, hope visible on her expression. 

Honoka looked back into Maki’s eyes. “I would rather die than let either of you touch me. Now if you’ll excuse me, I have to get ready.”

Eli watched as Honoka left. She turned to Maki. “How long does she have?”

“I don’t know.” Maki admitted quietly. “It’s hard to say how much stress each use of her power puts on her brain. But if she goes in there and it happens she’ll just be deadweight to the rest of the group.”

Eli scoffed. “You’re lucky you’re not talking about my girlfriend, Maki. Or I’d have punched you already. Maybe you should work on your bedside manner.”

Maki rolled her eyes. “Just keep her in check.”

Eli stared at Maki for a long moment. “Why don’t you go and keep her in check yourself?”

“Because I need to be ready for the aftermath. When she comes back and she’s at death’s door. Besides she won’t let me near her.” Maki replied, frowning. “I have to be ready. That idiot isn’t dying on my watch.”

Eli felt her flames finally flicker out. “What you said before about her...you’re trying to get her to trust you again, aren’t you?”

“Isn’t that obvious? She’s one of my closest friends. I’d do anything for her.” Maki muttered, looking away. She felt Kotori lightly grasp her hand. 

“Like stealing her girlfriend?” Eli asked, raising an eyebrow. “I meant what I said before. I care about Honoka. Everyone in Muse...from this timeline does. If you hurt her, you hurt all of us.”

“I didn’t steal her! SHE pursued me. Stop putting words into my mouth. I’m a professional doctor, damn it.”

“I’ve heard this before. And I know.” Eli said sharply. “Which is why I’m still speaking to you. Unlike her. But you went along with it which is almost as bad.”

Kotori grimaced at the reference to herself. Wisely she stayed silent. 

\----

Isla hurried down the hallway away from the infirmary, her heart in her throat. She needed to get away from there. She didn’t care where she went. She noticed the door to the room Muse used as a gym was slightly ajar and used her speed to run inside without thinking. She circled the room several times, running out of pure frustration. She couldn’t believe her father was with a random girl. Holding her hand too.

With a growl of indignation, she ran at the punching bag and hit it as hard as she could, the speed she had built up from her run sending the punching back flying across the room. It hit the floor with a thud before rolling a few feet. 

She felt her fist throb and looked down at it, intending to check for any marks. Instead she found her hand was flickering in and out of sight. “What…?” She gasped, lifting her arms only to find that they were flickering every few seconds too. She felt her blood run cold. “What’s happening to me?”

“Isla?”

Isla glanced toward the door at the sound of Vera’s voice, in time to see the girl in question wander into the room. “Vera, I…” She paused, watching as Vera’s eyebrows raise up in shock. “I don’t know what’s happening. ”I think...I think the timelines are becoming one.”

Vera tried to touch Isla’s arm only for her hand to go right through after a few seconds. 

“I don’t know what to do.” Isla continued when Vera didn’t say anything. “Can you do something?”

Vera’s head darted left to right to make sure that Rin wasn’t in sight. Satisfied, she grabbed Isla’s hand and stopped time before she could flicker again. 

“I’m...disappearing. Like I said.” Isla said, slightly panicked. “My mom and dad aren’t together and now I’m flickering out of existence.”

“You don’t know that.” Vera said logically. “This could be anything. Maybe you accidentally copied Hanayo’s ability again.”

“I didn’t!” Isla snapped. She winced right after. “I-I’m sorry. I don’t want to disappear, Vera.”

“You won’t.” Vera hugged Isla gentle before she slowly drew away. “Trust me. It’s not going to happen. We’ll figure this out.”

Isla shakily lifted her free hand and removed Vera’s shades. “I want to see your eyes.” She murmured, noticing Vera’s confusion. “I don’t know what to do, Vera.”

“You’ll be okay.” Vera said softly. “Nothing’s going to happen to you. Or Hana.”

Isla’s eyes widened in surprise. “How did you…?”

“I’ve known you just as long as the others.” Vera pointed out matter of factly even as she blushed a little. “I know how your mind works.”

Isla surged forward suddenly and kissed Vera hard, an arm going around the girl’s neck. 

Surprised, Vera’s eyes widened briefly before they fluttered shut and she kissed back, still gripping Isla’s hand as tightly as she could. She didn’t understand what was happening but she wasn’t going to let Isla disappear either. 

\-----

Nozomi stared at the door of the room she was locked in, grinding her teeth together in annoyance. She had been thrown into the cell by Tsubasa and Anju and they hadn’t been back since. It must have been over three hours already. 

They hadn’t shackled her. Clearly they didn’t consider her to be real threat. They had given her a sedative of some kind though. While Nozomi felt a little woozy and her ability wasn’t working she was able to stay awake fairly easily. She almost wished she could just drift off to sleep. 

She sighed and rested her head back against the wall she was leaning on. The hard stone floor she was sitting on was uncomfortable, as was the wall against her back. She closed her eyes, her thoughts drifting to Future Honoka. At least she hadn’t been taken too though Nozomi couldn’t help but worry about how Honoka would be coping with everything that was happening. She hoped that Eli and Future Umi were with her at the very least. 

The sudden sound of the door scraping open caused Nozomi’s head to jerk up. She watched as a familiar girl with red hair was shoved into the small room with her. 

She didn’t quite manage to get a glimpse of Ruby’s face before the girl in question whirled around, throwing herself toward the door just as it closed, with a muffled cry. She slammed her bound hands against the door again and again. 

“Ruby-chan!” Nozomi got up and crossed the room to Ruby, drawing her away from the door. She turned the girl around by the shoulders and gasped when she saw that Ruby was wearing what could only be described as a human muzzle. She growled angrily as she tugged Ruby away from the door. 

“It’s going to be okay.” She soothed, seeing worry flash across Ruby’s eyes. “At least we’re together now.”

Glancing briefly back to the door, she carefully sat back down, tugging Ruby with her. “Let me see that.” She mumbled, gently turning Ruby’s head. She tried to undo the muzzle but the straps seemed to be made from thick plastic. She urgently tugged at them, trying to remove it but it seemed that she’d need a knife to get it off. Eventually she relented and let her arms fall back to her side. “I’m sorry. I can’t get it off.”

Ruby silently shook her head. 

“We’ll get out of this.” Nozomi said softly, returning to her previous position leaning against the wall. “I promise.” 

She felt Ruby sit next to her, leaning slightly into her side. She didn’t know the girl all that well but she didn’t pull away. She figured Ruby probably wanted her sister. The least Nozomi could do was be supportive. 

She felt a hand lightly touch her arm before Ruby said something but her words came out completely muffled. 

Nozomi frowned. She wished she could understand what Ruby was saying. “Are you asking...how we’ll get out of here? Honoka will come for us.”

Ruby shook her head, a troubled look on her face. She tried to speak again but Nozomi still looked completely confused. With a huff, Ruby gave in and leaned back against the wall. 

“I’m sorry.” Nozomi said guiltily. She watched as Ruby got up and approached the door. Slowly, she got to her feet too. “Ruby-chan…”

Ruby faced the doorway and took a deep breath through her nose before she let out a scream, intending to throw the muzzle off and smash her way out of the room. Instead she felt the scream reverberate through the mask and her ears and she felt herself being thrown through the air. 

She felt her back hit the wall before she crumbled to the floor. 

“Ruby-chan!” Nozomi exclaimed, rushing over despite the pain in her ribs where Anju had hit her. She crouched down next to Ruby, turning her over and tugging her half into her lap. She gasped, seeing Ruby’s ears were bleeding. 

Ruby whimpered at the pain that emanated through her head. The room spun around her and she squeezed her eyes shut. 

“It’s to keep you from using your ability…” Nozomi mused in realization. She had forgotten what Ruby’s ability was. 

“Onee-chan…Leah-chan.” Ruby whimpered to herself. She curled into Nozomi, tears in her eyes. “Hanamaru-chan…”

She couldn’t believe that Hanamaru was dead. Yoshiko was gone, Riko was gone and now Hanamaru too. How many of the others were going to die before this was over?

Nozomi gently stroked Ruby’s hair, her heart wrenching in her chest. She wished there was more that she could do but she wasn’t even sure what had upset Ruby. It was obviously something more than the fact that the two of them were imprisoned. 

“I’ll get us out of here.” She vowed softly though she knew that Ruby wasn’t listening. She was saying it more to reassure herself than anything else. 

\----

 

Maki’s eyes shot open suddenly and she bolted upright in bed. Her eyes flitted around the dark room for a second before she clutched at her head. Thoughts that weren’t her own echoed loudly inside of it. 

‘How are we going to get out of here? They didn’t have to kill her. I want Onee-chan…” The thoughts came to Maki disjointed and loud. Panicked even. 

“Maki-chan?” Kotori said up, watching Maki in concern. “Are you okay?”

Maki growled under her breath. “My ability is evolving again. Ahh, she’s too loud. All I can hear is her cries. I can’t think…” she clenched her hair in her hands as tears formed in her eyes. She could see the thoughts of the person she was connected with, clearer than she’d ever seen thoughts before. 

Kotori gently hugged Maki in concern. The two of them sat there for a moment before they heard a light knock at the door. She looked up to see Future Maki open the door. She was holding her head too, though she merely looked a bit uncomfortable. 

“Damn kid needs to control her thoughts.” Future Maki muttered as she walked into the room. “Someone is blocking the mental streams. Whoever it is must have a destructive voice.”

“Ruby-chan?” Kotori asked, perking up slightly. “She has sonic waves as her ability.”

“Damn it. They must ha-”

Kotori watched as Future Maki’s eyes turned white for a moment. “M-Maki-chan?”

Future Maki blinked quickly, her eyes returning to normal. Shakily she sat down on the edge of the bed. “At my peak I can see not only the memories of people and their thoughts but also their vision. Ruby’s in a room with Nozomi. Nozomi is...in bandages. A lot of them. Ugh, why is this girl screaming in my head?!”

Kotori looked to her Maki in worry. “Can’t you block it out somehow? She’s in pain.”

“We’re both in pain.” Future Maki winced as her head throbbed. “No. There’s no way I can block her out right now. We’re just going to have to wait it out.”

Kotori frowned, gently rubbing Maki’s back. “Is Nozomi-chan okay? Is she hurt?”

“I’d guess the bandages aren’t a good sign.” Future Maki retorted snappily. She watched as Kotori looked away. “Sorry. She’s alive.”

Kotori gave a slight nod and decided to focus her attention on her Maki. She gently stroked the girl’s hair, trying to soothe her. 

“She’ll pass out eventually.” Future Maki stood up only for the room to spin around her. She felt her knees buckle beneath her and braced herself for the feeling of hitting the floor. Instead she felt arms go around her. She opened her eyes, blinking up at Future Kotori. “Kotori…”

“You need to rest, Maki-chan.” Future Kotori said in concern as she helped Future Maki straighten up. She didn’t let go of her, not wanting to risk Future Maki passing out. “Come to bed.”

“My head...Ruby is…”

“I know.” Future Kotori said soothingly. “We’ll talk about it downstairs.”

Future Maki gave a hesitant nod.

“Sorry to disturb you.” Kotori said with a sheepish smile as she glanced to Kotori. “Um...she really will pass out soon. Don’t worry, just let her sleep it off.”

Kotori nodded stiffly at her future self and watched as she led Future Maki from the room, closing the door behind her. Sighing she turned to a sniffling Maki, drawing her closer. She pressed a gentle kiss to the top of her fiance’s head. “It’s okay, Maki-chan.”

Maki clutched the front of Kotori’s tank top. “Pain. S-She’s in so much pain.”

Kotori swallowed thickly. She knew how much pain those people could cause. “We’ll find them, Maki-chan. It’s okay.”

\----

 

Ruby looked up as the thick door to the room she was being kept in was opened with a loud scrape. She watched as Nozomi was shoved harshly back into the room. She fell to the floor and Ruby hurriedly got up to help her up from the ground. 

The guard who’d pushed Nozomi into the room sneered at them before he closed the door again. 

Ruby watched in concern as Nozomi winced. She could see tears drying on her cheeks. She noticed bandages just under Nozomi’s shirt and pointed. They seemed to stretch down to her back. 

“I’m fine.” Nozomi said with a meek smile as she walked over to the far wall. She glanced in distaste at the futons tossed carelessly onto the floor. A guard had delivered them earlier. She slid down, leaning her side rather than her back against the wall. “They gave me...a tattoo. A tag.”

Worried, Ruby sank down into a sitting position next to Nozomi. 

“Don’t worry.” Nozomi said reassuringly, grasping Ruby’s hand. “I’ll be okay.”

Ruby frowned. She knew that Nozomi was upset and the reassurance was for her sake. She leaned in and hugged Nozomi tightly, earning herself a slight gasp of surprise from the older girl. After a moment though she felt Nozomi hug her back. Slowly, she pulled away and looked Nozomi over for any sign that she’d sustained any more injuries. 

“I wish I could speak to someone from my group.” Nozomi mused in frustration, leaning against the wall once more. She glared at the door across the room. “If I could just contact Honoka or Maki-chan they might be able to find us. Not that I want Honoka anywhere near ARise…”

Ruby said something but it was too muffled for Nozomi to hear. 

Nozomi gave a heavy sigh. “I wish I could understand what you’re saying.” She tilted her head, eyeing the metal muzzle but it seemed there was no way to get it off. “Your group is at the house too, right?”

Ruby nodded her head. 

“And your sister is...Kurosawa-san?”

Another nod. 

“You two are close?”

Ruby nodded emphatically this time, her eyes lighting up a little. 

“You came with another girl too, right?” Nozomi said in an effort to distract them both from what was happening. “Leah-san? You two are dating now?”

Ruby blushed but nodded silently back. The relationship was new but they both wanted it. 

Nozomi leaned back against the wall, letting silence settle between them. She wasn’t sure what else to say when Ruby could barely talk back to her. “You probably miss her.” She mused after a moment, thinking of Honoka. Her heart wrenched when she thought of what Honoka was probably doing. “I miss my girlfriend to-”

“Alright, enough chatting.” The door across the room scraped open and a guard stepped into the room, sneering at the two of them. “You. Redhead. Get up and come with me. Time for your blood to be taken.”

“What?” Nozomi got to her feet as the guard stepped toward Ruby. She stepped into his way, blocking him with her body. “Stay the hell away from her.”

“Relax. You don’t have to worry about her anymore. Oh, did I forget to mention?” The guard smirked and looked over his shoulder toward the door. “Go ahead and throw her in.”

“What?” Nozomi backed up, to better shield Ruby. Outside of the room she was in she heard the sound of commotion. 

“Don’t touch senpai like that!”

“Shut it, magnetic witch!”

Nozomi watched with wide eyes as a woman a lot taller than her was thrown into the room, landing heavily at her feet. Her distraction allowed the guard who’d been talking to her earlier to knock her aside, grabbing Ruby by the arm. Before she could react he had shoved Ruby toward the open door, to where the other guard was waiting. 

Ruby cried out, the sound muffled by her mask but Nozomi heard it just as well. She bolted toward Ruby and the other guard only for the man in front of her to knock her back. Her back hit the wall and she let out a yelp of pain at the impact. 

“Turn up her goddamn collar!” The guard who’d shoved Nozomi warned as the woman outside continued to yell. “Don’t let her near any metal.”

“W-We’re standing on metal, sir?”

“So pick her up!”

Nozomi watched as the woman on the floor kicked out at the guard only for him to step quickly back and kick her in the stomach. 

“This isn’t going to go like it used to Taicho.” The guard said smugly as he looked down at the woman. “Now that you’re blindfolded, no way you can mimic me.”

Nozomi looked down at the blue haired woman on the floor in surprise. 

“You’ll get what’s coming to you, Gan.” The woman on the floor growled. “You fucking disgust me.”

Nozomi looked between the two in surprise but chose to ignore the conversation for now. She didn’t know what it was about but Ruby had to be her priority. “Where are you taking my friend?”

“That’s none of your damn business.” The guard, who Nozomi now knew as Gan, turned and walked out of the room, closing the door behind him with a loud thud. 

“No…” Nozomi lurched away from the wall when she heard the jingle of keys. She reached the door, banging the side of her fist against it. “RUBY-CHAN!”

“Don’t worry. Hisa will take care of her.”

“Huh?” Nozomi turned, seeing the woman who had been thrown into the cell with her pulling herself to her knees. 

“She may be limited but she’ll protect the girl you were with.” The woman repeated slowly. “We were both in the same unit.”

Nozomi’s eyes widened in surprise. “You’re an agent?”

“Former. I was kind of raised to follow orders. Hopefully my sister got more freedom than I got. I was sent away when I was in high school and my sister was just a toddler.”

Nozomi blinked in confusion. Something about the ‘ex-agent’ was familiar but she didn’t know how to place her. “What’s your name?”

“What’s yours?”

“Tojo Nozomi.” Nozomi answered without pausing. Her instincts told her that she could trust the woman in front of her and she’d learned to trust her instincts, especially over the past few months. 

The woman hesitated for a moment before she looked down, sighing. “Sonoda Kaiyo.”

“Sonoda…” Nozomi’s eyes widened. She should have realized. “You’re Umi-chan’s...sister?”

Kaiyo’s head jerked up. Not that she could see Nozomi. “You know Umi? How is she?! Is she safe? Has mother done something to her? She always kept things from me about her. Please, is she safe? I didn’t mean to abandon her, I was forced to leave. If I could have, I would have ran away with her.”

Nozomi stared at Kaiyo for a moment before she moved toward her. She knelt down near her, reaching for the blindfold. She felt Kaiyo flinch but slowly removed the bandage anyway. “Umi-chan is safe.”

Kaiyo blinked, both against the sudden light and in confusion. Only Hisa tended to remove her blindfold, when they were ‘safely’ back in their own cell. Her silver eyes met the bright eyes of the girl kneeling in front of her. 

Nozomi stared at the woman in front of her. She could see it now, that the woman looked like an older version of Umi. “You look like her. I mean...she looks like you.”

Kaiyo flinched as Nozomi reached for her hands, which were tied behind her back. “You shouldn’t, they want me bound.”

“I don’t give a damn what they want.” Nozomi muttered as she reached past Kaiyo to untie her hands. The close proximity caused her to notice the scar over Kaiyo’s eye. 

Kaiyo noticed Nozomi looking. “The scar was given to me when I was forced to leave and I was fighting to stay.” She explained, her eyes darting away. She wasn’t used to being this close to anyone besides Hisa. “Mother gave it to me.”

“Your mother gave Umi-chan a lot of scars too.” Nozomi mumbled, thinking of the scars she had noticed on Umi’s arms. “Your mother is…”

“Monstrous. Like her ability.” Kaiyo said, looking down at the floor. “I know.”

Nozomi glanced down, noticing Kaiyo tugging at some dog tags around her neck. She opened her mouth to ask about them but decided that she didn’t want to impose too much and abruptly closed it again. “So what’s your relationship with this Hisa person?”

“She’s my...apprentice.” Kaiyo said after a moment of thought. “When we found her she was a troublemaker but she has a heart of gold.”

“Right.” Nozomi mused. She hoped Ruby would be safe with the person Kaiyo had described. “So what are your abilities?”

“I have muscle mimicry. If I see someone do something once, I can mimic their moves. Hisa has magnetic field manipulation abilities.” Kaiyo explained. “What are yours?”

“Oh, I’m just an empath.” Nozomi replied with a shrug of her shoulders. She couldn’t help but be a little annoyed at her abilities. It wasn’t exactly offensive and by the time she had tried to use it as an offensive ability, she would have been attacked by agents. She was certainly the weakest in Muse. 

“That sounds…” Kaiyo hesitated for a moment, frowning at the thought of being able to feel what everyone else could feel. “Confusing.”

Nozomi gave a slight smile at that. “Yeah, at times I guess. I can block the ability with most people. Hey, um...that guard mentioned a collar before…?”

“Hisa can be pretty dangerous when she’s angry.” Kaiyo said quietly. “The choker was on her since she came here, it is to limit her abilities. Otherwise she won’t stop until she gets out of here. She hates it just as much as I do. I also want an answer from you. Do you know why there are two sets of A-Rise running around out there?”

“Yeah.” Nozomi sighed. “Would you believe that there’s an Umi around your age here too?” 

“It’s Kousaka who caused this, right? I remember seeing her as a baby while babysitting her with Umi…” Kaiyo mused wistfully. “Honoka got so angry and cried so hard she stopped time while holding onto my arm. Once I calmed her down she returned time to normal. It’s unusual for babies to be able to develop their abilities. So I kept my mouth shut about it. Who knows what they would have done to her? But Honoka is a very powerful ability user.”

“She is. Especially her future self.” Nozomi agreed quietly, looking away with a frown. “Her abilities have their downsides though. And she can be too reckless with her life…” She paused, wondering why she was telling Kaiyo so much. 

“What’s Umi like?” Kaiyo asked when Nozomi paused. “I haven’t seen her in so long. I’d appreciate anything you can tell me…is she still a crybaby? I only remember her when she was three or four.”

“Definitely not a crybaby.” Nozomi said softly. Out of the three, Eli and Honoka were most likely to be described as that, especially when the others, and Umi were in danger. “She’s strong. Protective, smart, selfless…”

“Good.” Kaiyo said with a small smile. She was glad Umi had grown up to be nothing like their mother. “And she’s...not alone? Now that our mother is...gone?”

“Of course not. She has her friends. And her girlfriend.” Nozomi said. She decided not to use ‘girlfriends’, figuring she shouldn’t overload Kaiyo with information. “I have to...rest a while. My back hurts and my head is pounding.”

She stood, walking to the back of the cell and sat down, leaning her side against the wall. She hoped Honoka would stay away. But she also wished she would come for her. 

\----

Ruby watched, her eyes wide with fear as the redhead in front of her angrily kicked at the steel door. 

“It’s like they’re fucking mocking me!” The woman growled, turning around to face Ruby. Her features softened slightly. “Hey, you want that mask off?”

Ruby hesitated for a moment before she urgently nodded her head. 

“Alright, stay still.” The woman walked over to Ruby and looked closely at the mask. She noticed Ruby squeeze her eyes shut. “My name’s Hisa. Evergreen Hisa. Just stay still…” She gripped where the bolts held the mask in place over Ruby’s mouth and focused her ability. Within seconds the mask fell to pieces. Hisa tossed it aside. “So what’s your name?”

“Ruby.” Ruby rasped, her voice hoarse from lack of use. “Kurosawa Ruby.”

“Pretty voice.” Hisa remarked with a small smile. “Why was it muzzled?”

“My um...scream is strong. Supersonic.” Ruby explained hesitantly. “I suppose that’s why.”

“Right. Oh, could you get me out of this?” Hisa pointed to the collar around her neck. “It’s such a pain.”

“S-Sure. I can try.” Ruby stared intently at the collar before she opened her mouth and let out a scream. Or what was meant to be a scream. Instead she barely managed a croaking cry. She coughed, her chest aching. “S-Sorry, I-I don’t know what’s wrong.”

Hisa sighed but shrugged her shoulders. “Maybe after you rest your voice a little. I need to get out of this damn collar.” She tugged at the offending collar in irritation. “As soon as I do, I’m gonna tear this place apart.”

Ruby’s eyes widened. “What…?”

“Huh? Oh, sorry, my ability is magnetic manipulation so I’m literally going to tear this place down.” Hisa said casually as she stalked over to the wall. She sat down, glaring at the door. She was too weak to get through it. She knew it was enforced. “I don’t care who I have to go through to get out of here.”

Ruby cleared her throat. “M-My friend is here too. Her name is Nozomi. I think she’s with the other girl.”

“She better not try anything with Senpai.”

“Oh, don’t worry. I think Nozomi-chan only likes people older than her. In their twenties, you know?” Ruby asked, sitting down too. 

“What?!”

“Huh?” Ruby asked innocently, surprised by Hisa’s outburst. “What’s wrong?”

“Nothing.” Hisa sulked, looking away from Ruby. She wondered if Kaiyo would like this girl she was spending time with. “Forget about it.”

“R-Right.” Ruby said shakily, turning her gaze toward the door. She hoped Nozomi was safe too. 

“What’s this Nozomi person like?” Hisa asked gruffly, resting her chin against her knees. “She’s not an asshole, is she?”

“No, she…” Ruby hesitated, putting two and two together. “Wait, you like that other woman, don’t you? Oh, she’s in her twenties too…”

“So am I, damn it.” Hisa scowled irritably. “I just turned twenty four…”

“If it makes you feel better, Nozomi-chan already has a girlfriend.” Ruby suggested shrugging her shoulders. 

“A little…”

“Where are those from?” Ruby asked, nodding to the dog tags around Hisa’s neck. 

“Agent boot camp.” Hisa closed her hand around the tags. “You get them when you’re a teenager.”

Ruby hummed thoughtfully, her gaze still fixed to the tags. “Why aren’t you an agent now?”

“Long story.” Hisa mumbled, not wanting to get into it with someone she barely even knew. 

“The guards are going to be angry that you took my muzzle off.” Ruby said in realization. “They’re taking my blood soon so they’ll notice…”

Hisa scoffed. “Gan can fucking shoot himself.”

“You know the guard?”

“He was in our unit.” Hisa explained, not looking at Ruby. “I always hated him, especially when he tried to get into Senpai’s pants. Not like he ever had a chance, especially with her being into…”

“Into who?” Ruby asked with a slight frown. 

“Just another guy.” Hisa wrinkled her nose at the thought. “Whatever. It’s not important. He’s dead now.”

Ruby stared at Hisa for a long moment before she sighed and rested her head back against the wall. She was glad her love life wasn’t so complicated. “That’s too bad.”

“Tell me about it.” Hisa rolled her eyes in response. 

“Do you love her?” Ruby asked curiously. 

“Hell no.” Hisa scowled irritably. “That’s like the first rule of being here. Don’t fall in love with fellow prisoners and agents. You should keep that in mind.”

“I have a girlfriend already.” Ruby said with a shrug, thinking of Leah. “She’ll be worried. Onee-chan too…”

“You have a sister?” Hisa asked curiously. “I had a sister too. And a brother. I haven’t seen them in seven years. The second I get out of here I’m going to look for them. Raven would be sixteen now. Itsuki would be thirteen…” She paused, second guessing herself. “Yeah, that’s right.”

“Wait, Raven-kun is your brother?” Ruby asked, her eyes widening. There couldn’t be many people by that name. 

Hisa’s head jerked up. “You know Raven?! How?!”

“Yes. He’s one of the people I’ve been staying wi...ow, oww, oooww!”

“Huh? Hey, kid, what’s wrong?” Hisa moved over to Ruby, crouching down in front of her as the younger girl gripped her head. “Hey…”

“Ruby, is that you?!”

“M-Maki-sensei.” Ruby said out loud in surprise. “I don’t know where we are. Nozomi-chan is here and we’re stuck i-in a facility…”

“Where?” Maki asked urgently. “Where are you?”

“Hisa-san?” Ruby looked up at Hisa. “Do you know where we are?”

Hisa frowned. “In a facility.”

“Hisa? Who’s that? Wait, I’ll open a channel.” Maki paused for a moment before she spoke again. “Hisa? Do you know which district?”

“Ueno district.” Hisa answered aloud, a little confused. “That’s all I remember before they turned up this fucking collar. But I think we’re near the zoo.”

“I’ll figure something out, Ruby. I’ll contact you soon.” Maki said hurriedly before she stopped the connection. 

Ruby sighed softly. She hoped Maki would hurry.

\----

“Just get some rest. You’re going to be fine.” Rei said as she straightened up. “I’ll send one of the girls up with something for you to eat later.”

“Thanks, Rei-san.” Raven said quietly while Taiga stared silently as Rei left the room. 

He sighed, turning back to her and put his hand on hers. His other went to rest gently on her shoulder. “Take it easy, she’s not going to do anything to you.”

“I don’t trust doctors.” Taiga mumbled, glaring at the door. “You should know that. ”

“I do, I know.” Raven said with a roll of his eyes. “Don’t worry, it’s her daughter you have to watch out for. She tried to melt my brain when I first got here.”

“Huh?!” Taiga’s eyes widened in surprise. 

“Kidding. I’m...mostly kidding.” Raven said with a slight smile. “Her name is Nishikino Maki. She’s the girlfriend of a friend of mine.”

“She’s HIS daughter?!” Taiga pushed herself up quickly. “I have to get out of here!”

“Hey, calm down…”

“I’m not letting them take me back, damn it!” Taiga pushed Raven away from her when he tried to reach out to help her. “It’s why I caused the explosion in the first place!”

“Taiga, they’re not going to take you back!” Raven exclaimed, his arms falling back to his sides. He frowned at the girl in front of his. “You know Nishikino-sensei has nothing to do with him now! Taiga!”

As she started toward the door, Raven stepped in front of her only to pause at the angry look she shot him. “You know what, do what you want.” He held his hands up. “You can shove me and hit me all you like but I’m not letting you leave. It’s way more dangerous out there than it is in here.”

Taiga stepped right up to him and hugged him tightly, burying her head into his shoulder. She felt him tense for a moment before he relaxed, his arms going around her in turn. 

Raven let out a sigh as he felt her tears dampen his shirt. “I’ll never let them take you back. You’re with me now...with us now.”

“I’m so tired of running, Raven.”

“You don’t have to.” Raven said softly. He realized suddenly that she was only wearing a sports bra and shorts and quickly drew away. “Oh. Sorry. Um...I’ll ask Kotori if she has anything you can borrow. To wear.”

Taiga looked down at herself, blushing slightly. “Is this bothering you?”

“Huh? No. But you’re probably cold. I’ll find Kotori.” Raven said with a casual glance toward her. “I’ll be right back. You should go back to bed too. Rei-san said to rest.”

“Right but…” Taiga trailed off as Raven turned and left the room. Sighing she made her way back to the bed. 

Raven stepped out of the bedroom and took a deep breath. Seeing Taiga again was overwhelming. He had worried that she was dead. Killed by Sonoda or their guards. 

“Raven-kun!”

Raven paused just before he reached the corner. He turned to see You walking quickly toward him, Dia and Mari right at his heels. “Oh hey, You. What’s going on?”

“We need your help.” You admitted, pausing in front of him. He noticed Dia and Mari stop a few feet away, Mari speaking quietly to Dia. “We need you to help us find Nozomi-chan and Ruby-chan.”

“Nozomi-chan?” Raven asked obliviously. “Where is she?”

“You seriously don’t know?” Dia asked from behind You, her eyes wide with surprise. “Nozomi-san and my sister were taken by A-Rise. We have to find them. You-san was telling me that you might know where one of their facilities is. And she trusts you. Will you come with us?”

“Oh...sure. If it’s to find Nozomi. And your sister of course.” Raven answered, nodding in response. “I just have something to do first. Oh and um...can I bring someone along too? We’re going to need some firepower.”

“The more the merrier!” Mari exclaimed brightly while Dia frowned and looked away. 

“Just hurry.” You said imploringly. “We need to find our friends.”

“Got it.” Raven turned and hurried down the hallway to Kotori’s room. He knocked, waiting for her to call for him to enter before he opened the door and stepped inside. “Hey, Kotori. Can I borrow some clothes?”

“What?!” Maki growled. 

“For my friend!” Raven explained hasily, holding his hands up. “She doesn’t really have anything to wear that isn’t covered in blood. Please?”

“It’s fine. Just ignore Maki-chan.” Kotori said with a soft chuckle as she stood up from the edge of the bed. She crossed the room to her drawers, taking out some sweats and a shirt. “You heard about...Nozomi-chan and Ruby-chan?”

“Just did. I’m heading out soon to look.” Raven answered before he cringed at his response. He supposed that was meant to be a secret. “I don’t think I’m meant to tell you that.”

Kotori sighed as she walked toward him, pressing the clothes into his arms. “Just be careful. I don’t want you to come back hurt. Or worse, dead.”

“I probably wouldn’t be coming back if I was dea-” Raven trailed off, grinning as Kotori swatted his arm. “I’m just joking.”

“It’s not funny.” Kotori sulked, crossing her arms in front of her chest. “You better come back.”

Raven smiled broadly and lightly patted Kotori’s shoulder. “Thanks, Kotori.” He glanced briefly at Maki who was keeping a watchful eye on them before he turned and left the room. He started to head down the hallway before he paused, realizing he didn’t know where the person he was looking for would be staying. He took a deep breath before yelling. “ISLA?!”

There was a gust of wind and he saw a flash of white lightning before Isla appeared in front of him, her eyes slightly wide with panic. “What’s going on?”

“I was wondering if you maybe wanted to come with me on a mission to find Nozomi and Ruby.” Raven answered hopefully. “Dia, Mari and You are coming along too. You don’t have to if you don’t want to, I just…”

“I’ll come.” Isla answered without hesitating. She knew what Future Rin would say but she could hardly bring herself to care about making her aunt angry. “Lead the way.”

“I have to stop by my friend’s room first. You can come if you want.” Raven pointed down the hallway to Taiga’s room before he started in that direction. He noticed Isla start to walk with him and smiled slightly. He hadn’t had many friends when he had been in the facility. For obvious reasons. It was nice to have so many now that he was around other people. 

He stepped into the hospital room, noticing Taiga sitting up on the bed. “I brought you some clothes. I have to head out on a mission but I should be back later tonight.”

“Right.” Taiga said carefully, her eyes trained on Isla. 

“Oh, this is Isla. She’s a friend of mine.” Raven said, noticing Taiga’s odd look. “Isla, this is Taiga. A...friend of mine. We were locked up together.”

Isla forced herself to smile at the girl in the bed. It wasn’t her fault, after all, that she was getting in the way of her parents being together. Nico had caused that first. 

Taiga tilted her head slightly. “You two have the same color eyes.”

“Huh? We do?” Raven glanced at Isla but didn’t think anything of it. “Oh. Weird. Anyway, if you need anything Kotori is just down the hallway. She’s really nice. Just be careful you don’t make her girlfriend angry. She tried to melt my brain once.”

“Wha-?”

“Raven-kun, are you coming?”

Raven glanced over his shoulder at the sound of You’s voice. “Oh. Yeah, sorry. Isla’s coming along with us too. I’ll see you later, Taiga. Try to eat something and sleep.”

He left the room hesitantly. As much as he wanted to help You, he wasn’t happy about leaving Taiga behind. Together the group made their way down the stairs toward the doorway. 

“Where are you going?”

Isla froze at the sound of a familiar voice. Slowly she turned to see Vera standing behind her. “Uh...on a mission. It’s classified?”

“You’re a bad liar.” Vera said, settling her hands on her hips. “Come here. I want to talk to you in private.”

Dia let out a heavy sigh and Isla shot her an apologetic look before she walked over to Vera. “Vera…”

Vera shot Dia an irritated glare. 

Raven tilted his head. He wasn’t sure he had seen Vera with her sunglasses off before. “You know, you look like Eli when you glare.”

“Oh so we finally figured out her origins.” Mari smirked. 

Dia gritted her teeth. “MARI-SAN!”

“It’s a joke, calm down, Dia.” Mari said in amusement, shaking her head. 

“I’m coming with you.” Vera said, lowering her voice so only Isla could hear her. “You don’t know what you might get into.”

“No way, this is dangerous.” Isla said quickly. 

Vera scoffed. “Isla, who was first in the academy?”

“You. It’s not the point though.” Isla said before Vera could say anything else. “I don’t want you to get hurt.”

“I don’t want you to get hurt.” Vera shot back seriously. She reached down, gripping Isla’s hand. “Listen, we’d be safer together than apart. I don’t want you to panic out there again about...you know. At least if I’m there I can calm you down.”

“I’m not a kid.” Isla frowned. 

“I’m not saying you are!” Vera insisted firmly. “But you’re my...my...whatever we are and I want to be there for you, okay? I want us to be a team.”

“Huh?” Isla glanced at the group waiting for her. “This is just going to be a one time thing…”

“Not...ugh, you’re an idiot.” Vera said with a roll of her eyes. “I’m going with you, okay? Deal with it.”

“Fine.” Isla let out a sigh of annoyance but turned toward the group waiting for her. “Um...Vera is coming too.”

“Fine, let’s just go!” Dia insisted impatiently as she opened the door. 

“WAIT!”

The small group froze on their way to the door at the sound of the voice echoing around them. 

Raven turned, frowning slightly as he saw Future Maki walking toward them from the direction of the kitchen. He supposed she must have been down in the basement. “Is everything okay?”

“You need to go to Ueno.” Maki said with a wince, clutching her head. She could only remember having to put so much effort into contacting someone a couple of times. “Not wherever you’re going. I managed to open up a channel with Ruby.”

“Is she okay?” Dia exclaimed, her eyes widening. 

“She’s fine. Seems she managed to make a friend. Hisa or something.” Maki answered, shaking her head. “Ruby was muzzled before which is why she was causing disturbance to me and my younger self. Apparently the woman she’s with got it off.”

“Hisa?” Raven mumbled in shock. “Did she have magnetic powers?”

“I think so. Maybe. I don’t know.” Maki said, frowning. “She was cursing a lot about a collar.”

“That’s her limiter choker.” Raven explained. “Our mother created it for her when she almost caused an explosion when she was twelve.”

“I take it you know her?” You asked, raising an eyebrow. 

“My sister. One of them anyway.” Raven replied, nodding his head. He took a deep breath, trying to calm himself. “I thought she was killed when I was nine though. She’d be twenty four now.” He fell silent for a moment before shaking his head. “We should go. We need to get to them. Is Nozomi with them too?”

Maki grimaced. “I don’t know where she is. I hope so, otherwise…”

“Otherwise Honoka’s going to lose it?” Isla asked, raising an eyebrow. She missed Vera’s annoyed look. “Yeah, we know. Let’s go then. Are you still coming, Vera?”

“Obviously.” Vera muttered, casting another quick glance at Maki. “Everyone grab on. I can get us there faster.”

Confused, the group gathered around Vera, each of them grabbing onto her arms. 

“Wait…” Maki stepped forward just as Vera and the others disappeared. She looked down as a splash of blood hit the floor where Vera has been standing. “Fuck, she really is hers…”

“Don’t try anything.”

Future Maki turned to see Future Rin standing in the doorway. “I need to do a deep examination, Rin. She could have the same side effect as Honoka. Do you want her to die?”

“I need you to learn how to shut that part of her ability off.” Rin said, stepping further into the room. 

“What?!” Maki exclaimed, her eyes widening. “I-I can’t do that. It would hurt her.”

“You’re supposed to be like my Maki. Don’t get soft.”

“I’m not going to shut off something that’s a part of her. Who do you think I am?”

“Oh right, you still have Kotori. Of course you couldn’t…”

“What’s that meant to mean?” Maki snapped, taking a step forward. “Why would I not have Kotori? She’s fine!”

“For now.” Rin glared at Maki. She scoffed in disgust. “Whatever. I’ll figure something else out for Vera.”

“She’s a kid! What are you planning?” Maki demanded, disbelief seeping into her voice. “Why are you treating these kids like weapons? The Rin I know would never…” She paused, seeing Kikyo walk into the room. 

“Rin-san?” Kikyo said quietly. 

“Go find Vera. Sense her life aura.” Rin ordered, not taking her eyes away from Maki. 

“Okay.” Kikyo didn’t hesitate to follow the order, quickly leaving the house. 

“What’s wrong with you?” Maki asked, frowning at Rin. “How did you get like this?”

Rin shook her head in disgust before she turned and walked away. 

TBC.


End file.
